New Year is a time of new beginnings and a great time to look back and review the past, as well as look to the future for positive changes ahead; including a change in your diet too. Make 2015 a year for eating fresh, healthy foods and change the menu for the entire year to a more nutritious range of dishes, throwing out the old and getting excited about new culinary creations that are good for you.

While a whole list of resolutions might overwhelm you quickly, usually before the second week of January is done, New Year can actually be a perfect opportunity to really initiate some change. There’s a feeling of wanting to clear out the old and make way for the new, and with a focus on feel-good change and some power-boosting foods, you can put healthy energy on the menu for 2015. Here’s how:

• Clear out your cupboards – It’s always good to root round the back of cupboards and have an end-of-year clear-out, to check all your ingredients are in date and to see what needs using up. However, take this time to get rid of foods that don’t fit with a healthy eating plan. Your cupboards need to reflect your new menu after all.
• Clean your kitchen and get organized – After a good clean, you will really feel that you are ready to refresh your diet and start again. Consider investing in affordable storage containers so that your kitchen is not cluttered and all ingredients are clearly marked, sorted and at hand. You will find that mealtimes become easier to prepare when the space you are cooking in is in good shape.
• Write a shopping list – Most of us know the staples that we need and it can be interesting to meander at will down aisles choosing a little of what you feel like. However, this doesn’t necessarily lead to balance. If you want to eat healthy, simple foods then you need to really put some thought into what foods you put in your cart. Putting down your items on paper can help you really relate to how you shop and what you eat.
• Look for healthy, interesting recipes – Unless you are a chef extraordinaire,. you might need some help to come up with a menu for 2015. It doesn’t have to be wildly creative and you do need to come up with a menu that you can make consistently. However, there are no doubt some fairly simple-to-prepare dishes that are nutritious and delicious that you haven’t even considered. Have fun learning about new foods and new ways of cooking.
• Don’t be too extreme – When you are all fired up about a project, it’s easy to really want to run with it. Motivation and determination, while positive, can propel you into going overboard. Being healthy is not about eating brown rice every night or obsessing about every morsel you eat. It is about being aware of your diet and allowing for balance and nutrition. Obsessing and being overly-stringent can not only be unhealthy but difficult to maintain, leading to a soar and crash diet, as we see with yo-yo dieting all the time.
• Encourage others to dine with you – Food can taste better when you share it and you don’t want to feel like the odd-one-out with your ‘special’ healthy meals, so without preaching, why not inspire those around you to make dietary changes too? Discussing nutrition, recipe ideas, and health and fitness with friends and family can really help build and keep up momentum into 2015.
• Don’t just focus on weight – You may want to shed a few pounds, but a healthy diet is not just about weight loss. Nutritious meals are about wellbeing, physically and mentally, and about a menu that complements your fitness programme.

Put exercise on the menu too this New Year and get in touch to start a healthier future with us. We are waiting for your call!