Eating Healthy for 2015
Along with weight loss, eating healthy is a popular choice for a New Year’s
resolution. As a naturopathic doctor I always encourage patients to eat well.
However, I recognize that green juices are not everyone’s cup of tea. Disregarding
how difficult it can be to adjust your taste buds, eating well can be challenging for
other reasons. It takes time to prepare meals and can be costly. While I would be
delighted if everyone hopped on the kale smoothie, grass fed meat, no processed
food bandwagon, I will present a few dietary recommendations that can positively
impact your health and help you maintain your eating healthy resolution.
A general suggestion is that instead of focusing on cutting out foods consider
yourself adding in new ones. By framing your dietary changes in this way, you are
already positively predisposed and this will transfer into action.
1. Meal Plan: This may seem petty and archaic, however, simply sketching out a
few meal ideas at the beginning of the week will make sticking to a healthy
diet much easier. This will alleviate some of the stress during the week and
lessen the likelihood of dashing out for something quick and easy on your
lunch hour.
2. Make Your Meals Colourful: This is something I cannot underline enough. By
making your meals more visually appealing you are more likely to enjoy the
taste even if you are not accustomed to kale or Brussels sprouts. Instead of
steaming broccoli alone, add in some sautéed purple cabbage, mushrooms,
and red pepper (I also mix in zucchini and kale). The colourful array of
vegetables is far more inviting than a few limp pieces of kale and broccoli.
3. Eating Green: Many people are not fans of most green vegetables. Greens are
rich in vitamins and minerals, so I highly encourage adding them to your
regular diet. However, if kale is not your thing, try something else such as
spinach or collard greens.
4. Avoiding Cookies & Coke: This comes back to meal planning. If you have
prepared meals and snacks in advance you are less likely to grab that cookie
at Starbucks. Simply by avoiding these types of snacks you are already half
way to your eating healthy goal. If you are trying to kick a soda habit,
experiment with some teas or natural fizzy drinks and find a favourite. If you
have an alternative you enjoy, you are less likely to indulge at the vending
machine.
The following article has a few additional thoughts on eating well in the New Year. http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2015/01/05/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-to-eat-healthy/
