"I'm going to lose weight," "I'm going to go vegetarian," "I'm going to eat healthier."
Those are some of the common new year's resolutions, Jane Burrell, a professor in the nutrition programs at Syracuse University and a registered dietician and nutritionist, said she hears. When creating any new years resolution or starting something new, she said it's important to approach it as a "SMART" goal. This means it is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
Burrell said an extreme goal might be declaring that you'll go vegan. A SMART goal version of this?
"I'm going to reduce my consumption of animal protein," Burrell said. "I'm going to do this by eating one meal a day that is vegetarian and I'm going to do this for three days this week."
A key aspect of changing your diet is staying realistic. Not all changes in your health need to be drastic either. Burrell said something as simple as having fruit for a snack can make a difference. Another small change could be replacing some ultra-processed foods we eat with home-cooked meals.
When thinking about health, Burrell encourages to not focus on weight and how many pounds you'd want to lose per week and stresses moving away from dieting as they don't tend to work in the long run. Instead, put focus on your overall well-being and how you feel.
"How does this affect my blood pressure?" Burrell said. "How does this affect how much fluid I'm retaining? If you add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you retain less fluid. That might not change your weight a lot, but it's going to change how your body feels. It's going to improve your blood pressure."
It can also be easier to stick to new changes with an internal motivator. Burrell emphasizes to not be hard on yourself if you want to approach a healthier lifestyle.
"You can always make a positive change and it really starts with one small thing," Burrell said. "We tend to beat ourselves up with mistakes that we made. You can't go back. You can only go forward and you can always improve your health and nutrition with that next meal or snack that you have."
Overall, Burrell advises incorporating the small changes that you want and enjoy doing and bring your family and friends along with you.
