a new year
Healthy Resolutions? How about 52?
Our family had a wonderful Christmas; we hope you did too. Now the carols are fading... the New Year is upon us. Do you make resolutions? I do, but cautiously; I’ve been burned before. But change is good and resolutions do make a difference. They work best when they are:
• well defined
• based on good thinking
• have a system for follow-up
• and are supported by friends.
Wordofwisdomliving.com can give you the first three; sharing this blog with your friends can provide the fourth.
Out with the old and in with the new. That was the motto of the century past. Olden time foods were boring; a restless nation worshipped newness. In the case of fats, food traditions like lard, butter and olive oil were abandoned for the unproven inventions of food scientists—Crisco, margarine, and vegetable oil. And if it wasn’t the best of times it certainly was the sweetest: sugar consumption reached troubling heights. It took a while to notice, but these changes were followed by a rising epidemic of chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity and diabetes).
Now, in the new century, there is an awakening, the beginnings of a food reformation. Home cooking has been rediscovered and there is newfound respect for olden ways. Rather than what is new, people ask, “What is good. How should I eat? What is best for my health?” (For more on how these questions are answered, see about.)
The goal of this blog is to help you answer these questions, week-by-week, all year long. We offer 52 Healthy Changes—one for each week of 2011—that can transform your diet, as well as your health. The first, “The Short And Sweet Of It?” is found here. A goal for the year is to reduce consumption of added sugar to the American Heart Association’s guideline of six teaspoons daily for women, nine for men. Our major source of sugar is soft drinks, so this is our starting point:
Later we’ll get to diet drinks, also unhealthy though for different reasons. (Diet drinks, for example, seem to reinforce the desire for sugar resulting in consumption by other forms.) So you can get a head start on better health by also reducing diet drinks to one or less per week. It’s a healthy change, one you can live with.
Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 3:14PM | by Skip Hellewell | 11 Comments | 2 References | Share Article | in healthy change | Email Article 
Reader Comments (11)
any info on the acai berry?
Thanks for sharing what you've learned- I'm interested to see the next 51. I cut all soda from my diet about 15 years ago when I started playing soccer competitively and I haven't looked back since! One of the best health decisions of my life.
I wholeheartedly second your recommendation to give up soda. As a former Dr. Pepper addict turned Diet Coke-head, I decided enough was enough and gave soda up entirely. That was one of my major resolutions for 2010, and I've stuck with it. I honestly don't miss it at all, and I feel like my system is cleaner without artificial soda gunking it up. I know some people who literally drink soda all day long, with little to no water to dilute it, and they look physically unwell.
Every now and then, I'll get a craving for the bubblies, and drink club soda with lime. It does the trick!
To Cookie and Kate: Congratulations on walking away from the sugary soda drinks. A future post will discuss what to drink when we need a break from good old water. And we'll hear everyone's favorite.
I haven't had a soda in years, and if you would have asked me all that time ago if I thought it possible I would have most definitely said no. I often crave carbonation, but as my appreciation for healthy food starting growing I found that I couldn't handle the syrupy sweetness anymore. I was able to transition over to Izze for my carbonation fix, and that really was helpful in keeping me away from soda. I loved the idea of fruit juice and sparkling water, but I soon discovered Kombucha and now I am in heaven. I get my effervescent fix and wonderful enzymes and cultures mixed in too. I'm so much happier with my Kombucha habit than I ever was with soda!
It's great to hear from those who have discovered there is life beyond sodas. You are the pioneers of healthy drinks. We'll have more posts on healthful drink options for when we need a break from good old water. I'm adding Kombucha to my list to try.
Don't be alarmed, Skip. It may take a few tries before you can get into it, but typically after two or three tries people can get past the vinegar-y scent and can appreciate how refreshing and clean-feeling the drink makes you feel. :) GT Dave's Multi-Green is a good one to start with.
So excited to follow along with you here.
I basically grew up without soda and never learnt to like it as I think it's too sweet, but I do enjoy the occational "Schorle", which is apple juice diluted with sparkling mineral water. This works with other juices as well, but I definitely prefer the traditional one with apple juice or a more refreshing one with pure lemon or lime juice or with a sprig or two of fresh peppermint. Nowadays you can even buy your own soda streamer which is better both for your health, your economy and for the environment (as long as you have drinkable tap water or can get spring water from somewhere).
question: Is there a reminder card for this post? I'm printing them all out and i can't find one for this (this is the BIG one that my husband needs to think about...so I thought I'd subtly hang it on the bathroom mirror ) :)
Susannah, Good idea, we'll add a comment card for this first post.
Congratulations,from now onward I will do hard work.
Health Care Reform