Healthy Eating Simple Strategies to Get Eating on Track for 2023

by Jill Zelinsky, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Each of us wants to successfully reach and sustain our goals, especially as we embark upon a new year. Whether you want to save money for a special vacation, declutter your office, have more date nights with your spouse, or get your eating on track, success is greatly improved with heightened focus and attention.

• Check in before eating. Ask yourself “Am I really hungry?” Listen to the natural hunger cues of a growling stomach or low energy.

• Step away from your computer or cell phone, sit down and give full attention to your food. Enjoy the flavor and aroma without distraction.

• Choose foods of various colors. Blueberries on oatmeal; red, yellow and green peppers stir fried with chicken; three bean tomato chili over brown rice. Eating the rainbow is our nutrient insurance policy and helps to boost immunity, all year long.

• Pay attention to satiety signals. Recognize when you are full, stop eating and enjoy the scrumptious leftover the next day. Take the lead from a small child who only eats half of a cookie and leaves the remainder on the table. This child is truly responding to his or her satiety cue. Over time, with exposure to super-sized everything, adults have become desensitized to this critical cue. Take the time to increase awareness again and you’ll save money and calories.

• Choose more whole foods and less processed foods. This is a familiar recommendation but remains extremely relevant through concepts such as farm to table and locally grown. Many whole foods help improve digestion, blood sugar and lipid levels, as well as satiety, thanks to their high fiber content. Processing foods often removes fiber and increases sodium and sugar.

• Add one more plant-based meal to your routine. Reap the health benefits of this tactic – decreased stroke risk, improved insulin resistance, decreased heart disease, lowered risk of some cancers, decreased inflammation, and positive impact on some mental health disorders.

• Make YOUR plan. Take a long, hard look at your habits by logging what you eat and drink for several days and target change opportunities. Set yourself up to succeed by making small goals. Build upon each change as the year progresses.

• Drink more water. Start each meal or snack with a glass of water to improve hydration and help you feel full. Water intake often lowers during the cooler months of winter. Let’s increase efforts to increase water consumption as we start this new year.

• Remember, food is the most important medicine we can take for our bodies. It’s a bonus that food is tasty and enjoyable while providing the nutrients needed for good health and healing. In closing, consuming three meals per day creates 1,095 eating opportunities during the year. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you go off track with a meal or two.

Celebrate everything the new year has to offer and stay focused on making it the best one yet!