It’s time for a new year, which means it’s time for a new batch of health-focused resolutions. But wait: Before you complain that resolutions never work, you should know that sometimes they do. And according to an academic study, the secret to getting more mileage out of your resolutions is to make sure they are based on the approach rather than based on avoidance.
What’s the difference? An approach-based solution aims to add something to your life rather than take something away. Think “increase your cardio” instead of “stop eating a midday snack.” It’s a subtle difference, but it can have a significant impact. In the aforementioned study, 58.9% of those who started approach-based solutions saw success compared to 47.1% who put themselves into avoidance-based protocols.
With these facts in mind, you may be wondering what you can add to your daily diet and exercise routine to unlock your potential. Below are five highly accurate strategies to boost your nutrition-related analytics and help you get ahead throughout 2024.
1. Learn your way around the kitchen.
Nothing will give you more of a nutritional leg up than being able to prepare your own food. It really isn’t as hard to get comfortable with culinary tools, gadgets and terms as you might think. Even if you can’t boil water today, you could be sautéing, steaming, and blending like a pro in no time.
Having the skills to cook basic meals will open the door for you to control exactly what you put into your body. No more guesswork. No more hopes. When you can comfortably and confidently prepare a variety of dishes, you can clean up your diet. At the same time, you can avoid wasting food. The average household of four is thrown out about $1,500 worth of food annually. By taking charge of your cooking, you’ll eat the good stuff before it goes bad — and possibly cut your expenses, too.
2. Incorporate superfoods into your routine.
When was the last time you consumed spirulina, wheatgrass, nori, tamarind root or papaya fruit extract? Never? Not sure? You are definitely in the majority. These and other “superfoods” are not staples in the pantry or refrigerator. However, your body deserves a regular dose of them because they offer huge amounts of various vitamins and minerals. Plus, they’re packed with the antioxidants your system needs to run at full throttle.
It can be very difficult to increase your intake of superfoods by eating them individually. (Also, they’re not necessarily going to be at your nearest grocery store.) Fortunately, products like allergen-free, all-natural Rewind Greens Super Greens Powder exists. Simply pour the powder into a glass of water or smoothie and enjoy the goodness. You’ll benefit from 24+ superfoods with very little effort.
3. Discover the palate-pleasing aspects of spices.
Be honest: Do you always rely on a few spices or spice blends? You need to step up your spice game. Spices are like magic when it comes to transforming meals. Here’s why: The fluffier a product is, the more likely you are to eat too much of it. But when your taste buds are greeted with lots of flavor, you’re more apt to feel full with a smaller portion.
Depending on how strong your spices are, you may find that they offer other benefits as well. For example, an article published in Integris Health suggests that spicy foods may be temporary suppress appetite and increase metabolism. No matter what, though, you’ll be happier when you eat if your food—especially food that isn’t flavorful—is complex.
4. Teach yourself to spot portion sizes.
We’ve been hearing about portion sizes since we were kids. However, most portion ratios are hard to figure out: “It should be the size of a grapefruit,” “You want it to be as big as a deck of cards,” or “A portion is about a palm.” Huh? Instead of staying confused, do yourself a favor and start weighing and measuring items like meats, fish and vegetables. (Good news: Decent kitchen scales can cost less than $15, as recently reviewed Ozeri Prondo.)
Your mission is to find out what a real, honest portion size looks like. Don’t be surprised if you’re surprised by how much you overestimated your portions. Americans are world famous for serving extremely large meals. By becoming a pro at portion measurement, you’ll have a stronger handle on how much is too much for your nutritional needs.
5. Replace sweeteners in sugary drinks.
It may be hard to think about drinking your morning coffee without added sugar, but sweeteners can add calories to your day. According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average American adult drinks at least one sugary drink daily. It’s a lot, especially over a year.
Since you don’t want to cut out sweeteners completely, try reducing or replacing sugar with another sweetener. Stevia is a good choice because it is completely natural. Monk fruit sweeteners are too. They may take some getting used to, but you’ll be able to enjoy sipping a sweet drink without compromising your nutritional intentions. Plus, you won’t have to completely avoid sugary drinks.
New Year’s resolutions don’t have to fail year after year. This time, make yours work by making just a few specific changes aimed at improving your diet — and getting you closer to seeing the Fitter You in the mirror.
M&F and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
