27 Healthy Eating Tips From Registered Dietitians For A Very Healthy New Year
As a registered dietitian, my patients are full of healthy eating
resolutions come January 1st. And I get it—this is a chance for a
completely fresh start. But achieving your goals doesn't have to be
boring or restrictive. In fact, it shouldn't be.
To help you start your new year with a bang, I checked in with 27 of
my registered dietitian colleagues to get their best out-of-the-box-tips
for healthy eating. Here is their advice on how to make 2017 your healthiest year yet.
Hint: there are no diets involved, and that's for a reason: You're much
more likely to make healthy eating part of a sustainable and healthy
lifestyle when you don't feel restricted and when it fits into your life
naturally. Registered dietitians know this—we know how hard it can be
to do total overhauls, and we also know how unrealistic that is as an
expectation. The key to healthy eating,
in the new year and also all year long, is to make it an enjoyable and
easy-enough experience that makes you feel good and becomes
self-reinforcing. These tips should hit the right notes. Here's to a new
year of healthy eating and feeling great!
1. Kick the strict, boring diet to the curb.
New
Year’s resolutions often equate to adopting a strict diet, and boredom
is one of the top reasons that we ditch those meal plans after a few
weeks or months. Instead, focus on eating more healthy foods that you
enjoy, and then mixing up those foods every week or so. Don't like kale?
Leave it. Add in some spinach or romaine instead. This prevents boredom
and helps you look forward to eating your meals and snacks. —Lauren
Minchen, NYC-based RDN and founder of Lauren Minchen Nutrition and Golda Bar
2. Start a recipe club with friends.
Similar
to a book club, start a recipe club with friends. Assign dishes
(appetizer, salad, main meal, dessert) and meet once a month to enjoy
good food and swap recipes. You can even focus on different types of
meal plans each month (vegetarian, gluten-free etc.). Collect all of the
recipe cards you make throughout the year and create a recipe book to
give to friends and family over the holidays. —Malena Perdomo, MS, RD, and certified diabetes educator consultant, writer, cookbook author, spokesperson
3. Strategically leave healthy snacks around.
Create
a healthy snack bag with non-perishable items and leave it in your car.
Include healthy breakfast bars, nuts like almonds, and dried fruit as
well as a bottle of water. This will ensure you always have a healthy
snack wherever you go, and you won't be tempted to stop by a
drive-through or convenience store when you get hungry. —Emily Cope, MS,
RDN at EmilyKyleNutrition.com
4. At home, keep your freezer stocked with frozen fruit.
With
less variety of fresh fruit during the winter months, eating frozen
fruit is a great way to have your favorites year-round, and to make sure
you get your recommended daily servings. Often times frozen fruit can
be more nutritious than fresh fruit since it’s packaged shortly after
being harvested. Throw a handful into your hot oatmeal or layer them
with yogurt for a parfait—just make sure there isn't any added sugar.
One of my favorite things to do is defrost ¼ cup of frozen berries, mash
them up with the natural juices, and use as your own homemade ‘jam.’
—Maxine Yeung, a California-based RD, CPT and owner of The Wellness Whisk
5. Set SMART goals.
One
very successful method for getting my clients to achieve their goals is
using the SMART strategy. A SMART goal is one that is specific,
measurable, accountable, realistic, and time specific. For example: I am
going to go to the gym at least three times a week for the first month,
and during the second month my goal is to make it to the gym at least
four times a week. You got this! —Hadis Ghoghaie Schertzer, RDN at Genesis Healthcare
6. And create goal checkpoints.
At
the beginning of the year, schedule monthly, or weekly alerts on your
phone to take 15 minutes to assess goal progress. Use these reminders as
opportunities to reflect and to make any adjustments so that you keep
moving forward. —Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, owner of Marisa Moore Nutrition
7. Focus on what you can eat, not what you cannot.
Instead
of spending time and energy excluding foods you think are "bad,"
redirect your efforts to including more nutrient-rich foods and you will
automatically crowd out the less healthy options. Start by trying to
add one fruit and one vegetable to your daily intake. —Lauren
Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, owner of Nutrition Starring You
8. Replace sugary drinks with water or seltzer.
Sugary
beverages include sodas as well as iced tea, lemonade, juices, etc. Try
drinking more water or seltzer instead—you can even add slices of your
favorite fruit such as lemons, limes, oranges, berries, cucumbers, and
even fresh mint. —Marie Keogh, MPH, RD, CDN, CLC, NYC-based dietitian at
Mount Sinai Queens and Forest Hills Wellness
9. Make your food gorgeous.
Eating
healthier starts with making healthy food more appetizing and worthy of
display! Try storing produce in see-through containers in your fridge
or in a pretty fruit bowl on the counter. Not only do we typically eat
more of what we can see, but if it looks good, it can be one
less barrier to making healthy happen. —Carlene Thomas RDN, LD, recipe
developer, food stylist, and creator of Healthfully Ever After
10. Sit down and make a plan for the week.
Set
aside 30 minutes each week to sit down with your calendar and plan the
week ahead. Schedule your workouts, plan your meals, and make your
shopping list. A little bit of planning on the front end not only saves
you time throughout the week by cutting out the guesswork, but it also
sets an intention for success. —Sarika Sewak MPH, RDN, Los Angeles-based
dietitian and creator of Little Legumes Nutrition
11. Focus on eating a healthy, protein-rich breakfast.
Eat
a breakfast rich in protein to help you feel full longer and have the
energy you need to power through your day. Aiming for 25 to 30 grams of
protein before noon can be easily accomplished—and equally
delicious—when you pair a glass of milk with your eggs and avocado
toast, or with your favorite fruit-topped overnight oats. Aim for
protein sources that are also rich in other nutrients such as milk (8
grams of protein per cup plus nine other essential nutrients), nuts like
almonds and pistachios are packed with protein, healthy fat, and fiber,
or eggs (they’re also rich in lutein, choline, and certain B vitamins).
—Holley Grainger, MS, RD, blogger at Holley Grainger Nutrition
12. If you have kiddos, get them involved in the kitchen.
Once
a week, cook a meal with your children. Start from fresh, real foods.
You'll be sharing precious time with them, teaching them about eating
well, and enjoying a lovely meal together. —Katja Leccisi, MS, RDN, author of How To Feed Your Kids: Four Steps To Raising Healthy Eaters
13. Eat fish 2-3 times per week.
Most Americans aren’t eating enough seafood, which means they’re missing out on all the important benefits including improvements in heart health. Seafood can be enjoyed as part of a salad, in a taco, or even in your favorite pasta dish. —Kristen Smith, Atlanta-based registered dietitian specializing in weight management and family nutrition
14. And enjoy a cooked vegetable dish as a main course twice a week.
This
is probably the single most important thing you can do to increase your
intake of vegetables. Rather than trying to eat more and more salads,
cook vegetables by roasting or stewing them with olive oil, onion,
tomatoes, and herbs. Common vegetables to use are green beans, peas,
eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli. Accompany with cheese and
a slice of whole wheat bread. —Elena Paravantes, RDN, Mediterranean diet consultant, HuffPo columnist and health editor at Olive Oil Times
15. Make being healthy a friendly contest, with rewards.
Put
that new 2016 calendar to use by creating a fitness attendance contest
among the people in your home, whether they are your spouse, roommate,
or family. Come up with a system for marking on the calendar each time
an individual completes a workout. The person who does the most workouts
at the end of the month earns a prize, and aim to make the reward
non-food related, such as a massage, manicure, or shopping spree. In the
event of a tie, have a silly tiebreaker such as seeing who can do the
most burpees in one minute or can hold a plank the longest. —Mandy
Unanski Enright, MS, RDN, RYT, creator of Nutrition Nuptials
16. Be mindful of portions.
Sometimes
when we exercise or lose a little bit of weight, we want to indulge in a
high-calorie treat because we feel we’ve “earned it.” This can be a
slippery slope that can interfere with your plans to eat healthy.
Instead, be mindful of your portions and find other ways to reward
yourself like getting yourself a massage, a new outfit, or just relaxing
with a friend. —Atheer Yacoub, MS, RD, CDN, research dietitian at
Columbia University, and director of operations at the nutrition
scheduling service bekuju.com
17. And that includes loading your plate with lots of vegetables.
Try
to fill half your plate with colorful seasonal fruits and vegetables,
and then split the rest between lean protein and whole grains. This is a
simple way to easily achieve variety, portion control, and helps to
maximize your meal’s nutritional bang. —Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDE, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
18. Try your best to think ahead.
If
you know you're going to have a busy day, prepare a smoothie first
thing in the morning. Be sure to include the fruits or vegetables that
might not be convenient to eat later in the day. When your schedule has
you crazed and you're tempted to eat whatever sweets are around, you can
simply have sips of your nutritious and delicious smoothie. By the end
of the day, you've consumed extra fruits and veggies without going
overboard on the sweets. —Jillian O'Neil, New York City-based registered dietitian
19. Make exercise a habit.
Let’s
say you have a 30-minute lunch break, yet only use 15 minutes of it for
eating. Head outdoors for the remaining 10-15 minutes and go for a
power walk! If you can make this happen three or four workdays each
week, you will quickly be tacking on almost a full hour of exercise!
Small steps can make a big difference. —Jessica Corwin, MPH, RD, food and nutrition educator at Good Food For Kids
20. And wear that fitness tracker you received as a gift.
Wearing
a fitness tracker may encourage you to get in some extra steps. Even if
the step counts are not 100 percent accurate, pedometers have been shown) to motivate and increase physical activity. —Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, owner of Marisa Moore Nutrition
21. Consider the “fork trick” to prevent overeating.
Use
your non-dominant hand when you eat. It naturally slows you down
because you have to try and steady your food to get it to your mouth.
And eat until you’re comfortably full. In other words, stop eating at
the start of feeling full. —Lisa Musician, RD, LDN, founder and president of Food Allergy Dietitian, Inc
22. Eat organic when possible.
Think
critically about where your food comes from: Ask yourself who produced
it and under what conditions? Eating well in the new year isn’t just
about calories and nutrients. It’s about the impact our food and farming
choices have on our larger society and planet. I choose for myself, and
recommend to others, organic food because it meets my criteria for
helping to protect my family’s health, farm worker health, and that of
the planet. —Melinda Hemmelgarn, MS, RD, host of nationally syndicated Food Sleuth Radio
23. And don't forget to be smart about eating out.
When
eating out, preview the menu online ahead of time so you know what
options will be available when you get there. That way you can make a
healthy selection before you arrive and can avoid getting caught up with
any in-the-moment temptations. —Annette Schottenfeld, MBA, RD, CDN,
president of Nett Nutrition, Inc.
24. Treat yourself to some new gym gear.
My advice...Treat yourself! Put all those gift cards to good use and hit up the post-holiday sales for new gym gear.
Whether it's a killer pair of powerlifting shoes, eye-catching graphic
leggings, or a fresh new yoga mat, you're sure to be inspired to go out
and accomplish your athletic endeavors. You deserve it. —Nicole Rodriguez, RDN, NASM-CPT featured contributor at greensuperfoods.us
25. Then wear that gear often!
Schedule
your exercise like it is an important appointment or date. If I have a
class to go to, it is in my schedule! So when I have yoga on Wednesdays
at 8 AM, seeing it on my schedule reminds me to set aside clothes the
night before. And try scheduling different types of exercise (like yoga,
Zumba, walking with friends, etc.) throughout the month to help prevent
boredom. —Emma Fogt MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND
26. Go ahead and splurge every once in awhile.
Embrace
and enjoy your favorite indulgence, whether it's chocolate cake, French
fries, or a glass of wine. Instead of trying to ban them from your
healthy kingdom, plan to enjoy them in moderation. Can you commit to
enjoying French fries only once per week (instead of daily)? Then you're
already making healthy changes for the New Year! —Carolyn O'Neil, MS RDN author of The Slim Down South Cookbook: Eating Well and Living Healthy in the Land of Biscuits and Bacon
27. And finally, remember…perfection isn't the goal.
Instead,
create an intention each morning when you get up and have it be one
that is easy and doable. You can be healthy 80 percent of the time and
that still counts as perfectly healthy! —Chere Bork, MS RDN owner of Savor Your Life Today
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