No Thanks! Dear “Junk Food”

1. No Thanks! Dear “Junk Food”

2. Problem Definition • Relying on “junk food” most of the time for the daily dietary needs. • Just filling up the stomach to satisfy the hunger. • Hyperacidity and associated complaints consequently.

3. Problem Definition continued…... • Eating a large meal in the night compensating for the junk food in the day. • Indigestion and “bloated stomach” feeling at the end of the day. • Loss of appetite and disturbed sleep eventually. • Ending up spending comparatively more than necessary on food and a whole lot on antacids!

4. What's So Junky About 'Junk' Food? • Many snacks, such as potato chips, fast-food cheeseburgers, and fries, have high levels of fat, sugar or salt. • Most of these are made using saturated fat, which comes from animal products, hydrogenated vegetable oils and tropical oils -- coconut and palm -- providing smaller amounts. Only animal fat provides cholesterol.

5. What's So Junky About 'Junk' Food? • Sodium mostly comes from salt added to foods during processing and most junk foods are rich in salt. • Eating too much fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, increases blood cholesterol levels, and therefore increases the risk of heart disease.

6. What's So Junky About 'Junk' Food? • Too much fat leads to overweight and increases the risk of some cancers. • Dietitians recommend that no more than 30 percent of your calories come from fats, and not more than 10 percent of these calories should be from saturated fat. • Junk food is generally way beyond all these recommendations.

7. Problem Flow Chart

8. Problem Flow Chart continued…

9. Changes to the Environment / System • Carry a lunch pack from home for the lunch at work. • Carry no loose change in the wallet. • Practice carpooling and use HOV to reach work place in time. • Always go to lunch along with a buddy who eats regularly at the cafeteria.

10. Changes to the Environment / System • Reach the cafeteria in time by tagging along with the designated buddy. • Return home early by practicing the same carpooling and using HOV. • Eat early. • Remove Television from the bedroom.

11. Changes to the Environment / System • Never buy or keep any kind of snack food in the house. • To facilitate that always do shopping with another designated buddy (wife in my case) to check the dietary habits at home. • Always fill the refrigerator with healthy food supply so as not to affect the cooking at home.

12. Personal Changes • Wakeup early in the morning. • Always eat breakfast before leaving for work. • Set an alarm in the watch to remind lunchtime. • Keep a sticker on the wallet reminding not to buy junk food. • Set alarm to wake early the next day.

13. Changes adopted • All of the changes especially the environmental / system changes were chosen (the basic methodology of CQI). • Executed over a period of 58 days starting from September 23rd to November 13th, 2000. • The data thus obtained was analyzed using the “Time in between chart”.

14. The Data

15. Data continued…….

16. Frequency Chart

17. The Chart Of Success.

18. Analysis • The two failures that are above the “Upper Control Limit” suggest the return to poor habits. • They are significant as they are way above the expected upper limit. • The rest of the failures below the Upper Control Limit in the chart suggest relapses.

19. Analysis • Though initially there was not much of a success or break in the habit, in course of time the habit changed. • This project of personal improvement is a success both physically and statistically.

20. Future Course Of Action • Eat a variety of foods. • Balance the daily food with physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. • Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits. • Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. • Choose a diet moderate in sugars. • Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium.