Resolve to Eat More Plants this New Year

We all want to start the new year off right, so Green Bay Area Mom partnered with Festival Foods to bring you this post on healthy eating habits.

It’s a new year, and that means new ways of doing things, right?

While that’s correct, those changes don’t have to be life-altering or terribly difficult. Actually, it’s better if they’re not hard. Changes that hurt don’t usually stick around very long.

We want to help with that. At Festival Foods, we want to help you make small changes that lead to healthy habits that lead to a better, healthier life. And we want to do it in a way that is approachable, friendly, and manageable.

Our team of Mealtime Mentors is here to help you in a variety of ways – from deciding among products on our store shelves to coming up with easy-to-make, healthy, and delicious recipes.

What you eat is probably top of everyone’s list when it comes to changes in a new year. We’re big fans of eating loads of fruits and vegetables, and we’ve come up with a variety of ways to do that. We’ve also worked hard to make it super simple for you to keep an eye on which produce items are at their peak each week by updating that information every week online here.

Have questions? We’ve got answers! You can access the expert information available from our registered dietitians by emailing your questions through this page.

We’ve got a few tips to help get you off to a healthy start this year. They include:

• Start your meal with a mixed vegetable salad tossed with olive oil vinaigrette. We’ve got a couple of favorite salad options, including Cherry and Kale Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Grilled Romaine Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing. Vinegars such as balsamic, red, or even rice, help ward off hunger. In addition, the monounsaturated fat in the olive oil helps your body absorb the phytonutrients and vitamins in the salad. If you’re not a fan of salads, opt for a vegetable broth-based soup. The soup broth and fiber in the veggies are satisfying with few calories.

  
  

• Fill half your plate with vegetables. That will help increase the number of veggies you’re eating while cutting down on the portion sizes of starch and protein.

  
  

• Use your love of sandwiches to pile high on whole wheat bread. We’re also big fans of using lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, and then adding a few turkey slices. These veggies add bulk and filling fiber with few calories. Or you can go ahead and use lettuce instead of bread slices and fill them with shredded chicken and sliced water chestnuts. Be creative, and the possibilities are endless.

  
  

Keep an eye on all the fun – and nutritious – things our Mealtime Mentors are producing by being our fan on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or checking out our amazing food photos on Instagram.

And Happy New Year!