Healthy eating is a key part of an overall balanced life, but so are health, recreation and personal growth, among other factors.

How would your life appear on a balanced life pie chart?

Diet and nutrition aren't the only things my registered dietician, Lila Ojeda, and I talk about. During my last session with her, for example, the topic was balance. She gave me a piece of paper with a circle on it divided into eight equal pie-shaped sections labeled:

• fun & recreation
• physical environment
• career
• money
• health, which includes healthy eating
• friends & family
• romance
• personal growth
  

Here’s how to self rank your life in your balanced life pie chart.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the outer edge of the circle was assigned a 10 (10 being very happy), the center, a 1 (unhappy), and so on. Lila instructed me to make an "x" in the area of each section where I feel my number falls right now and then to connect the marks all the way around.

After completing the exercise, I learned that I'm feeling really strong in the health, physical environment, personal growth, and romantic arenas. In the "needs improvement" department: career (advancing my skills), money (lowering my debt), resolving issues with friends and family, and fun and recreation (making time for some!). This visual has given me instant insight into the areas of my life that I need to focus on. By doing so I'll feel less stressed and more self-confident—two factors that add up to a better relationship to food and healthy eating.