While New Year’s Resolutions seem pointless for many people, I think it is healthy to reflect introspectively on the previous year and see where you can make improvements to your health.  While change can be difficult, you have to believe in what you are doing, have accountability, and make it a part of your life in order to stick to it.

I recently read a research article about weight-loss and health related New Year’s resolutions, and how Google searches for diet and health increase exponentially between December and January, and then decrease once again.  Everybody is looking for the magic “New Year’s Cure”.  The reality is that there is no “quick fix” to the damage done by poor health choices over the years.  You cannot go to the gym and “burn” the same amount of calories you just ate in cake and expect not to gain weight-the body is more complicated than that.  If you want a solution, make a resolution that will actually last by changing the way you think about food and eating. 

My husband and I love food.  We both enjoy cooking and trying new recipes from various cultures, and making healthy desserts.  But we have found how to eat and cook the right foods, and work on not gorging ourselves in the foods we do eat.  Eating clean, pure, and whole foods is the “magic secret” to long term weight management and disease prevention.  Our bodies are not made to metabolize artificial ingredients or foods that contain unnatural proportions of fat:carbohydrate: protein.  Although companies make you think that eating their products will solve all your weight and health issues, flip it over and take a look at the length of the ingredient list: it may make you think otherwise.

When you go to the grocery store, resist going down the aisles that have tempting snacks; if you don’t buy it you won’t eat it!  Work on changing the culture of your family as well.  What they eat now will impact the rest of their lives, especially children.  It will be an adjustment, but make delicious and healthy food rather than plain chicken breasts and steamed broccoli-they will love it!

So this New Year, commit to cooking at home using fresh foods.  Commit to trying new recipes and learning more about where your food comes from.  And commit to making healthy food a part of your life.

Food should not be an afterthought, but rather the fuel for life: take part in your future by taking care of yourself now