A Healthy and Fresh New Year
January 1, 2009
Photography: Sprouts by Indy Charles
Another year is behind us. Adios 2008! It was a good year for me personally and reflecting on the year just passed, in a word growth perfectly sums up my collective experience. Reflecting on the year just passed, I find myself full of appreciation for many people, and grateful for lessons learned.
A New Year has arrived. Welcome 2009! The fresh start of a new year motivates us to look at our lives and see where we may need or want to make improvements. The concept - out with the old and in with the new – resonates with most of us and we get busy thinking of ways to improve ourselves with resolutions.
On most New Year resolution lists, the topic of health is a focus, and one of the most important aspects of our health is the type of food we choose to eat.
Depending on circumstances and level of desire, some of us may find we need to strive more than others to create or maintain good eating habits. Wherever you may be on your healthy lifestyle journey, whether you are starting from scratch or continuing with a well thought out plan, you will need to consider some important decisions and take steps to get your healthy resolutions in motion. Try starting with these tips.
Build A Healthy Mindset
Take time to consider how your current diet affects your overall wellbeing and make the necessary adjustments. Decide to establish a more refined mindset towards natural food and healthy eating.
Create Goals
Whatever dietary goals you set for yourself, make them specific, realistic, and flexible. Start out with one or two achievable goals or divide your goals into small achievable attainable steps. Be sure to write out your goals and post them where you can see them (on the refrigerator, on a bathroom or bedroom mirror, in your car, at work…). Keep your goals in sight and in mind.
Make Action Plan
Do the following few things to help accomplish your goals:
- Make a list of the types foods you will need to buy to stay healthy.
- Take inventory of your kitchen. Make sure you have the tools and equipment needed to create and prepare your meals.
- Build your personal reference library of books, DVD’s, online sources, etc., information that helps keep you motivated, inspired, and on track.
Prepare For Lapses
Sometimes we fall off track, slip up, it happens. Things don’t always work out as anticipated, especially around the holiday season with all the parties and celebrations, and the best-laid plan can take a detour south if old habits resurface. Make plans to manage difficult situations and times when things don’t go as planned. Remember to be gentle with yourself, do the best you can at any given moment and during any given situation, and simply pick up where you left off.
Keep A Food Journal
Keeping a food journal is one way to help keep track of your eating activities. It also is a great way to keep accountable of eating habits by tracking your progress and exposing any particular problems or patterns that might arise. When journaling be consistent. Write daily or as often as makes sense and is practical for you. I keep a food journal and write in it almost daily.
These five simple tips can help guide you to make your healthy resolution successful and serve as a springboard to create new habits and a healthier you.
Some of you have asked me what my food related aspirations are for 2009. Making New Year resolutions hasn’t been a big priority for me recently. However, I have focused thought and intention on continuing to create and manifest the healthiest lifestyle possible by gathering information about natural plant-based foods, learning its nutritional value, how to grow and use them to create raw vegan recipes. Also I continue to manage and maintain a high raw vegan diet, which has served to enhance my overall health in more ways than one.
How about you? What food related resolutions and aspirations do you want to achieve in the year ahead?
Whatever you desire to manifest for yourself, I wish for you a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous year and all the very best of what you desire.
Cheers to a fantastic year in 2009! Be healthy.
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Well said. I’m right there with you! (And something lovely finally arrived, which I’ll blog about soon!)
Wishing you the happiest and most prosperous New Year! Great article on making and maintaining a positive fresh start!
xo….Penni
great thoughts, ingrid - i especially like the idea of keeping a food journal for accountability and for the simple ability to go back and see what you’ve eaten… sometimes it can be hard to remember (especially those things that aren’t really something you intended to be eating) - makes it harder to purposely forget!
Thanks for this! Health is the biggest focus of mine in 09, & I am sure your site will be a major part of it all.
I plan on keeping a health diary, trying a new raw recipe each week, and more.
A local holistic health center might do a raw foods program where I can pay for a month and pick up all meals there once a week. It’s scary, but I might do that too!
Oh yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Happy New Year!
Great post! I definitely need to pick up my food journal again!
Thanks again for the wonderful site!
Thanks for such a great post and in such good timing too.
Happy New Year from the Desert!
Great Tips!
Happy and fruitful new year to you!
Aloha and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (happy new year), Ingrid!
Thank you for the advice. My food related goal for this year is to wean myself off of refined sugar, once and for all!
Happy New Year! I am resolving to eat more raw food, especially incorporating fresh veggie juices.
An action plan sounds good - i need to keep moving, as 2008 was successful so i should build on success. Great ideas!
Happy and Healthy New Year!
I really like the idea of making a list of the foods needed for my 2009 healthy diet goal and I definitely need to take inventory of my kitchen…
Thanks for the great tips!
Happy New Year! Thanks for tipping me off about this site too - I have added it also to the list of blogs I visit on my blog page :) I’ll be back often :) I’ll need your help to really do this good change to raw food. Hugs.
Happy New Year Ingrid! Wish you all good things and lots of success in all your endeavors.