Award-winning Northern Ireland nutritional therapist Jane McClenaghan has some ideas for healthy new year's resolutions, some of which may surprise you...
JANE McClenaghan, nutritional therapist and author of The Vital Nutrition Cookbook, has more than 15 years' experience of helping people to make positive, practical changes to their diets and she knows what works. Here are some of her tips for keeping yourself in peak condition in 2015.
* Eat More Fat Forget low fat diets. Make 2015 the year you embrace good fats. Cook with coconut oil, eat more nuts (not salted or roasted though) and get your omega 3 fix from oily fish at least twice a week. Did you know that symptoms of essential fat deficiency include low mood, difficulty losing weight and hormone imbalance?
* Treat treats as treats Replace your daily indulgence of chocolate, biscuits or crisps with a healthier snack like some fruit with a handful of nuts, a couple of oatcakes with sugar-free peanut butter or some natural yoghurt. Allow yourself a treat once or twice a week, but make sure you sit down, chill out and really enjoy your treat, instead of wolfing it down without realising you have gobbled.
* Eat less fruit Yes, you read that right... In an attempt to get at least five a day into our diets, most of us grab four or five portions of fruit as a quick snack, but this can contribute a huge amount of sugar to your diet. I would suggest limiting fruit to two or three portions a day and always choose fruit that grows in a temperate environment like we have here in Ireland (think apples, pears, plums, berries, cherries, kiwi), instead of tropical fruit.
* Eat your fruit - don't drink it Fruit juice and smoothies may be a trendy and quick way to achieve your five a day, but most fruit juice contains just as much sugar as fizzy pop.
* Cook ahead Spend just one hour every weekend to make a couple of nourishing meals for mid-week. Make it fun - crank up the music and get cooking. At this time of year, cook up big pots of soup for lunches or curries, tagines or stews for a healthy mid-week dinner. Then freeze in portion sizes.
* Think protein By incorporating a little protein to each meal and snack, you will help balance energy levels, curb sugar cravings and maintain mood. Protein sources include meat, fish and chicken, eggs, houmous, nuts, seeds, pulses, quinoa and nut butters (sugar-free of course).
Sign up for one of Vital Nutrition's new webinars - this month we are planning a January Detox webinar and a Fat Blast Challenge. Perfect if you need a little support and encouragement to make healthy changes, and because they are webinar based, you can watch anywhere at a time that suits you.
* Jane McClenaghan is author of The Vital Nutrition Cookbook, available from Waterstones, Easons, Amazon and www. vital-nutrition.co.uk . Find out more about Jane's January Fat Blast webinar Challenge on www.vital-nutrition.co.uk.