25 Easy Food Resolutions for 2019

We’re all well-informed enough to realize that an all-or-nothing approach to healthy eating often does not work. While we may adhere to rigid schedules and procedures in our work-life, we remain spontaneous, free-spirits at heart. We humans have an insatiable thirst for freedom, exploration and self-agency.

After all, we fashion an entire life around skills, talents, curiosity, self-expression and curiosity. Why should it be any different when it comes to feeding this bipedal vehicle we call the body? Food and exercise are at the top of nearly every American’s New Year’s resolutions list, yet they are perhaps the only resolutions for which we allow the least flexibility.

Try a kinder approach this year. Adjust your plan every month if you must. The only aspect of our New Year’s resolutions that should be unfailingly rigid is our determination to change. The best steps to get there are a matter of self-love and creativity. Here are 25 Food Resolutions to inspire you.  Pick a few. Adapt them to your own lifestyle. Write your own list. Eat well.

1. Add extra veggie toppings every time you order pizza or eat a sub or sandwich.
2. Give your kids a list of 5 veggies they normally will not eat. They must pick 2 they will agree to eat every week. Make your own list. Pick your veggies. Challenge each other to keep your end of the bargain.
3. Give your kids a healthy recipe book. Have them pick a different recipe every weekend.
4. Learn a short poem you find uplifting or calming. Recite it silently before taking your first bite of every meal. Learn a new one every week.
5. Skip the salt and pepper. Notice the taste. Let it grow on you.
6. Research food shelves or other local food charities. If one strikes a chord, get involved.
7. List the foods you often think you should eat less. Abstain from a single one every month.
8. Assign one day a week as an all fruits and all veggies day.
9. Invite a colleague you normally don’t interact with much out for lunch.
10. Make bread or muffins for a neighbor, randomly.
11. Try an exotic dish.
12. When scrolling through your emails or Facebook page, also take a moment to research food history articles. Share your findings with a friend.
13. Make your own juice with whole fruits in a blender.
14. Eat more fish.
15. Don’t quit dessert. Make better choices and skip a few days in between.
16. Plan healthier snacks for work. Allow for only one “anything goes” day. Notice how different you feel on that day.
17. Switch to low-fat, unsweetened coconut milk in your coffee.
18. Wean yourself off sugar in coffee.
19. Stop skipping meals.
20. Choose a new strategy for when you get frustrated or tired and look for comfort in a snack.
21. Look for a nutrition app. Try it out.
22. Get a couple of friends to jump on the healthier eating band wagon with you. Meet or talk weekly for support.
23. Eat more nuts.
24. Read labels. Research those impossible-to-pronounce ingredients.
25. Clean any food out of your fridge that is not in line with your renewed commitment to wholesome eating. Decide what goes in there from now on. Make it your guideline when grocery shopping.

Bonus… Plan your time so that you get an extra hour of sleep most nights.