A doctor isn’t just responsible for treating patients when they’re ill. Preventive care goes a long way in helping your patients thrive, and encouraging them to engage in the right habits can help them lead a better quality of life. That being said, how does one go about helping patients make the decision to engage in better habits, such as healthier eating habits? Here are three ways doctors can encourage healthy eating in patients.
1. Find Tools That Incentivize Them to Make the Right Choices
Healthy eating isn’t something that everyone is going to enjoy. Some people love healthy foods, but others may love convenient foods that aren’t so great for their overall health. One solution to help them eat better is to look for tools that incentivize them to do so. For example, their health insurance provider might have programs that reward them for healthy eating and for making better health-centric choices overall. Meanwhile, there are a host of apps online that might reward them for tracking things like the food they eat. When people find motivators that encourage them to eat healthier, they’ll experience less difficulty making the necessary changes.
2. Use a Medical Writing Service to Create a Brochure
There’s a common attitude shared among many that people should just eat healthy. They believe that eating poorly is a choice. However, not everyone receives the health education that they need to make healthy eating choices. The first step in any form of change is awareness, and that’s where you come in!
You can hire a medical writing service to create healthy eating brochures for your practice. This healthy brochure will help them learn the fundamentals of healthy eating, direct them to various foods and recipes that will support their health, and help them build the foundation upon which change is possible. People can’t change what they don’t know needs to be changed. You’re their source of education that produces self-awareness and makes healthy eating possible.
3. Inform Them of Their Options If Healthy Eating Is Difficult to Achieve
One of the barriers to healthy eating is a lack of available resources. Some people live in areas where there is an abundance of grocery stores they can visit to get their food from. Others, however, live in food deserts. These areas are characterized by a lack of places to get food from. They may only have one or two places that sell food, and those may not always have fresh produce or other healthy foods that others take for granted.
If you practice in a food desert, look for ways to help your patients thrive despite their circumstances. Their available options might not be the best, but you can help them make the best choices so that they can improve their health and wellness.
Helping your patients eat better will improve their overall health outlook. If your medical practice puts in the effort to help patients engage in healthy eating, they will be more likely to trust you and continue using your practice. Use the methods above to encourage them to eat better so that they can lead long, healthy lives.