How To Kick Off A Nutritious New Year

A new year is upon us and whether you intend to make a resolution or not, it’s likely that at some point throughout  022 you’re going to have a moment where you want to change your eating habits. The problem is, often when we set an intention to “eat better” or “healthier” we don’t do it in the right way. Tune in to discover how to set up your nutrition goals for success, AND be inspired to change your eating habits for the better.

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Credit to MonoSheep for the theme music.

Transcript

Welcome to Nutrition Bites. The no nonsense podcast where you get the truth about food so you can eat what you want, and be healthy. I’m your host Maggie and welcome to Episode 27 of this series! A New Year is upon us and with that, comes the motivation to shake things up a bit - especially when it comes to how we eat. On the menu today, a nutritious new year.

Welcome to 2022 folks, and although it kinda feels like Groundhog day right now, I know at least some of you are enthusiastic for this new year. Who knows what’s to come? Perhaps we’ll strike up a peace agreement with COVID, or Rihanna will drop a new album or maybe, we’ll start to eat a little bit healthier. A lot of people tend to view this moment in time as a reset - a chance to shake off the past and start fresh. According to research group YouGov America about 1 in 4 Americans make an annual new year's resolution - an intention to change a habit and improve their life. By far the most common resolution is to exercise more, followed closely by losing weight, and the all-encompassing idea of “eating better”. But research suggests that less than 10% of resolutions are ever fully achieved, and the majority of people who’ve committed to one usually drop it by the second week of February. So if upping your nutrition game is on your to-do list for 2022, let’s talk about how to make that happen.

Now whether you intend to make a new year’s resolution or not, it’s likely that at some point throughout the year you’re going to have a moment where you want to change your eating habits. The problem is, often when we set an intention to “eat better” or “healthier” we don’t do it in the right way. Most often our resolutions, whether they begin on Jan 1st or any other day, fail because of the following reasons: it’s not sustainable, flexible, or specific, or it’s just too big. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the resolutions we make are framed with an end-date in mind, but temporary actions rarely yield permanent results. For example, when you “go on” a diet, that implies that one day you’ll “go off” it. And like I’ve explored in previous episodes, especially the keto one, when people stop dieting any lost weight, or fat, is often regained. So what’s important to do is avoid thinking of any nutrition or health change as something you get to stop in 365 days. Cause if your resolution has an end date, that means your progress will too.

Lack of flexibility is another reason why we fail at our goals. I don’t know if it’s because an entire generation has been raised on the Fast and the Furious franchise, but people love extreme challenges. Instead of setting an intention to eat “less sugar” we prefer an all or nothing approach. But when you completely eliminate foods, or food groups, or macronutrients you can be putting your physical and mental health at risk and also create a lot of awkward social situations. I would know because at 13 years old I set a resolution to stop eating french fries and drinking cola. I wish I could tell you why, but I have no idea other than I was a generally weird kid. Problem is, the only places 13 year olds can hang out is at fast food chains and mall food courts, so this resolution didn’t really jive with my tweenage social life. There are many scenarios in life, from parties to vacations to office pot lucks where you don’t have full control over what you can eat. And if you don’t build in flexibility to your new health goal, it will make your life unnecessarily difficult.

Similarly, not being specific enough in what you want to change will also make it hard to know if you’re successful. If your resolution is to “eat healthier”, what does that really mean? Generic resolutions give the same vibe as when a corporation says they are “committed to diversity” but never outlines exactly how they are committed. When a goal is too broad it makes it really difficult to track progress and hold yourself accountable.

And the final fail of any new habit change is the “go big or go home” mentality. Often the big audacious goals we set for ourselves can only be achieved if we had no responsibilities and a crap-tonne of cash and time. So even if your resolution doesn’t seem too big on the surface, like becoming a vegan, if the change is too drastic from where you’re currently at, it could be really hard to stick with. Going vegan if you already cook mostly plant-based will be a lot easier than if you currently eat meat and dairy and someone else is in charge of the groceries and cooking. Of course, it’s important to keep long-term goals on the horizon, but small changes are worth celebrating too.

So in order to make some nutritious changes in 2022, it’s important to avoid those 4 traps. Make sure you frame any new goal with long-term adoption in mind, build in flexibility to handle life’s curveballs and our mistakes, be specific, and make it small. Other ways to set yourself up for success include understanding and addressing any challenges that could get in the way of achieving your goal. Say you want to eat more salads, but find it beyond annoying to make them. Well, in order to embrace that inner Ottolenghi, you need to find ways to make salad creation easier and more convenient. Maybe you struggle with your lettuce and other greens wilting too quickly. So, search online as to the best storage methods instead of chucking them in the fridge and praying for the best. Or perhaps you don’t know how to make a delicious salad. Fortunately there are 1000s of tips online for go-to salad dressings, or toppings to keep in your pantry (like dried cranberries and salted pumpkin seeds) that help you easily level up your salad game. 

Another general helpful tip in keeping up with a new habit is to piggy-back it onto an existing one. For example, if you have a resolution to take a daily omega-3 pill, set your supplement bottle beside the coffee maker so you’re reminded to take it when making your daily brew. Alternatively you can pick a day of the week, or time of day, to action your resolution, like four-o-clock fruit time, or Monday for meatless dinner.

Engineering your environment is another great approach to make sticking with any habit change easier. Essentially, arrange your space so that making the right choice is easy and the wrong choice difficult. Let’s say you have a goal to consume more protein at breakfast, organise your fridge so that protein-rich choices, like eggs, tofu, greek yoghurt, and peanut butter, are easy to see and access. I had a friend who grew up in this kind of environment when it came to sweets. His parents never bought cookies or cakes, but their kitchen was always stocked with the ingredients. So if he wanted a chocolate chip cookie he could totally have one, so long as he baked it from scratch. If effort is generally a deterrent for you, like most people, then this may be the perfect strategy to cut down on some of your favourite, less healthy, foods. 

Now that we are up to speed on how to create a rock solid nutrition goal or habit change, let’s get some inspiration for how you can eat healthier in 2022. Overall, there’s a couple of categories where we can focus on building better eating habits. The first is to consume more of a healthy food group, food, or nutrient. Like, eating at least 1 serving of veggies at lunch, consuming fish twice or week, or taking a daily Vitamin D supplement. Alternatively you could also focus on eating less of a food or nutrient that you over consume, like only eating red meat three times a week, not bringing pop into your house, or only buying low-sodium chips. Another category of food-focused goals is more about modifying your overall diet or other factors that influence your eating - like choosing to make 2 out of 3 of your daily meals plant-based or only ordering takeout twice a month. 

If all of these ideas sound good but you still don’t know where to start, let’s turn to the global nutrition report for some targeted inspiration! Truly something only a scientist would get excited for. All over the world, and especially in wealthy nations like Canada, America, Australia and most European countries, our nutrition patterns are pretty similar. We consume too much salt, red meat, and added sugar, and not enough fibre, fruits, veggies and whole grains. So with that in mind, here are 5 nutritious resolutions that you can take with you into this year.

Number one: cut back on the sodium. As I covered in episode 21, salt is known as the silent killer. We consume 1.5 - 2x more sodium than needed and that puts us at risk of heart disease and stroke. One simple way to reduce your salt intake is to avoid items with hidden salt like frozen foods, deli meats, and baked goods from coffee chains. You can also opt for purchasing “low sodium” versions of your favourite foods - like chips, bacon and soup. And when you’re cooking at home you can easily reduce the amount of salt a recipe calls for and instead use no-sodium spices or fresh herbs to boost flavour. Also, real basic but, just remove the salt shaker from the dinner table - it ain’t the 1950’s.

Number two: bump up the jam. Sorry. Bump up the fibre. Because we don’t eat enough fruits, veggies and whole grains, we are drastically missing out on my favourite nutrients. Fibre is amazing. It helps keep our digestive system in shape, control blood sugar, and lower cholesterol. One tip to increase your fibre intake is to include more fruits or veggies in your diet. Sneak spinach into your smoothie, add chickpeas to your sheet of roasted potatoes, or simply set out a bowl of clementines to snack on. You can also boost fibre by purchasing whole grain breads, pastas and crackers instead of the refined versions, and cooking more meals with beans and lentils. The unsung heroes of the fibre world.

Idea number three: rethink your drink. If you are known to consume a lot of pop, fruit juice, or fancy coffee beverages then this change is for you. Too much added sugar is linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease so it’s important we keep it in check. The simplest action here is to make a swap. If you love to throwback sprite or coca-cola, try swapping it out for a flavoured carbonated drink. If fruit juice is more your style, opt for a smoothie made with whole fruits, as the fibre helps regulate sugar metabolism. And for the fancy coffee drinkers try ordering a latte or other drink with no added syrup. And also, remember to give plain water a shot! Just like with cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, sometimes plain and predictable is what we need. 

Idea number four: cook more meals at home. While many of us during the early days of the pandemic embraced the adventures of the kitchen, including my own failed sourdough attempt, learning to cook is super important for good health. Research shows that people who cook more meals at home have better diet quality and less body fat than people who rely more on to-go meals. That’s because when you’re in charge of making a meal you control the amount of salt, sugar and fat that goes into your food, and so can make adjustments for your health and preference more easily. One way to help motivate your at-home cooking adventures is to compile a list of go-to recipes that are tasty, easy, and suited to your lifestyle. Ask your friends, or I don’t know, internet Jeeves, for assistance. There is a recipe that matches your exact needs and taste out there - I promise. Also, make sure to include meal planning as part of the process. Not only should you pick your recipes in advance, but also make sure the ingredients are included as part of your regular grocery trip, and you know which day you’re making them. 

Finally, I’ve saved my personal nutrition resolution for last: eat more plant-based. I’ve mentioned this throughout many episodes, but in short, our over consumption of meat and dairy is terrible for the environment, and decades of research has shown that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is better for our long-term health. I know that this can be a daunting resolution for some of you, so it’s best to start with small changes. Like, choosing one day of the week to eat entirely plant-based. And if cooking vegetarian food seems scary, you can also set a goal to eat plant-based whenever you’re dining out. This is a great, and easy way to discover amazing dishes and drinks, including the Gen-Z approved oat-milk latte. Other small swaps you can make include buying plant-based versions of your fridge staples like soy milk, coconut ice cream, or frozen veggie nuggets. And lastly the strategy I’ve adopted to help reduce my animal intake is to only buy meat from a local butcher. Not only do I know that the animals I’m eating were raised more humanely, but also, the meat is so damn expensive that I can’t afford to eat it very often. And that’s on engineering my environment.

Overall, I hope that these ideas for a nutritious new year, as well as tips on successful goal setting, have inspired you to shake up your eating habits in 2022. And remember, committing to a healthy change in your diet doesn’t have to start on Jan 1st - it’s an any-time kinda thing. Doing something is always better than doing nothing, so be proud of whatever habit you want to implement that helps you achieve a healthier life. And don’t forget to forgive yourself for the times where you break your resolution and revert back to old habits. In the words of our great leader, Celine Dion, a new day has come.

That’s been the bite for today. Stay hungry.