The start of a new year brings fresh enthusiasm to reset intentions.
Whether it’s to exercise more or change an eating pattern, setting resolutions is exciting when motivation is high, but sustaining them through the year often proves more challenging.
Making healthier choices easier and more obvious is key to beating resolution fizzle and maintaining good habits all year long. Which is where Food City's Wellness Club can help.
Start Small
Setting big goals feels inspiring and exciting, but it can quickly become overwhelming. Successful habit changes start with small steps that help build consistency. Small changes create “wins” early and often and they create momentum, so that once a habit is mastered, another small one can be added.
Try reframing:
- Instead of trying to cut out sugar completely, identify some of the biggest sources in your typical diet and try to make realistic swaps
- Instead of focusing on a weight loss goal that feels far away, focus on losing 5 percent of your body weight
- Instead of aiming to workout at the gym for 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week, start with a goal of at least 10 minutes of daily movement
Over time, these shifts compound, resulting in noticeable change. The key is consistency over intensity.
Make Healthy the Default
One of the biggest determinants of our behaviors is environment. In fact, environment shapes almost all the decisions we make daily. While it can be great to ride the wave of fresh motivation that surges with the turn of the calendar, the solution to overcoming barriers to behavior change is to design our environment so that the healthy choice the easiest and most obvious.
If lack of time is a barrier to improving eating habits, try pre-cut, washed fruit cups and chopped and ready-to-eat vegetables and hummus and place them in the front of the refrigerator where they are highly visible. Keep Food City’s recipe-ready ShortCuts on hand as a fresh option for easy prep. Try ShortCuts soup starter vegetables to quickly add to a slow cooker with lean protein for a hearty winter or grill-ready vegetables for a quick side dish.
Keeping frozen or canned fruits and vegetables on hand is another hack for quick meal preparation. Great for stir-frys, or to add to pasta dishes, casseroles and smoothies, frozen fruits and vegetables are a fast and convenient option. Likewise canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh and are a convenient way to quickly add more vitamins and minerals to your eating plan. If you are working to build healthier habits and stick to your budget, shop Food City store brands for canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. Meal planning with brands like Food Club and Full Circle Market offer similar ingredients and the same quality and flavor at great value.
Shop Food City Pick Well
Food City’s Pick Well program can help easily identify “better for you” foods to add to your shopping cart. Look for the following tags when shopping in store or online.
Dietitian’s Pick
- The Dietitian’s Pick icon highlights foods that are higher in essential nutrients but lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. Plus, these foods contain more: vitamins, minerals, nutrients (such as protein and fiber), and whole grains. Items in Food City stores that receive the Dietitian’s Pick shelf-tag meet the FDA’s criteria for a “healthy” food, meaning the nutrients in these foods support health and help to prevent nutrition-related disease.
GLP-1 Friendly
- This tag is designed to help shoppers currently taking a GLP-1 medication easily identify foods that align with their needs. Products receiving the GLP-1 Friendly tag may include whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and meals and snacks that meet have higher protein, while limiting added sugar. These foods can help play a role in maintaining lean body mass, managing appetite, promoting healthy digestion and maximizing nutrient density – all priorities for many individuals using GLP-1 medications.
Good Source of Protein
- Consuming protein with meals is a great way to increase feelings of fullness and manage hunger. Including a variety of protein sources ensures a balance of vitamins and minerals, plus essential fatty acids and fiber. Look for the Good Source of Protein tag when shopping to find protein-packed options like seafood and fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat dairy; and plant-based proteins, like beans, nuts and seeds, and meals, bars or shakes.
Good Source of Fiber
- Research consistently shows that diets high in fiber are associated with better health outcomes, including longer lifespans and lower risk of chronic disease. In general, women should aim for around 25 grams per day, while men should get around 30 grams per day. Look for the Good Source of Fiber tag when shopping in stores to easily spot products with at least three grams of fiber per serving, like cereals, meals and snack products, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Personalized Nutrition
Every person’s healthy journey is different – routine, genetics, cultural foods, preferences, allergens and health goals all shape the type of eating style that will work for you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to eating well, which is why tailoring meal plans to your unique goals and preferences is essential to making changes that last.
Food City’s My Nutrition makes it easy to find specific product recommendations according to personal needs. This feature allows shoppers to create a customized nutrition profile. Whether they have allergens to avoid, want vegan or vegetarian options, need foods that support health while taking a GLP-1 medication, or want to avoid artificial colors and preservatives, the My Nutrition profile will filter search results based on those preferences. Visit foodcity.com to create your own profile and make shopping for your health easier.
Meeting your wellness goals can be achievable with the correct mindset and tools. Put your best foot forward in the new year by keeping reframing goals and finding solutions that make healthy choices the default. For recipe inspiration and more ideas to assist with meal planning visit foodcity.com.