If Your New Year's Resolution is to "Eat Healthier"...

I feel you. This is one of those goals we all intend to conquer, but have a hard time sticking to, and I finally realized why. We are doing it all wrong. We are going cold turkey and cutting off all food that is "bad" only to go a few days and then realize we really can't live without fries.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Eating healthier has always been on my list of resolutions (whether I've written it down or not) and last year, I finally was able to stick to it by making a few changes. Like I've said before, I eat tacos and chocolate and fries, but I've found that by altering your diet a bit for the better, you can create healthy habits and not feel as bad when you want to go out to Whataburger with your friends.

You don't need dairy
Limiting (or cutting out completely) dairy in as many ways as you can will really be beneficial to you. There's the age old argument that dairy isn't meant for our bodies, but to fatten up little calves that take in their mother's milk. Whatever you believe, I can honestly say I've seen real results now that I turn down ice cream, cheesy foods, and butter. You just eat better when you do!

I replace the milk in my coffee or in recipes with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can find it in the milk section of any commercial grocer.

Don't buy junk food
Don't buy it. Don't put it in your grocery cart. Don't order it off Postmates. Save the candy for the movies and save chocolate cake for nights out on the town.

Meal prep
I don't mean this in the hardcore sense. For example, I like to buy a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and Cam and I will grill them all together and then have some for a week and a half. Now whenever I'm home and I want a healthy meal, I just have to warm it up!

The fewer the ingredients the better
Get comfortable reading the food labels. Don't focus on how something may only be a hundred calories because that still doesn't mean the nutritional value is any good. I always check to see the ingredients. If you see natural ingredients and/or very few ingredients, it's probably a lot better for you than cookies.

My favorite "few ingredient" healthy snacks are Kind Bars, almond butter, and brussels sprouts in balsamic dressing!

More water, less "other stuff"
I had a rule for myself when I was first trying to eat healthier that I would only have one non-water drink a day. I typically have a coffee or a green tea in the morning and then follow it with a whole lot of water. I also recommend trying to break your Diet Coke addiction if you had one like I did. I get one once in a while now as a treat, but I know that I'm better off with a water or a green tea. (Just look up all the benefits and you'll be hooked! Clear skin? Please and thank you.)

Spot the healthy stops
I have a note on my phone with all the restaurants that have something healthy on the menu that I like to get. That way, when deciding where to go, I can choose to go somewhere that I know will have healthy options.

Say "no thanks" to red meat
If you try to limit (or again, completely cut out) red meat, you'll be doing yourself a favor. You can google all the benefits and what not (as well as the criticism), but ultimately, it keeps you from eating hamburgers and hotdogs. So now, when you go out or grocery shop, you'll automatically have to reach for more lean and clean meats.

Set monthly goals
New Year's resolutions are hard - try biting off smaller pieces. Maybe give yourself two or three monthly goals in terms of eating healthy. For example, January could be the month you do no chocolate and candy and then February you could give up soda and vow to do yoga twice a week. You'll find this an easier more effective method to reaching your goals!


Like I said before, you can do anything you put your mind to this year and always! So if you want to eat healthier, I think these tips will have you on your way! (And if you ever need a date to go get a green juice, you know who to call.)

X,

Cristina

P.S. Scroll down to enter the giveaway on my last post! Winner announced at 7pm on 1/9!