ideas for healthy eating to meet nutrition goals

By Guest Blogger Cindy Silver, a registered dietician

Does it surprise you that only 8-10% of all people have success with health-related New Year’s Resolutions? Maybe you’ve been in that small slice of success, or maybe not. For the 90-92% who have not, let’s get some ideas for healthy eating to meet nutrition goals in 2025. Why? Delicious nutrition helps families connect, nourishes and energizes bodies, makes us all clearer thinkers, and keeps us out of the doctor’s office.

Steps to Success for Nutrition Goals

Step 1: A Single, Simple Goal

When you set one goal and keep it simple, you’re off to a great start. The hard part is choosing a goal among all the options. Here are 7 goals to consider and be sure to choose one that speaks to you. Rank your top 3 and then sit down with your family, talk over the 3, and come out with a family goal for better nutrition.

7 Goal Options for Better Nutrition

1. Eat a less sugary breakfast every day.
2. Grab-n-Go for breakfast when you miss it at home.
3. Make lunch more than a green salad.
4. Cut up a fruit and a vegetable every day to keep in the fridge for snacking.
5. Think through and write down what’s for dinner, 2 days in advance
6. Post what’s for dinner on the fridge, day-by-day
7. Bring your school-age, 6-12 year, child to the grocery store as your helper

Step 2: An Action Plan (AP)

After choosing a goal, the next step is your strategy or action plan. Look at the 3 action plan strategies for each of the 7 goal options and then decide if they are realistic. If they are, great. If not, then re-write the action plans to suit your family.

Eat a less sugary breakfast every day

1. Plain Cheerios + 1% Milk/Soymilk + Banana
2. Egg + Toast with Fiber + Apple + 1% Milk/Soymilk
3. Warm Corn Tortilla + Black Beans + Salsa + 1% Milk/Soymilk

Grab-n-Go for breakfast when you miss it at home…and always carry your water bottle!

1. Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap + Peanut Butter + Banana
2. Hardboiled Egg Sandwich + Pear
3. Homemade Trail Mix of Nuts, Seeds, Raisins or Craisins in a Baggie

Make lunch more than a green salad

1. Green Salad + Toppings like these: Colorful Veggies &/or Tuna/Chicken &/or Soybeans &/or Walnuts &/or Pumpkin Seeds + Orange
2. Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap with Light Cream Cheese & Deli Turkey or Chicken + Grapes + Oatmeal Cookie
3. Soup with Vegetables + Whole Grain Crackers & Cheese + Baby Carrots & Hummus

Wash & Cut up a fruit and a vegetable every day to keep in the fridge for snacking

1. Cantaloupe Chunks + Bell Pepper Strips
2. Apple Slices (dipped into OJ to prevent browning) + Baby Carrots
3. Clementine Citrus + Cucumber Slices

Think through and write down what’s for dinner, 2 days in advance

1. Baked Chicken Legs + Corn + Green Beans + 1% Milk + Juice Popsicle for Dessert
2. Spaghetti & Lean Beef Meatballs (or Meatless Meatballs) + Red Sauce + Steamed Broccoli + Mango or Melon for Dessert
3. Homemade Corn Pancakes + Turkey Sausage (or Meatless Sausage) + Cut up Fresh or Canned Pineapple for Dessert

Post what’s for dinner on the fridge, day-by-day

1. Buy an erasable Wipe Board with magnet at an office supply store for the fridge
2. Every 2-3 days, write dinner menus on the wipe board and post it
3. Ask your school-age child, 6-12 years, to help post dinner menus on the wipe board

Bring your school-age child, 6-12 years, to the grocery store as your helper

1. Each week, schedule 45-60 minutes for smart grocery shopping, when you and your child are not hungry, and add it to your calendar
2. When you arrive at the store, slowly review what’s on your grocery list, or spend 10 minutes writing the list with your child’s input – before getting out of the car.
3. Inside the store, get your child involved with choosing & weighing fruits and vegetables, reading a nutrition label, and sticking to your list

Step 3: A Consistent Pattern

After firmly deciding on your goal and action plan steps, there’s one very important element left – consistency. You might call it being stubborn about your goal and, in this case, being stubborn is good. This is where you get the job done with laser focus, day after day after day. No, it may not be easy and yes, it will gradually get you where you want to go.

1. Think deeply about your goal and write down why you chose it on a sticky note. Stick your note somewhere you’ll see it every single day.
2. Visit your Why-Note every day, take a deep breath, and say out loud, “I got this!”
3. Be your family’s Better Nutrition Leader for a 2024 goal. Then put your action plan to work.

What better nutrition goal will you select for your family and which action plan step will come first?

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