The top five nutrition tips for the New Year from a functional nutritionist

Photo Cred: Katja Grasinger/Unsplash

By Kellie Blake, RDN, LD, IFNCP

With every New Year, there seems to be a sense of renewal. Many people get away from healthy habits during the holiday season, but when the clock strikes midnight on December 31, those same folks resolve to recommit themselves to a healthy lifestyle.

As integrative providers, we know there is no magic bullet and it’s often the hundreds of micro-decisions that are made every day that truly lead to optimal health.  Of course, nutrition needs to be personalized, but the following five nutrition tips are likely appropriate for most practitioners and patients alike.

Take the time to cook for yourself.

As reported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), food consumed away from the home surpassed food prepared at home for the first time in 2010. Those with higher incomes ate outside the home an average of five and a half times per week with lower income folks averaging about four times per week.

Fast foods and restaurant-style foods typically have higher amounts of fat, calories, and sodium. They are also associated with obesity and increase the risk of foodborne illness. Preparing and eating most of your meals at home can help you avoid these pitfalls. If you struggle with finding the time to create wholesome meals, try these tips:

• Opt for a healthy meal kit delivery.
• Batch cook. Cooking grains and protein items ahead of time to be used in a variety of recipes throughout the week can be a huge time saver.
• Get your family involved in the grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking.
• Cook meals ahead of time and store them in the freezer for hectic days.
• Choose all-in-one recipes or those that can be made in a slow-cooker.
• Prep vegetables ahead of time. Whether they’ll be used in a raw salad or simply need to be chopped, sliced, or diced for a hot recipe, you’ll thank yourself when it’s time to cook.

Eat vegetables for breakfast.

Vegetables are a lifeline to longevity, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only nine percent of American adults consume even the minimum recommended amount of vegetables each day (two and a half servings for women and three and half servings for men). Since vegetables are loaded with valuable vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, and phytonutrients, it’s important to maximize your daily intake. I recommend consuming at least nine cups of vegetables every day. You don’t have to wait for lunch or dinner to enjoy vegetables, though. Get a jump start on your vegetable intake for the day at breakfast by:

• Drinking a loaded green smoothie. Cucumbers, leafy greens, carrots, celery, cauliflower, and red cabbage are all mild-tasting options for smoothies.
• Adding a side of leftover vegetables to your normal breakfast.
• Choosing a loaded vegetable soup.
• Eating a loaded salad.
• Drinking four ounces of 100 percent vegetable juice.
• Adding mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes to an omelet.
• Making a healthy breakfast quiche.

Consume healthy fat with every meal. 

Healthy fat intake is critical for optimal brain function, temperature regulation, healthy hormone creation, and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. But fat is also an important energy source, provides an anti-inflammatory benefit, increases satiety, can help control weight, and stabilize blood sugar levels. One randomized controlled trial reported in Current Developments in Nutrition, found overweight or obese men and women who consumed one Hass avocado daily along with a hypocaloric diet experienced significantly more weight loss when compared to a hypocaloric diet only group.

The benefit likely being the healthy fat and fiber content of avocados. I encourage healthy fat consumption with every meal. Great sources of healthy fat include:

• Avocado and avocado oil
• Coconut and coconut oil
• Eggs
• Fatty fish
• Ghee
• Grass-fed butter
• MCT oil
• Nuts
• Olives and extra-virgin olive oil
• Seeds

Add minerals to your water.

Hydration is obviously extremely important for proper elimination, blood flow, temperature regulation, and organ function, but also affects athletic performance. According to a study reported in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, athletes who lose just one to two percent of their weight via sweat can experience increases in heart rate, muscle glycogen use, and core temperature, along with a decline in cardiac output, cognitive function, anaerobic power, and time to exhaustion.

While the body has an elaborate hormonal system for maintaining fluid balance, this system relies on the appropriate intake of water and electrolytes. Consuming plain water combined with a lower sodium diet can lead to lower blood sodium levels, which can create side effects, but is also extremely dangerous for ultra-athletes. The old recommendation to drink 64 ounces of plain water per day is not the best method for maintaining fluid status, especially for people with an active lifestyle, those using saunas, and/or those following a lower carbohydrate diet.

While hydration recommendations should be personalized, I recommend adding minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium to your water daily and using your own thirst as a guide. There are several options when it comes to rehydration solutions, both homemade and prepackaged.

Eat dark chocolate daily.

The beans of the Theobroma cacao tree have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Dark chocolate contains a mix of healthy fat, fiber, minerals, and polyphenols such as flavanols, and research into this decadent treat seems to support its use as a functional food. As reported in Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, some of the impressive benefits of dark chocolate include:

• Enhances apoptosis in cancer cells
• Influences insulin signaling and provides a hypoglycemic benefit
• Reduces blood pressure
• Protects lipids from oxidation
• Improves skin
• Improves mood

While no formal dark chocolate guideline yet exists, I recommend consuming one ounce of a high quality, greater than 70 percent dark chocolate each day.

References

Ayotte, D., Jr, & Corcoran, M. P. (2018) Individualized hydration plans improve performance outcomes for collegiate athletes engaging in in-season training. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5987390/

Henning, S. M. (2019) Hass Avocado Inclusion in a Weight-Loss Diet Supported Weight Loss and Altered Gut Microbiota: A 12-Week Randomized, Parallel-Controlled Trial. Current developments in nutrition. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31367691/

Katz, D. L., Doughty, K., & Ali, A. (2011) Cocoa and chocolate in human health and disease. Antioxidants & redox signaling. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21470061/

United States Department of Agriculture. (2018) America’s Eating Habits: Food Away From Home. Retrieved from: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/90228/eib-196_summary.pdf?v=835.7

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021) Only 1 in 10 Adults Get Enough Fruits or Vegetables. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/division-information/media-tools/adults-fruits-vegetables.html