Healthy Eating

Charcuterie boards, eggnog, and desserts. For many of us, the recent holiday season meant indulging in these types of unhealthy treats. How can we get back to eating a more healthy and balanced diet in the new year? Many Americans make "lose weight" or "eat healthier" a New Year's resolution - which, while noble, is quite vague. In order to reach your goals, they need to be specific and measurable. With food and nutrition, it is all about balance.

Jaimie Davis, registered dietitian and professor of nutritional sciences at University of Texas Austin, tries to avoid sweet drinks such as sodas, sports drinks, and coffee. She said, "We have the LaCroixs and the sparkling waters if we want something special, as opposed to just normal water or just regular milk. We also make a lot of aguas frescas, so like infused waters with basil and strawberries." Also watch out for alcoholic beverages; many cocktails are full of sugar and can be deceptively high-calorie. To save calories, try mixing sparkling water with a dash of hard liquor, and garnishing with fruit like raspberries or pomegranate seeds.

Angel Planells, a Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist, said he avoids the admittedly "delicious" foods like cured meats, smoked fish, canned soups, and frozen TV dinners. "I like to talk to my patients and say, you know, these things are like treats. If you have them all the time, they're not a treat, they're now a habit." Because restaurants cook with more salt than you would normally use at home, Lauren Au (professor of nutritional sciences at the University of California, Davis) recommends cooking at home to avoid the extra sodium.

Dr. Linda Shiue, an internist and director of culinary and lifestyle medication at Kaiser Permanente, said she avoids snacks like packaged cookies and crackers. She also checks food labels for chemicals used as additives or preservatives. According to a 2020 review of published research, eating large quantities of ultra-processed foods can raise your risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and even depression. This category of food includes sodas, hot dogs, candy, breakfast cereals, and ice cream - all of which can contain high levels of saturated fat.

Many doctors and nutritionists said they try to replace items like cookies, crackers, and deli meats with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Dr. Shiue said it is important to prioritize vegetables because they are a source of fiber, which can improve gut health, and antioxidants that help prevent chronic disease. She noted that making vegetables enjoyable comes down to cooking methods and seasonings: "A lot of people who don't like vegetables, it's because they grew up with people who didn't know how to cook them. So they might have these sad, soggy, colorless vegetables, and who wants to eat that?"

If you aren't sure where or how to start, Maya Feller, a registered dietitian nutritionist in New York City, suggested visiting a doctor to get a better sense of your personal health: "Where are your blood sugars? How's your blood pressure? Where's your cholesterol?" Once you know there are no dysfunctions or allergies, then you can work on making fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and legumes "a central part of your pattern of eating."

While it can seem overwhelming at times, several nutrition experts have emphasized that there is not one uniform way to eat healthy; factors including socioeconomic status, access to affordable healthy food, and an understanding of food labels can stand in the way of a nutritious diet. Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health's main dietary message is to focus on the quality of food you're eating, not just counting calories. For example, the type of carbohydrates in your diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrates in your diet; some sources (like some vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans) are healthier than potatoes and ultra-processed white bread.

When making dietary changes, don't try to change everything at once. Make one change at a time, giving yourself time to adjust before changing something else. Laura Bellows, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, said that rather than avoiding certain foods altogether, she takes a moderation-is-key approach and follows the dietary guidelines outlined by the Department of Agriculture. "There are no bad foods, only bad quantities," she said.