Have you noticed the little red seals next to menu items at some restaurants? Those are Smart Meal Colorado [2] designations. The program is the brainchild of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to help restaurant patrons identify healthy meal choices—those that meet certain nutritional guidelines [3] for calories, fat content, sodium, fruit and veggie servings, and so on.

The nearly 200 eateries that are on board are often fast-casual lunch places like Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill [4], Qdoba [5], and Wahoo's Fish Taco [6]. Some more unexpected restaurants (Beau Jo's [7], Rosa Linda's Mexican Cafe [8], Denver Pizza Company [9], Chada Thai [10], and Buenos Aires Pizzeria [11]) have also signed up.

I’m interested in these little seals because 26 days ago I challenged myself [12] to a month-long, healthy eating plan [13]. It’s not that I’m trying to wean myself from fast food (frankly, I loathe McDonald’s and fear Taco Bell) or that I’m a fried-food junky. I did it because I wasn’t making smart choices with the foods I do enjoy. 

This is my last week. I've cheated. I went on vacation where we enjoyed a campfire on the beach and I couldn't pass up a s'more. At a celebratory dinner at Bones [14], I ordered the lobster ramen (drenched in sinfully rich beurre-blanc miso broth). I stomped divots at the Denver Polo Classic with a glass of champagne in hand. And I gave myself a hall pass for the Vail wedding we attended.

Conclusion: I fail at special-occasion willpower.

However, my day-to-day eating habits have drastically improved. I actually eat the fruits and veggies in my fridge before they go bad. Turns out that whole-wheat and spinach linguine is just as tasty as the white flour stuff. And I don’t even miss cheese or ice cream. (OK, that’s a lie. I cheated once with an amazing dish of salted-caramel-butterscotch at the adorable Scrumptious [15] in Olde Town Arvada. But just one cup of ice cream. In 30 days. During a heat wave.) And get this: A box of beautiful cupcakes arrived at the office recently. They sat on the table in front of me during a meeting for 30 minutes and I didn’t reach for one. Victory!

The point is, it wasn’t that hard to make smarter choices at home or while grocery shopping for myself. When it does become tricky—and where I consistently found myself disregarding the “yes” and “no” foods—is at special events and restaurants, where you can convince yourself that you don’t have a choice. But at these Smart Meal locations [16], I can make a healthy, smarter choice. No more excuses.