It's a new year so here is...

1) Think before you eat. Before shoving something in your mouth, think “Is this benefiting my body in some way?” If the answer is NO, then put it down and move on.


2) Move more. If you have no time to exercise, then make time! If that is difficult too, then do the easy things like choosing the farthest parking spot in the lot or doing jumping jacks in the commercials of your favorite show, or do active things on the weekends instead of dinner and a movie which is sit, eat, then sit some more.


3) Produce over package. When doing the grocery shopping, spend more time in the produce section gathering fruits and vegetables. Don’t even waste your time in the cookie, cracker, and Pop-tart isles. Not all packaged foods are bad, but they take more time and investigation on your part. You can’t go wrong with fresh produce!

4) Be adventurous. The American diet of steak and potatoes has given us some bad health statistics. Be adventurous and try Thai, Greek or fresh Mexican food. Different cuisines usually offer more vegetables and colors in the meal, which always a plus! These are great places to try. Pita Jungle YC’s Mongolian Grill, Wild Thaiger

5) Eat more fish. It is tough living in a land locked state, but fish is the bomb. Some fish offer super lean protein, others offer essential fats that improve our health. Try to eat fish 3 times or more a week. You will notice a difference! Learn how to buy and cook fish here!

6) Don’t go nuts! Just eat more of them…Don’t rely on peanuts and peanut butter to fulfill this. Eat more almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pecans. One handful everyday!

7) Count your colors. The best way to achieve a healthier lifestyle, weight loss goal, or improve a health condition is to load up on the vegetables and fruits. Try to eat 3 or more different colors at each meal. Here are some great recipes! Breakfast Smoothie Vegetable Fajitas Bean and Corn Salsa

8) Cut out sugar. Banning sugar all together forever is pretty much unrealistic for most people, but cutting it out the majority of the time or cutting down is doable. If you have a sweet tooth regularly, try using Stevia. It is a natural sweetener from the stevia leaf and it is becoming more and more mainstream. You can purchase it at any grocery store. It has no calories, no glycemic load, and is sweet like sugar.

9) Frozen is Fabulous. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetable medleys and fruit/berry medleys. There is no chopping, washing, or cleaning required so a meal can be whipped up super fast using a veggie medley. Fruit or berry medleys make an effortless dessert or breakfast smoothie. Did I mention how cheap they are?

10) Set a goal and get motivated. If improving your health is not enough motivation to start making better choices then choose something to work toward. Train for a run that benefits cancer, have a competition with friends or family, or have a person close to you be your motivator or partner in your journey.

If you have a request for tips, tricks or recipe makeovers just e-mail me! Nutritionbycalli@gmail.com