It’s that time of year when most of us think about setting our New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like a lot of people, you may have a goal of “losing weight” or “getting healthier.” These are obviously great goals to have, and making changes to your diet is one of the best ways to reach both.

The problem is, too many people make the wrong changes to their diet. They want to lose 30 pounds and be healthy in an unrealistic amount of time. And so once January 1st comes around, they rely on fad diets that don’t provide their bodies with proper nourishment.

This is the number one reason people fail to reach their New Year’s goals.

Here are some ways you can set your nutritional New Year’s resolutions in a healthy way.

Rely on How You Feel, Not on Technology

I see more and more people using a tracking app to track how many calories they eat in a day. But most of these programs give you a caloric reward (you can eat more) on days you exercise and a caloric punishment (you must eat less) on days you don’t.

The thing is, this kind of “logic” goes against normal intuitive eating patterns. In fact, for most people, feel less hungry on days they are most active and vice versa. My advice is to listen to your own hunger signals and make decisions off of those instead.

Avoid Restrictive Fad Diets

I can’t think of anything less healthy than a diet that does not allow you to eat macronutrients. Fat, protein and carbohydrates are all important for our health. Some people do better with more fat and fewer carbs, and some people do better with more carbs and less protein. It all really depends on your age, activity level, lifestyle, and general health. Your best bet is to work with a licensed nutritionist who can create an eating plan that is right for you.

Take Baby Steps

No one becomes overweight and unhealthy overnight. It happens over the course of weeks, months, and years. Losing weight and getting your health back also will not happen overnight, so you need to be realistic.

And because weight loss and improved health can take time, it’s important that you focus on setting small goals and taking baby steps to get there. Reaching a set of smaller goals (lose 5 pounds, walk upstairs without becoming out of breath) instead of one big one (lose 50 pounds and look awesome in a bikini) will help you stay on track and committed.

Don’t be like everyone else and set yourself up to fail in the coming year. Be smart about your weight loss and health goals by following these tips. And if you’d like to work with a nutritionist who can help you reach your goals in a healthy manner, please get in touch with me.

SOURCES:

• https://www.vitacost.com/blog/healthy-new-year-resolution-tips/
• https://nutritiouslife.com/eat-empowered/how-to-set-new-years-resolutions/
• https://www.healthstandnutrition.com/nutrition-resolutions-2019/

You often hear about the importance of supporting your immune system. But did you know that 80% of your immune system is actually located in your gastrointestinal tract – AKA your “gut”? That’s why it’s so incredibly important to make sure you optimize your gut health!

Gut Health Relies on a Healthy Microbiome

The real stars of your gut are tiny microorganisms that include protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and other kinds of single-celled organisms. Now, you may see this list and think, “Ew, I don’t want all that stuff inside my guts!” But you actually do. These microorganisms – and there are trillions of them – make up what we call your gut’s ‘microbiome.’

Your microbiome is like the Club Med for all of these microorganisms that live harmoniously with one another, helping your body to be as healthy as possible. Or at least, that’s the way nature intended.

But sometimes our gut flora can become unbalanced and there will suddenly be a proliferation of harmful bacteria. You see, you want helpful (probiotic) bacteria in your gut. But when the bad guys move in, problems arise.

So how does your microbiome become unbalanced? Mostly through poor lifestyle choices like eating too many processed foods, drinking sodas, and being stressed out.

And of course, if you’ve ever taken one or more courses of antibiotics, they not only killed off the bad bacteria in your body but also the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

So, what can you do to improve your gut health?

Clean Up Your Diet

Sugars, both natural and artificial sweeteners, have been found to have a negative impact on your gut flora. So, start by cutting out sugar as much as possible. Also, incorporate fermented foods like Kim Chi and Sauerkraut to replenish the probiotics. And finally, eat plenty of fiber since bacteria love eating it!

Lower Your Stress Levels

It’s not always easy to do, but try your best as stress negatively impacts your entire digestive tract. Also, when we’re stressed, we tend to eat the wrong kinds of foods, laden with sugar and trans fats.

Exercise

A 2019 study by the Physiological Society showed that exercise may have a positive impact on the diversity, cluster, activity, and presence of gut bacteria.

The bottom line is, the more you take care of your gut, the more it will take care of you.

SOURCES:

• https://health.ucdavis.edu/health-news/newsroom/what-is-gut-health-and-why-is-it-important/2019/07
• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/your-digestive-system-5-ways-to-support-gut-health
• https://well.org/healthy-body/gut-health/

A quick search on Google will bring up myriad trending diets that claim to help people lose weight. The problem with a majority of these diets is, they aren’t very healthy. The cabbage soup diet? Baby food diet? The “five-bite” diet? Not only are many fad diets unhealthy, but some are also downright dangerous!

The truth is, eating healthy can help a person lose weight and even prevent some common chronic diseases from developing. For example, eating healthy can decrease your risk of developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Here are some tips on how you can eat healthy to lose weight and feel great:

Focus on Eating Whole Foods

Your goal should really be to stop eating processed foods and start preparing your own whole foods. If your food comes in plastic or cardboard packaging, it’s not a whole food and is most likely laden with trans fats, hidden sugars, and weird chemicals you can’t pronounce.

Try eating more meats, eggs, dairy, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds.

Pack Your Lunch

Even with the best of intentions of eating healthy, many working adults refuse to take their lunch to work with them. 12 pm rolls around and they are very hungry, which causes them to make poor food choices and get their lunch out of a vending machine or from the fast-food joint down the street. Do your best to prepare healthy lunches and bring them with you.

Combine Healthy Eating with Other Healthy Habits

To lose weight and optimize your overall health, you’ll want to combine good nutrition with healthy habits such as exercising, managing stress, and getting enough sleep. In fact, research has shown that quality sleep is just as important for disease prevention and weight management.

If you want to lose weight and be healthy in the new year, then follow these tips.

 

SOURCES:

• https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/how-to-eat-healthy-without-dieting
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-eating-for-beginners#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/six-simple-ways-to-smarter-healthier-eating

We’ve all heard we’re supposed to drink enough water each day to stay hydrated. Without proper hydration, we can experience mental fog, fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, and even rapid heart rate.

Health experts recommend most people drink six to eight cups of water each day. But many people find drinking that much water fairly difficult. 

That’s why eating certain foods is so helpful. Eat the right ones and you’ll easily stay properly hydrated. 

With that in mind, here are 5 foods that can help keep you hydrated:

1. Watermelon

Well, you knew we had to start with this food item. I mean it has the word “water” right in the name. And for good reason. Watermelon has a whopping 92% water content. Great on a hot summer day or anytime as a slightly sweet healthy hydrating treat.

 2. Oranges

Oranges are another fruit that offers a lot of water content, 88% to be exact. Plus, oranges offer beneficial vitamin C to boost your immune system, so they make an excellent choice when it comes to snack time.

3. Strawberries

Another delicious summer food (though luckily we can get them all year-round) strawberries offer a 91% water content. Plus, strawberries contain a lot of beneficial antioxidants, and studies have shown eating them can help fight inflammation. Hello, win/win!

4. Milk

Milk is incredibly nutritious and it offers a 91% water content. Studies have shown milk may be the ideal choice to help you hydrate after a workout. Milk also contains a lot of beneficial protein and vitamins and minerals. 

5. Cucumbers

Cucumbers have got to be one of the most refreshing vegetables around. Not only do they contain 95% water content, but they are also very low in calories, so make an ideal snack if you’re looking to lose weight and hydrate at the same time!

If you’ve never been a fan of trying to chug down cups and cups of water each day, you’re definitely not alone. But no need to panic, just eat more of these hydrating foods each day!

SOURCES:

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/19-hydrating-foods
• https://www.health.com/nutrition/15-foods-that-help-you-stay-hydrated
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325958