A New Year, A New You – Nutrition for the New Year

It’s almost that time of year. New Year’s resolutions, we all make them, but few
actually succeed. Why do we fall off the wagon or just give up? Research has shown only 75% of New Year’s resolutions are carried through…for a week. By 6 months, this number falls to around 45% of those still working toward their resolution goal. While it’s easy to change your attitude, it’s not as easy to change your behavior. It’s all about taking things step by step and keeping your goals realistic. Changing food choices or losing weight is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. They key to good nutrition is to focus on your food. Here are some tips to try to keep you on track on your nutrition goals!

Preparation is Key:
You can’t eat healthy with last week’s potato chip splurge staring at you from your pantry. Give your cupboards a good cleaning. Take out those sweet or
salty snacks that will tempt you at 2am. If they’re not convenient, they’ll be much easier to resist. Additionally, plan and prep your meals. It starts at the grocery store, moves to your house, then ends on your plate. Sunday night is a great time to prep for the work week. Chop your vegetables, cook your protein, and pre-pack non-perishables.

Pay attention to your food:
This one sounds easy, but it’s not. Eat without distractions and take your time to actually enjoy your food. Turn off the TV, sit at a table, and tune out the world.

Fad diets:
Remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Keep that in mind when listening to a friend talk about the latest fad diet. Solid nutritional advice is to just focus on eating more good food and less empty calories. Forget about restrictions, eliminating food groups or drinking a shake twice a day for guaranteed weight loss. Just eat good food!

Back to the Kitchen:
Take your food back to the kitchen. Clean, cook and prepare your food in the kitchen. This not only eliminates the unhealthy options staring at you from your favorite restaurant menu, but it also assures you that you know what you are actually eating. Most people couldn’t name all the ingredients in fast food French fries, but the only ingredients in typical homemade French fries are potatoes, oil and salt. Additionally, it takes a lot of time and energy to lug
ingredients out, to measure, mix, stir, and bake! If you just want to eat a brownie because you’re bored, but realize you have to make it yourself, you might just change your mind.

If you would like assistance in creating a
sustainable meal plan or increasing the
quality of your diet, call the Camas Center
Clinic at (509) 447-7111 to schedule an
appointment with our Nutrition Educator,
Jalee Palmer.