The new year is a great time for a health reset. But when we set the bar too high, we inevitably blow it, blame ourselves, and go back to the status quo," says nutrition therapist Dana Sturtevant, RD, a co-owner of Be Nourished in Portland, Oregon.

Take fad diets like juice cleanses: We’re drawn to them because they promise big results and minimal time and effort, and they appear to work — but only for a while. Because of course the number on the scale is going to go down (temporarily) if you’re only drinking spinach water! But as soon as you go back to eating real food — as humans should do — you go right back where you started, not to mention you’ll feel hungry, low on energy, and bad for not being able to stick with it (even though it’s not healthy or possible live on juiced produce alone).

To set you up for success, we asked experts for goals that feel so doable, you may wonder whether they’re even worth aiming for.

1. Upgrade your dessert.

“If you’re craving something sweet after dinner, you should have it!” says Willow Jarosh, RD, a cofounder of C&J Nutrition in New York City. “But if you want to cut back on sugar and still satisfy that craving, dilute the sweet stuff with something like nuts or seeds.”

Instead of reaching for a chocolate bar, try chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate-dipped frozen banana bites, or chocolate chips mixed with popcorn, pistachios, or both. Besides reducing your intake of added sugar — too much of which has been linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other health concerns — you’ll also get some heart-healthy fiber.

2. Check in with yourself mid-meal.

“Dieting is unsustainable, especially when you make restrictive, unrealistic rules about what you can and can’t eat,” says Sturtevant. For lasting good health, learn to tune in to signs of hunger, not ignore them. Sipping water between bites can help you slow down and eat more mindfully, as can pausing for a gut-check halfway through your meal to note how you’re feeling physically, really taste what you’re chewing on, and ground yourself within the present moment.

To do it, put down your fork, take a deep breath, and ask yourself how full you are and how much more food you think you need to be satisfied, suggests Sturtevant. “When we eat with awareness, we get more joy out of our food — and without that joy, it's difficult to feel nourished.”

3. Eat veggies at breakfast.

Breakfast is often overlooked as an opportunity to squeeze in vegetables, which 91% (!) of us don’t get enough of. Try topping your toast with mashed avocado or adding a handful of baby spinach or sauteed grated sweet potatoes to your scrambled eggs. Your morning meal doesn’t have to be savory to include veggies; you can also stir grated zucchini into pancake batter or shredded carrots into your oatmeal.

“We have specific ideas of what breakfast foods are, when in fact breakfast is just a meal like any other,” says Sturtevant. “I love roasted vegetables with sunny-side eggs on top for breakfast, but you could even have leftover pizza with vegetables on it.”

(Real Simple magazine provides smart, realistic solutions to everyday challenges. Online at www.realsimple.com.)

©2024 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.