I used to avoid making New Year’s resolutions as they seemed so silly and unattainable.  Exercise more, eat right, take my vitamins, etc., etc., etc.  But last New Year’s I embraced the tradition with some very specific milestones.  By breaking my wish list into baby steps, I am once again moving forward with accomplishments rather than standing frozen in my tracks from a feeling of overwhelm.  In fact, this concept has worked so well, that I now declare “New Year’s” resolutions throughout the year!  To kick start your own ideas, the following is my 2007 resolution list, all checked off:

The intimidating goal: Cut out all processed foods

The baby step goals:

• Always read the ingredient label – With my need to eat dairy-free, this was a habit I took on early in the game.  Nonetheless, consciously reading the label made me all too aware of how much garbage was in some of my regular foods and certainly deterred a pound or two.
• Banish high fructose corn syrup – As you become accustomed to reading labels, keep an eye out for this villain.  Lingering in soda pop, candy, and many processed foods, this super cheap sweetener is a mainstay for US food manufacturers.  Unfortunately, it isn’t the healthiest ingredient.  In more than a few studies, it has been directly linked to obesity. 
• Eliminate hydrogenated oils –Often seen as “partially hydrogenated ___ oil” it would take me many pages to outline the problems with these ingredients. 
• Just say no to MSG – Okay, this one can be a bit tricky, as I have been told that MSG lingers in many forms, such as yeast extract.  Nonetheless, avoiding good old monosodium glutamate is a step in the right direction.
• Eat only what you recognize – This was literally my last step in meeting my processed foods goal.  I did not opt to cut out all processed foods, but rather those with any ingredients I couldn’t readily recognize as real food. 

The intimidating goal: Eat more fruits and vegetables

The baby step goals:

• Enjoy some antioxidants – No need to down the Vitamin C, 2007 has brought forth a host of delicious antioxidant rich foods.  Commit to adding some berries, green tea, and even dark chocolate (dairy-free of course) to your daily regimen.  Okay, chocolate and tea don’t qualify as fruits and vegetables, but I had to sneak them in.
• Prepare a daily smoothie or “shake” – More of an indulgence than a duty; I embraced the concept of making a wonderful smoothie each morning.  If you have a juicer, fabulous, but if you are like me, with just a humble blender, then smoothies are the way to go.  Don’t limit your beverage to fruit either.  I sneak a cup of spinach leaves into the blender, and no one is the wiser.
• Have a salad a day – I have slacked a bit on this one during the holidays, but adding a daily salad to my diet was one of the easiest ways to pack in the veggies and fruits.  A bed of greens topped with chopped bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, sliced carrots, mushrooms, … really I could go on.  The skies the limit with salads, so just pack on whatever you can find.
• Get sneaky with convenience meals – When it comes to food, I can never leave well enough alone.  To my favorite organic chili, I always add chunks of zucchini, frozen corn, or some sliced onions.  Spaghetti is an excellent backdrop for mushrooms and spinach. “Spiking” my main dish with whatever veggies I have waiting to be used up has become second nature.

Now, I'm off to prepare my 2008 list!  Happy New Year!

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons