11 Healthy Diet Tips to Keep You On Track All Year

Sticking to healthy eating resolutions can be hard, but there are ways to set yourself up for success. And even if you slip up, it’s OK! Be kind to yourself, and just try to do a little better next time. Here are some of the best healthy eating tips to keep you on track well into the new year—and beyond.

These aren’t tied to any specific diet (whether Whole30, keto, paleo, or other), but are intended to help anyone make healthier choices on a daily basis. If you want to make any major changes, it’s always a great idea to consult your doctor first, or even look for a nutritionist or dietician to guide you.

For small tweaks you might find helpful, just keep reading.

1. Drink More Water

If water were a food, it would be a superfood. It helps digestion, promotes clear skin, acts as an appetite suppressant, and even prevents heart disease, among many other benefits. Some research has even shown that drinking water can speed up metabolism and help you lose weight. Although the whole drink-eight-glasses-a-day advice is now thought to be a myth, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s better than drinking energy drinks, soda, or flavored waters that may contain lots of sweeteners.

Stick to filtered tap, and cut it with naturally sweetened fruit juice if you get bored, or try infusing water for low-calorie, unsweetened elixirs like this Green Herb Infusion. At work, keep a large pitcher of water at your desk (or at least a super-sized water bottle), so you don’t have to keep getting up to refill your glass. Also, don’t forget to clean it regularly.

2. Create a Salad Bar in Your Fridge

Buy some produce on a Sunday, then spend a half hour washing, chopping, and storing it in containers in your fridge (Mason jars look cool, but these meal prep containers may be a bit more useful). Make enough salad dressing for the whole week. Then, before work, all you have to do is add greens and assemble for lunch. It’s OK to dress the salad in the morning if you refrigerate it when you get to work (and if the produce is sturdy enough to hold up, of course; kale and other winter greens are great).

Prep veggies for roasting at dinner time too, and check out these vegetarian blogs to inspire even more veggie-heavy meals for your future rotation. Equally important is keeping your fridge organized so you can actually find all your healthy ingredients in there.

3. Remember, Color Equals Nutrition

It’s a good rule of thumb that the more colorful the food, the more healthy it is. For instance, squash, carrots, spinach, and kiwi are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. White and beige foods like cheese, french fries, white rice, white flour, and white sugar should be eaten in moderation, because they’re either high in saturated or trans fats, or overly processed and lacking in nutritional value. (White cauliflower is a notable exception!)

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