Table 1 Activities, assignments, and actions to enhance participants’ sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness
Meeting topics and learning objectives (LO) | Activities | Home (HA) and WhatsApp (WA) assignments | Sample actions to enhance the sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Getting to know each other: - Grouping - Finding strengths LO: “We’ll get to know each other, and I feel like I’m an important part of the group.” | 1. Finding personal strengths 2. Sharing thoughts of personal motives to participate in the FM group Group discussion: nutrition and depression—how eating affects your mood | HA: keeping a record of health-promoting eating habits during good and bad days WA: sharing a photograph of one personally meaningful thing | Autonomy: finding out the participants’ important/meaningful reasons/motives for participating Competence: identifying existing knowledge of the topic Relatedness: noticing and respecting individual experiences, giving and receiving social support |
2. Diet quality and meal frequency: - Identifying health-promoting characteristics in diet - Setting realistic goals LO: “I’ll understand the meaning of meal rhythm and diet quality to my wellbeing.” | 1. Experiences of differences in diet and eating between good days and bad days 2. Goal setting | HA: focusing on meal frequency for a week HA: evaluation of ones’ own eating patterns WA: sharing favorite starter, main dish, and dessert chosen from the Food for Mind—recipe booklet | Autonomy: encouraging/helping participants to choose and set realistic and meaningful goals of their own and to plan actions that they will be committed to in achieving them. Competence: noticing and strengthening what is already good in the participants’ current habits and helping them plan concrete actions leading them to achieve their goals Relatedness: respecting differences in the participants’ habits and experiences, making use of this diversity when promoting change, giving and receiving social support |
3. Nutrition and depression—evidence-based knowledge: - Identifying existing positive characteristics in meal frequency and eating habits LO: “I’ll understand evidence-based knowledge about the association between depression and diet/nutrition.” | 1. Experiences and findings about meal frequency and its effects on good mood—discussion in pairs and in group Group discussion: nutrition and depression utilizing evaluations of participants’ own eating patterns | HA: adding one food item known to affect depression positively to your diet HA: getting familiar with mindful eating WA: participants sharing a picture of a food item or a dining experience, which has made them feel good | Autonomy: introducing several options of food items with a positive effect on depression and offering the participants freedom of choice Competence: noticing and strengthening the factors already good in the participants’ current habits and helping them make sustainable choices for new habits Relatedness. utilizing team/groupwork to enhance team spirit and to give and receive social support |
4. Food for Mind in practice: - Practicing mind-friendly cooking - Familiarization with mindful eating LO: “I’ll learn to prepare easy and mind-friendly food.” | 1. Group exercise about mindful eating and different hunger types using a mind map 2. Cooking, utilizing mindfulness 3. Eating together applying mindful eating | HA: existing food choices in the participants’ diet WA: sharing a photograph of a situation, in which a participant has utilized or could utilize mindfulness in the future | Autonomy: creating an atmosphere that supports participants’ sense of autonomy Competence: training on new skills (new cooking skills), strengthening existing (cooking) skills Relatedness: utilizing team/groupwork to enhance team spirit and to give and receive social support |
5. Food for Mind food items in a grocery store—navigation: - Getting familiar with a mind-friendly food selection LO: “I’ll get new tips to my food choices.” | 1. The participants’ experiences and observations of their own food choices 2. Getting familiar with the selection of Food for Mind food items available in the grocery store | HA: focusing on meal frequency for a week WA: sharing a photograph of one mind-friendly food item each participant has adopted in diet | Autonomy: learning to read labels to make personally relevant and acceptable choices Competence: giving positive feedback about what is already good in the participants’ current food choices, learning to read and understand labels, and using this knowledge in one’s daily life Relatedness: utilizing pair/team/groupwork to enhance team spirit and to give and receive social support |
6. Tools for the future: - Discovering and ensuring to the tools the participants have for putting the dietary goals into action and successfully maintaining them LO: “I’ll notice my success and I’ll find ways to enhance my mood.” | 1. A gallery walk-through method for group success, benefits, support, and future prospects with group discussion 2. Group discussion: hopefulness and gratefulness | Future exercises - Gratefulness exercise - Letter for the future exercise | Autonomy: highlighting the active and autonomous role participants have played in selecting and making lifestyle choices that have improved their health and well-being Competence: positive feedback on personal and group success Relatedness: giving and receiving social support |