When you take on New Year’s resolutions as a family, they’re more likely to stick.
If you’re like half of all Americans, you’ll probably make New Year’s resolutions to improve yourself and/or your family.
And like most Americans, the majority of people who make resolutions give them up within the first month. But there are ways to ensure healthy lifestyle changes stick.
“When it comes to nutrition, there’s so much to focus on, so just pick a few dietary habits you’d like to change and work on one at a time,” says Nancy Satterwhite, MS, a dietitian nutritionist with Carolinas HealthCare System. “A list can help make tackling your resolutions easier – and it helps keep you honest.”
3 Quick Tips for Success
Whether you’re focused on eating better or learning to become a better cook, here are a few ways to set yourself up for success:
- Set realistic expectations. Eat vegetables at mealtime at least three times a week, serve meals on smaller plates to control portion sizes.
- Be specific about your goals – and write them down. Eat a meatless entrée at least once a week; take a vegetarian cooking class.
- Tell the world. Make a pact with yourself and share your goals with your support network and/or on social media.
Resolve to Be Healthier
Need some New Year’s resolution ideas? Take on one (or more) of these six for easy nutritional benefits.
Go for the Whole: Fill up on whole-grain foods. Try substituting foods like quinoa, barley or buckwheat for pasta. Like fruits and vegetables, these minimally processed foods are high in fiber and low in fat and sugar.
Tune in to Hunger: We all eat when we’re not really hungry. Boredom, stress, sleepiness – they all can trigger hunger. Before you grab a bite, pause and consider the source of your hunger. Here are
six questions you can ask yourself to be sure it’s truly hunger calling.
Know Your Serving Size: The amount of food people put on their plates and an actual serving size often are quite different. Solution: Measure out a serving or use a smaller plate. Using a smaller plate – say a six- or eight-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate – helps cut calories.
Rethink Your Drink: Switch to unsweetened beverages like water, seltzer and unsweetened tea. Avoid drinks that use synthetic sugars and artificial sweeteners, such as dextrose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, saccharin and aspartame.
Shop Smarter: Shop the outside aisles of the grocery store because items there are less processed. Stock up on wholesome foods like greens, veggies and berries – and keep them within reach. Resist buying junk food.
You’re Only Human: Make a resolution that allows room to slip up without sliding into an unhealthy rut. Forgive yourself for nutrition “transgressions” and get right back to eating healthy.
One Last Tip for a Healthy New Year
You never know how your day will unfold. But when sickness interrupts your plans, you can count on online reservations for Urgent Care. When you need relief for dozens of common conditions – from minor injuries to the flu – it’s easy to get seen at any of Carolinas HealthCare System’s 28 Urgent Care locations. Pick a time that works for you. Wait wherever you’d like.
That's online reservations for Urgent Care.
Do you wish you had a community to inspire you and support the choices you make to improve your family’s nutrition habits? Now you do. Join the conversation, or start your own, using #TasteOfHealth.
