New Year Resolutions

New Year resolutions

1. Eat high fibre foods like beans, whole fresh fruit and whole grain breakfast cereals. Fibre is great for gut health and making you feel fuller for longer so you are les likely to reach out for chocolate
2. Consume more prebiotic foods like garlic, onion, bananas and asparagus. Research shows this increases microbiota diversity and reduces type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
3. Drink 8 glasses of water a day! 70% of our body weight is water and we need a constant supply. This is so underrated; being dehydrated while driving poses the same risk as drink driving. Being dehydrated leads to slower reaction times, loss of focus, low mood and muscle cramps. So make sure at work you take your breaks and drink, drink, drink
5. B vitamins! B vitamin containing foods like wholegrains, eggs and avocados help with the breakdown and release of energy and decreases the incidence of premenstrual syndrome 
6. Purchase foods not coated in plastic. We all have a responsibility to reduce our plastic consumption as the world and oceans belong to all of us so try and buy fruit and veg not prepackaged. Hopefully by doing this we will reduce the amount of marine animals killed each year due to plastic debris in the oceans. Currently it is over 100 million. 
7. Eat something with probiotics every day.Aim to have a serving of at least one fermented food (think kimchi, kombucha, or sauerkraut) or a food with live and active cultures (like yogurt and kefir) each day your gut will love it! A healthy gut may improve your mood and boosts your immune system
8. Get enough shut eye. A lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes. A good place to start is to put away technology a couple of hours before bed. This will help to reduce the blue light exposure from our phones which doesn’t help us sleep. Spritzing your bed sheets and room with calming lavender and lighting candles also helps to relax the mind and body. 
9. Get a buddy to run, walk or dance with. By having a friend to exercise with helps you commit to moving your body and getting the heart pumping. Exercise is brilliant for reducing stress, getting fit and decreasing your risk of many diseases
10. Swap energy dense to nutrient dense. We all want a sweet treat but also to reduce our sugar content, which can help with weight management. The good news is there are natural sweets out there! Biting into a chewy date could help with those sugar cravings and might be an alternative to having a sticky toffee pudding. Dates also have fibre and antioxidants 
11. Once a month invite your friends over and cook together. Every person brings ingredients to make a different soup or dish. Cooking from scratch using lots of vegetables is a great alternative to buying ready meals which are normally high in salt and fat. Plus time and time again, the quality of our social relations has been shown to be one of the best predictors for our emotional wellbeing.