New Year's Resolutions

I really don't like New Year's Resolutions. I don't think you ever need to wait until a calendar date to make changes. If you are really committed, you will start today. Having said that, come January 1st, millions of Americans will recommit to living a healthier lifestyle. If you are one of those, here are some tips for you.

1. Start small. You may want to run a marathon eventually, but a 5K might be a better place to start. Make realistic goals that will be achievable in the short term. This will allow you to see results quickly and will keep you committed to long term goals.

2. Fit your goals to fit your lifestyle. If you travel a lot, it might not be realistic to say you won't eat out anymore. If you like ice cream, you probably won't give it up. Be sure to take your lifestyle into account when making your goals.

3. Make concrete goals. Wanting to "eat healthier" is a little vague. On the other hand, making sure you eat a fruit or a vegetable at every meal is more measurable. Wanting to "cook more at home" could be replaced with, "will plan meals for the week, put together a grocery list and shop on Saturdays".

4. Write them down. If they are just in your head, they probably won't happen. Write down your goals and make a clear plan of how you will accomplish them.

5. Remember that 21 days makes a habit. The problem with that is the novelty wears off about the third day. Commit to doing it day in and day out. Recommit each morning to living a healthier lifestyle just today. Worry about tomorrow when it comes.

6. Aim for consistency. Avoid the all or nothing attitude. Often we aim for perfection and when we fail, we jump ship. One off day is not going to do you in. It is feeling guilty for not being perfect or not executing your new goals perfectly, that will do you in. But consistently trying to stick to realistic goals, will bring about the change you are after.

So what are your New Year's Resolutions? I want to hear them! Want to hear mine? It isn't necessarily related to nutrition but here goes: Don't sweat the small stuff. But I'm not waiting until January 1st. I am starting today.

Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!

With the big day approaching, many of you might be gearing up for some tasty meals. I would remind you of my holiday eating tips that were posted the week of Thanksgiving. It is easy for me to post them, easy for you to read them, but much harder to implement them. What it comes down to, as with anything else in life, IS DOING THEM. You never know what you are capable of until you try. There is no reason you can't live a healthy lifestyle, even during the holidays. Guests often like to argue with me about that and offer many reasons why they can't. But the only thing I hear are reasons why they WON'T, not why they CAN'T. Keep the dialogue positive. If you hear yourself offering excuses, quickly change your thought pattern.

Having said that, try this holiday season to focus on how you feel. Take a break from counting calories (if you do) on Christmas, and focus on how you feel. I think there is such a thing as a "food hangover". After a night of indulgences, how do you feel physically in the morning? So when reaching for your third cookie or your third glass of wine, imagine how you will physically feel as a result. Make it your goal to feel your best. The holidays will be much more enjoyable that way.

Merry Christmas!

Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD

New Labeling System?

As you all know, reading nutrition labels and ingredient lists is kind of a joke these days. We have a lot of room for improvement, and thanks the Center of Science in the Public Interest, we might just get there. Below is a link to a great article that summarizes their proposed changes:

A Makeover for Food Labels

Be sure to click on the image of the food label and you will see the proposed changes. What do you think?

I think all the changes are an improvement. I especially like

• Larger font on serving size and calories.
• All type of sugar used listed under one heading as "sugar"
• Lower case type of ingredients
• Bullet format for ingredient list
• Different font colors

While I hope we see some significant changes to our labeling system, for now we have to make do with what we have. Click here for a summary of what to look for.

Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD

Christmas Gifts

I have found some great lists recently for healthy gift ideas. Click on the link below to see my list from last year:

2008 Gift Guide

In addition, here are two other lists I thought you might like to see.

Mayo Clinic's Healthy Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Gift Ideas that Show Your Love

What about you? What are you favorite healthy holiday gifts that you like to give or receive?

Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD