Food Resolutions
Photo: Jon Wright
This might not be everyone’s take, but I actually love making New Year’s resolutions. Here are some suggestions to what kind of food habits you can try to motivate yourself to get into for 2022.
If they are attainable, they are fun.
Also, if they are made with love. I think the reason why resolutions get a lot of people annoyed or frustrated, is because they either make unattainable goals for themselves, or they make resolutions that are out of their control. Now it’s great to wish and dream for great things to happen, but if there are things you’d like to improve about yourself or your life, then the only way to make sure that happens is to make goals of things you can control.
This definitely applies if you would like to make some food related goals. Now the most typical ones that people might turn to, will be things like “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get fewer takeaways and cook more at home”, “I want to stop wasting food”. These can be great goals - I just like to change wordings, and therefore (I strongly believe!) your approach to them as the new year rolls on.
Here are some suggestions for food related resolutions:
Of course I don’t suggest that you let me tell you what you need to work on for the new year. You might be doing brilliantly just as you are! But if you feel like there’s room for change, I like to focus on positive, small shifts that can help you stay motivated and focus on good habit changes.
Instead of simply “I want to lose weight”, you can focus on positive, attainable changes like: “I will continue to educate myself on what my body needs, when it is best to have calorie heavy meals and when I can go lighter.” or “I will continue to enjoy lovely food but keep an awareness of portion size and a feeling of enjoyment and fullness”
Instead of being hard on yourself for getting the occasional takeaway, you can go for resolutions like: “I will plan my meals before I get hungry and make sure I make good decisions on what I eat”, “this year I will learn to make a dish similar to my favourite takeaway from scratch”, or “I will aim to stretch my takeaway meal to last me two days”
If you want to cut down on food waste, some good resolutions might be “I will note which food often goes in the bin and learn how to use it better”, “I will make large batches and freeze food in portions”, or “I will regularly tidy my fridge and cupboards to keep on top of what food I have to cook exciting meals with”.
Here are some other suggestions of possible resolutions:
I will eat food that helps my mood and motivation - high in iron, magnesium, protein and good fat.
I will ask my friend who is a great cook if they can teach me how to make something delicious!
I will aim to eat food that is in season, to improve taste and nutrition
I will try at least one new ingredient that scares me!
I will cook using all my pans and kitchen appliances this year (not all at once!) - if I can’t think of anything to use them for, I will try to learn new dishes.
How do you feel about resolutions? Do you have any food related ones you want to suggest? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!
