9 Nutrition Goals You Can Actually Stick To in 2020

Here’s how to make resolutions like a pro-and how to keep going past February!

To set you up for success, here are 9 nutrition goals that feel so doable and created to help you make significant headway on the journey to a happier, healthier you.

New Year, new resolutions will usually include some goals for getting healthier. Yet 80% of resolutions fail by February. What gives?  A goal without a plan is just a wish.  There  are some strategies for making good habits, the key to keeping your resolutions (https://www.rd.com/culture/secret-keeping-new-years-resolutions/).

Here are 9 nutrition goals that may help you reach a healthier lifestyle.

1 Upgrade your dessert

If you are craving something sweet, you should have it. But if you want to cut back on sugar and still satisfy that craving, you can dilute the sweet stuff with something like nuts or seeds and also get some heart-healthy fiber.

2 Eat veggies at breakfast

Breakfast is often overlooked as an opportunity to squeeze in vegetables, which most of us don’t get enough of. Try roasted vegetables with sunny-side eggs on top or leftover pizza with vegetables on it.  Topping your toast with mashed avocado or adding a handful of baby spinach or sweet potato to your scrambled eggs.  More color, more flavor, more healthy nutrients.

3 Go clean with your food choices

Life is better with foods that support good health, energy, vitality and clean bodies inside and out. Here at Fresh & Natural we pride ourselves on delivering local, organic, and natural choices to our customers. Our clean options are: organic, all-natural, local growers, preservative free, gluten free, Allergen free, grass-Fed/Grass-finished beef.

4 Snack better

Pick a resolution that involves getting more of things you love like tasty snacks. To make healthy snacking more convenient, plan to make snacks ahead of time with a mix of pistachios, nuts, dark chocolate, and dried cranberries. Other options like popcorn, pretzels and fruit and raisins work as well.

5 Try other milk options

Not crazy about cow’s milk or can’t tolerate it? Try other alternatives to get your daily calcium and vitamin D needs: almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk and flax milk. We have many varieties to choose from.

6 Put color on your plate

To add color to your plate at least one meal a day by adding fruit and vegetables will provide more vitamins and minerals to your daily intake.  Start small and gradually increase your variety and portion sizes.  Start with a half a cup of carrots, peas, broccoli or apple slices, melon or strawberries.  The more color the better. Wintertime isn’t exactly prime time for juicy peaches or crisp green beans, but using frozen produce is just as healthy as fresh.

7 Decrease your caffeinated beverage intake

To decrease your caffeine intake you could add your own orange, lemon or cucumber slices to your water for a refreshing pick up.  Some flavored waters that Fresh & Natural offers may be just the thing you may enjoy such as:  Topo Chico mineral water (with or without a twist of lime); Zevia, zero calorie soda sweetened with stevia, flavored LaCroix Water and Izze sparkling juice.

8 Resolve to reduce food waste

How many times have you carefully packed away leftovers… and then forgotten to eat them?  One solution is to schedule a plan-over meal once a week where she uses leftovers to create a new, healthy meal.  For example, if I plan to cook a dinner of grilled chicken, broccoli, and sweet potato one night, I will make chicken broccoli penne pasta the next night.

Another idea would be to pack your dinner leftovers for lunch as part of your dinner clean-up process the night before.  But then don’t forget to leave out your daily reminder to take your lunch/beverage before you leave the house the next morning.

Start slow, and pick 2 or 3 new goals to commit to for the start of 2020.  Here’s wishing you the best in creating new attainable resolutions in the new year by creating new habits that will become part of your normal routine and make a healthier you.

Happy New Year!

Author: Michelle Hanson

Michelle Hanson, MA, RD, LD is Fresh & Natural Food’s Registered Dietitian. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics with a minor in Community Health from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She is a registered dietitian and current member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Michelle has been a nutrition consultant for numerous years as well as a nutrition research director at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Michelle is passionate about food and nutrition and believes in helping people find simple, realistic ways to make healthy eating a part of their everyday lifestyle.
If you are interested in meeting Michelle or have questions for her, you can email her at: michelle@fnfoods.com. She will look forward to meeting you!