Five sensible, sustainable goals you’ll actually be able to stick to.
‘Eat less chocolate’, ‘cut back on booze’ and ‘stop buying takeaway’ are some of the most popular new year’s resolutions when it comes to nutrition. And while you should be proud of yourself for wanting to make positive lifestyle changes if you’ve vowed something similar, I’m not the biggest fan of these negative, restrictive goals.
Instead, I think it’s far more rewarding to focus on broader, more positive food habits. To give you a helping hand, here are five new years resolutions I’d happily support you making on December 31st.
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1. Eat more vegetables
I know you’ve heard this message time and time again, but truth is, it’s just so damn important. Vegetables are rich in fibre to support a healthy gut and disease-fighting antioxidants.
They also contain a range of micronutrients to support overall health and wellbeing. Sadly, only seven per cent of people eat enough of these nutrition superstars – so if there’s anything you do in 2022, I think it should be making the humble veg the hero of your plate.
2. Drink more water
Two litres of water a day is the number you’ve probably always heard – but to be a bit more specific, you should aim for 30 millilitres of water per kilogram of your body weight per day.
If you weigh 75 kilograms, for example, that equates to two and a quarter litres of water each and every day. Water is essential for a range of bodily functions, including temperature regulation, digestion and keeping your bloodstream fluid. If you struggle to drink enough, you could try flavouring your water with fresh herbs or slices of citrus fruits.
3. Cook more food at home
That might not be what you want to hear after a year of lockdowns, but eating at home means you’re more likely to eat more of the good stuff, like veggies, and less of the not-so-healthy stuff, like deep fried food.
The best part is your home-cooked meals don’t have to be anything fancy – meals like omelettes, baked beans on toast and even stuffed jacket potatoes get my tick of approval over a takeaway pizza or pad Thai.
4. Give yourself freedom from food guilt
All foods fit in a healthy eating pattern, so it’s time to stop feeling bad after eating foods you’ve been conditioned to think are ‘unhealthy’, like chocolate, biscuits and hot chips. Sure, these foods aren’t the most nutritious foods on offer – but they’re delicious and often part of special family occasions and traditions.
Instead of vowing to never eat these ‘naughty’ foods again, I think it’s far healthier to accept that they’re a normal part of life, and enjoy them wholeheartedly occasionally and in moderation when you really feel like them.
5. Include all food groups
Say goodbye to fad diets that make you give up carbs, dairy or meat and hello to a healthy, sustainable eating pattern that includes all of the food groups. In case you’ve forgotten them, they are:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Grains – mostly whole grains like brown rice, rolled oats and wholemeal pasta
- Proteins – like meat, poultry, seafood, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds
- Dairy or calcium-fortified alternatives
Each of these food groups provides a unique set of nutrients that are important for good health. There is no benefit to excluding one (or many) of them just because a fad diet told you so. In fact, doing so might even leave you worse off than when you started.
Melissa Meier is a Sydney-based accredited practising dietitian. You can connect with her @honest_nutrition.
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