By: Eve Adamson<\/p>\n
It usually goes something like this<\/p>\n
\u2022 I will lose 20 pounds!
\n \u2022 I will finally get in shape!
\n \u2022 I will eat better!
\n \u2022 I will be more environmentally conscious!
\n \u2022 I will cook for my family more often!
\n \u2022 I will spend more time with my family!
\n \u2022 I will stop ordering pizza and eating fast food!
\n \u2022 I will save more money!
\n \u2022 I will enjoy life more!
\n \u2022 I will be better about helping others!
\n \u2022 I will be a better person!<\/p>\n
Whether you scribble your resolutions into a journal or post them on the refrigerator or just repeat them to yourself in your head as the New Year approaches, you have probably made New Year\u2019s resolutions before. According to the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45% of Americans usually make New Year\u2019s resolutions, and although 75% of resolutions are maintained through the first week, the number drops significantly with each passing week, so that by six months, barely anyone is sticking to it. A lot of people don\u2019t even remember what their resolution was anymore by June. Bummer.<\/p>\n
Yet, I love New Year\u2019s resolutions. I think they are sweet signs of optimism. They prove that people still want to better themselves, and believe they can do it, no matter how many times they fail. I even think my own New Year\u2019s resolutions are adorable. Lose 20 pounds? Aww. That\u2019s so cute, the way I keep thinking I\u2019m going to do that!<\/p>\n
But every year\u2019s experience begs the question: Why is it so hard to execute a perfectly reasonable decision to do something good for yourself, like get healthier or spend more time with people you love? The problem, says many an expert, is that our resolutions are either too various, and\/or too lofty. We set too many goals and we lose track. We also set goals that are a little bit too difficult\u2014just outside the realm of reasonable.<\/p>\n
But what if I told you that just one simple resolution could accomplish just about every resolution I\u2019ve listed at the beginning of this article, all in one fell swoop? Eleven resolutions in one? And what if I told you that one single resolution could actually be easy?<\/p>\n
When you focus on one resolution instead of many and that one resolution is something you can actually do, you are about a zillion times more likely to stick with it (that\u2019s the official statistic\u2014a zillion).<\/p>\n
What could this magical and powerful resolution be? Are you ready for this? It\u2019s kind of radical, so maybe you should sit down. Here goes: This year, I will eat mostly whole food.<\/p>\n
Wow. I know, right? You have to admire the simple elegance. This one resolution is powerful because you don\u2019t have to think about all those other things you want to do, and yet, they will all start to happen, just because you are eating whole food. Let me explain:<\/p>\n
I will lose 20 pounds!
\nThe number might not be exact, but whether you need to lose 20 pounds or 10 pounds or 5 pounds or 50 pounds, you\u2019ll start moving in the right direction when you eat mostly whole food. Whole food fills you up faster than packaged food. It\u2019s also more nourishing, so your body feels like it actually ate a meal and you aren\u2019t as hungry later. The more you get into the whole food habit, the more your bad eating habits will fall away; you\u2019ll feel better, and your weight will normalize. Sure, there are overweight whole food eaters. If you eat too much whole food, then you might remain a bit broader around the middle. But while you can probably imagine eating too much candy or too many doughnuts, not very many people binge on apples or carrot sticks or home-roasted chicken with brown rice. Try it. You might find it\u2019s the easiest way you ever lost weight.<\/p>\n
I will finally get in shape!
\nWhen you eat whole food, you are better nourished, so you feel better, you have more energy, and you are more likely to feel compelled to move your body the way nature intended. Simple.<\/p>\n
I will eat better!
\nWhole food = eating better. Done and done.<\/p>\n
I will be more environmentally conscious!
\nWhole food, especially if it\u2019s locally produced and\/or organic, is much kinder and less invasive to the environment than packaged food churned out in a factory and packaged up in lots of cardboard and plastic.<\/p>\n
I will cook for my family more often!
\nYou can eat a lot of whole food raw, like fruits and vegetables, but you’ll likely want to cook some of it, especially in the chilly weather. Roast meat, boil and mash potatoes, steam veggies, stew fruit or bake it into pies. You don\u2019t have to spend hours every day. Cook on the weekends and store foods for the week, or just whip up simple things during the week\u2014a big salad, turkey soup, rice and peas. It doesn\u2019t take long to throw a few potatoes in the microwave and broil a couple of steaks. The more you do it, the better you\u2019ll get at it, and it really can be fun. Consider it your new hobby (you were thinking of adding, Start a new hobby to your list, weren\u2019t you?).<\/p>\n
I will spend more time with my family!
\nEating dinner at the table with your family is one of the nicest ways to bond. Even if the teenagers complain, all you have to do is say, \u201cNo, Junior, you are not eating your dinner in your bedroom while playing that video game. Your mother needs to be able to look you in the eye for at least 15 minutes per day to make sure your brain isn\u2019t fried.\u201d Meanwhile, teenagers are always hungry because it\u2019s exhausting battling all those virtual aliens and doing homework and friending people on Facebook, so they might even gulp down the vegetables. It\u2019s win-win.<\/p>\n
I will stop ordering pizza and eating fast food!
\nThe more you gain a taste for real, whole food, the more the taste of cheap fast food loses its appeal. Sure, we all order a pizza every now and again, but it\u2019s what you do most of the time that counts.<\/p>\n
I will save more money!
\nWhole food is cheaper. They say it\u2019s not, but it is. Fresh veggies and fruits are cheap in season and frozen veggies from the off season can still be your friends. Whole poultry and roasts are cheaper than pre-made frozen dinners when you figure how much meat you get for your dollar. Buy staples in bulk. Rice, beans, nuts and seeds, oatmeal, flour, even special treats like local honey and maple syrup and almond butter\u2014the bulk bins are bargain central.<\/p>\n
I will enjoy life more!
\nWhen you\u2019re feeling better, losing weight, exercising more, eating better, and spending more time with your family, not to mention saving money, how can you not enjoy life more?<\/p>\n
I will be better about helping others!
\nFeeding your family whole food is a great way to help others. Buying local, organic, and\/or fair trade products helps others in ways you might never even consider. It\u2019s a ripple effect.<\/p>\n
I will be a better person!
\nDefine better: Happier? Nicer? Healthier? If that\u2019s what better is, then sure. Whole food will do you right.<\/p>\n
So there you have it: One resolution. You can do that, right? Just the one. It\u2019s all you need, and it can and will transform you if you let it. Whole food is that powerful.<\/p>\n
Best of all, you can really stick to this one. It\u2019s reasonable and realistic. Let\u2019s do it together. We\u2019re going to have a great year. I can already tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Eve Adamson It usually goes something like this \u2022 I will lose 20 pounds! \u2022 I will finally get in shape! \u2022 I will eat better! \u2022 I will be more environmentally conscious! \u2022 I will cook for my family more often! \u2022 I will spend more time with my family! \u2022 I will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes"],"yoast_head":"\n