BITE-SIZED NUTRITION GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR
By Corinna Dorais , MS , RDN , LDN Contributing Columnist
A new year , a new you !
These words couldn ’ t be more fitting for what a whirlwind of a year it ’ s been and how we are all feeling as 2021 nears . This new year ’ s mantra may mean something different to everyone , but for most , it usually includes new exercise and eating goals .
However , keeping these goals is often challenging . Strava , a social network for athletes , analyzed more than 31.5 million online global activities last year , pinpointing January 12th as the date when most people reported giving up on their new years ’ goals ( 1 ). Another study conducted by the University of Scranton found that only 8 percent of people achieve their new year ’ s goals while
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the rest fail to keep them ( 2 ). But fear not , the reason most people fail is due to setting unrealistic expectations .
As we all get ready to start planning our New Year ’ s Resolutions , it would be fitting to talk about goal setting in conjunction with improving your diet . The key to setting goals is to tackle smaller goals one at a time instead of diving into a whole new diet in an “ all or nothing ” fashion . When you dive right in , a new diet can seem overly restrictive and daunting to maintain . But when changes are broken down into incremental steps , dieting becomes less intimidating , and slow change lets your body and taste buds adjust to your new diet , making sustainable growth more likely .
Now that we know small bite-size goals are the key to success , let ’ s talk about diet .
There are hundreds of diets out there , and not all of them are safe or even healthy . The best overall diet is the Mediterranean Diet and it is the most often recommended by health care providers . The Mediterranean Diet is the number one recommended diet because it emphasizes vegetables , fruits , whole grains , plant proteins , nuts , and olive oil . By emphasizing these things in your diet , you can improve your health and lower your risk of heart disease , high blood pressure , type 2 diabetes , certain cancers , and chronic disease .
Let ’ s break down the Mediterranean Diet in a step-bystep fashion to slowly incorporate these changes into your eating habits over time and create sustainable improvement in your overall health . The following list is not in any particular order , and you can start at whichever step listed below that ’ s easiest for you . Choose 1 of the 9 below and add a new goal every 2-3 weeks until you ’ ve incorporated them all . For example , if you choose number four as your first goal , you would replace all your dairy and cheese with low fat or partskim and limit your servings to 1-3 per day .
1 . Choose water or any other no calorie beverage : this can include coffee and tea . Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages ; this will save you about 250 calories per drink . By making this one change , you can lose up to a pound a week .
2 . Fill half your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner : include a variety of fresh , frozen , or unsalted canned vegetables . Include lots of dark green , red , and orange vegetables . One serving is ½ cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw vegetables ; 4-8 servings per day .
3 . Opt for whole grains : choose whole-grain bread , cereal , pasta , brown rice , wild rice , oats , cornmeal , quinoa , rye , and bulgur . One serving is ½ cup cooked grain or 1 slice of bread ; 4-6 servings per day .
4 . Enjoy some dairy : choose low-fat Greek , yogurt , milk , and part-skim cheese . One serving is 1 cup of skim milk , non-fat yogurt , or 1 oz low fat ( part-skim ) cheese ; 1-3 servings a day .
5 . Cook vegetarian 1-2 times a week : build a meal around beans , whole grains , and vegetables . Include a ½ cup serving of beans , lentils , or peas .
6 . Eat seafood twice a week : salmon , tuna , herring , sardines , shrimp , lobster , clams , and scallops . Try fresh , frozen , or canned in water .
7 . Limit red meat 1-2 times a month : substitute with fish , poultry without the skin , eggs , and beans . Bake , saute , stir fry , roast , grill , or broil your fish and poultry ; don ’ t fry it . One serving is 3 oz ( about the size of a deck of cards ); 1-3 times a week .
8 . Use healthy fats : examples of healthy fats are olive oil , avocados , peanuts , almonds , pecans , pistachios , and sunflower seeds . One serving is 1 tsp oil , 1-ounce unsalted nuts / seeds , 2 tablespoons of nut butter ; 2-4 servings per day .
9 . Choose fruit as your dessert : eat a variety ; strawberries , blueberries , oranges , grapes , bananas , and apples . Choose whole and fresh fruits , frozen with no added sugar or canned in 100 percent juice . One serving is a small fresh fruit , ½ cup fruit juice ( limit to once daily ), ¼ cup dried fruit ; 2-4 servings per day .
Incorporating these goals into your life and making them habits will lead to positive changes in your body and overall health . Whether it ’ s weight loss , weight maintenance , increased energy levels , improvements in blood cholesterol , blood pressure , or even helping you stave off and manage type 2 diabetes . Lifestyle choices ( healthy diet , regular exercise , and not smoking ) appear to be associated with as much as 80 percent reduction in the risk of developing deadly chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease , cancer , and diabetes ( 3 ).
28 • TIMELESS MERIDIAN