With the New Year fast approaching, people are scrambling to get their ducks in a row and figure out their resolutions or goals for 2020. This can be a daunting task, especially when you are neck-deep in the holiday craze. The anxiety that comes with the holidays can sometimes linger around until February or March, and that’s no way to begin the year.

Some people have the desire to quit smoking, stop drinking, dedicate more time for self-care, or to begin meditating, but the primary resolutions remain the same: eat healthy and exercise more often. The blank canvas that is the New Year gives people an opportunity to write the next chapter in their lives, but what are the best ways to ensure that this year’s resolutions actually stick?

People go hard in the paint during the first couple weeks and often burn themselves out, deterring them from sticking with the resolutions they wanted to fulfill. Start slow and set goals that are attainable. You don’t want to set the bar too low; rather, the goals should be challenging but not so far out of reach that they seem impossible. Finally, taking control of your health means that you need to put yourself first on occasion. It’s perfectly normal to be selfish about your health because that means that you are taking it seriously.

Start Small

As you set sail toward your New Year’s resolutions, start small and build on what you accomplish. If your goal is to exercise more frequently, don’t make the unrealistic resolution to hit the gym seven days a week. Not only will this deter you from going to the gym, but it also doesn’t give you enough time to recover between workouts. Exercise for three days a week for an hour per workout to start, and then add more days when you want more of a challenge.

Plan Ahead

You can employ this tip starting now and utilize it throughout the year. It’s never a bad idea to plan, no matter what your resolution is. Statistically, only 8% of people stick to their resolutions, while the remaining 92% abandon them within the first month of the year. Write out your plan and experiment with variations of that plan to figure out which works best for you. If you want to eliminate meat, start out with Meatless Mondays before cutting meats and poultry out of your diet completely. Update your plan by researching plant-based recipes and eating at vegan restaurants to see what you can create with healthier foods.

Rest And Recovery

Whether you are trying to become a fitness god, get a new job, finish a book, or maintain a consistent eating schedule, rest and recovery always factor into reaching your goals. Without proper rest, the body cannot properly recover, thereby decreasing energy levels, influencing poor eating habits, and increasing stress hormones. Aim to get seven or eight hours of sleep each night and mix in some sort of mindfulness practice, like meditation or yoga, once a week to help you reset.

Ask For Support

You will undoubtedly encounter moments when you feel like giving up. You may not be able to summon the strength to write a page in your novel or head to the gym, but don’t stress out because of this. Accept that things don’t always go as planned, but the backup plan to this is to have a healthy support system. Be it a therapist, a group of friends, or a support group, talking to people about your strategies and goals can motivate you to get out of the slump you’re in. These people may also be able to help you identify weaknesses and point out areas in which you thrive, helping you to rethink your approach to slaying your resolutions.

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Have you been trying to incorporate more plant-based meals in your diet, but are having difficulty creating recipes? It can be a little daunting to navigate unfamiliar territory because you may not know exactly what you can and cannot use. Rather than driving yourself crazy and immediately converting to a plant-based diet, transition into it slowly, so as not to overwhelm yourself.

Meatless Mondays are a great way to start your plant-based lifestyle. We want to help you on your quest to be a healthier individual, and your goal to make the planet last longer, so we have provided you with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert options to start your Meatless Mondays. If you want to go meatless for more than one day a week, go for it! If you have a favorite meatless recipe, let us know about it in the comments.

Breakfast

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, so start it off in a plant-based way! Start things out on the right foot and go with one of these three easy, simple choices.

Raw Cashew Yogurt Parfait

Don’t want to drink a smoothie for breakfast? You don’t have to! Make this parfait for a filling breakfast. Don’t be shy with the toppings, either!

Click here to make the recipe.

Banana Almond Overnight Oats

Don’t have time to make breakfast during your busy mornings? You can have an easy grab-and-go breakfast by making this the night before.

Click here to make the recipe.

The Popeye Special Green Smoothie

Remember how Popeye ate spinach and was immediately energized and strong? That could be you immediately after you drink this green smoothie!

Click here to make the recipe.

Lunch

We love to eat big salads for lunch and go a little lighter for dinner. That is beneficial for your digestive system. Here are some hearty salads that have unique flavor and will become some household favorites.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad With A Thai-Inspired Dressing

Get your crunch on with this Thai-inspired salad! It’s the perfect low-calorie meal that is filled with a wide variety of antioxidants.

Click here to make the recipe.

Raw Mock “Chicken” Salad

We don’t want to lead you astray and make you think that this tastes like chicken, because it doesn’t. When you mix it together with the vegetables, however, it does have a similar texture to chicken salad. The important thing is that the flavors are bold and it is a great recipe to keep you from eating meat.

Click here to make the recipe.

Lemony Kale Salad With Chickpeas

Add a little zest to your life with this vibrant salad that is filled with heart-healthy fats, vitamin K, and lots of plant-based protein.

Click here to make the recipe.

Dinner

Breakfast and lunch are typically the easier meals to go plant-based. When dinner rolls around, people seem to start craving some animal-based food items. You don’t need to crave those things because we have these super easy dinner ideas.

Crispy Chickpea Tacos With A Tahini Dressing

Get ready to experience some powerful flavors! With some tangy notes and hints of spice, these chickpea tacos are perfect for dinner!

Click here to make the recipe.

Moroccan Sweet Potato And Lentil Soup

Let this Moroccan soup warm your soul during the cold weather. It’s one of the easiest meals you’ll ever make in the slow cooker.

Click here to make the recipe.

Vegetable Kebabs With A Balsamic Glaze

The balsamic glaze is going to elevate your vegetable kebabs to another level. Fire up the grill and get to cooking!

Click here to make the recipe.

Dessert

You didn’t think we would leave you with no dessert recipes, did you? There are great plant-based desserts that are very easy to make. Try some of these and let us know how you like them.

3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies

Sink your teeth into these cookies that you can enjoy guilt free! They are best fresh out of the oven, but you can always eat them later.

Click here to make the recipe.

Banana Mango Pudding

Whether you are looking for a sweet mid-afternoon snack or a guilt-free dessert, this banana mango pudding is the recipe you need.

Click here to make the recipe.

2-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

This is the perfect guilt-free treat for warm summer days. No ice cream machine needed and it’s ready in under 5 minutes!

Click here to make the recipe.

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When it comes to starting a new diet, people are always worried about the cost. Will it cost me more money to eat healthy? Unless you are only buying the rarest fruits and vegetables known to man, you won’t break the bank when you become a vegan or vegetarian. Let’s say that it costs the same as your regular diet, or slightly more. Would you spend a few extra dollars on groceries to ensure a healthier body and future? Would you rather spend a little less on unhealthy groceries and more on hospital expenses later in life? That is the real question when it comes to dietary changes.

The recommended daily intake (RDI) of nutrients you are supposed to have is based on a 2,000-calorie per day diet. This model suggests 2 cups of fruit, 2.5 cups of vegetables, and at least 3 ounces of whole grains every day. On average, Americans consume about half or less than half of those servings. Most Americans are focused on getting too much protein and often leave healthy foods by the wayside. The kicker is that animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy can cost a lot more than fresh fruits and vegetables!

Here are some statistics about the Standard American Diet (SAD):

• The SAD has led to increased rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.
• Calories consumed have increased, not decreased.
• Complex carbohydrates in plants have been replaced by refined flours and simple sugars.
• Healthy fats in plant-based foods have been replaced with trans fats and oils.
• The percentage that you reduce your risk of heart disease by eliminating eggs, meat, and dairy products from your diet is over 90%.
• Women who eat meat are 4 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who don’t eat meat.
• The average risk of heart attack for American vegetarians is less than 4%.

Is Going Plant-Based Expensive?

If you buy faux meat, produce, or packaged food that traveled half way across the globe to get to your local supermarket, chances are it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Instead, it serves you better to buy produce that is in season. Buying seasonal produce not only means that it will be less expensive, but it also means that it is the freshest produce. For example, peaches are in season during the summer months. If you try to buy them in the winter, they will be much more expensive, as they are not readily available.

Food Waste

Americans are experts at wasting food. One of the best ways to save money and waste less food is to actually eat the food you buy. When you buy fresh produce, you have to learn how to store it so that it can last long. For example, a bunch of kale will last longer if you wrap it in damp paper towels, as opposed to suffocating it in a plastic bag in a drawer in your fridge. Additionally, you may buy a bag of spinach and it starts to wilt before you use it all. Try blending it in your smoothies, sautéing it with veggies, adding it to pasta sauces, or using it as a salad base to ensure that you eat the entire bag.

When you go plant-based, you can also save on the cost of medication, provided you are taking it. We aren’t saying that vegetarians get deals on medication. No, no, no. We are saying that eating a healthy plant-based diet can help get you off medication, which means you won’t need to spend money on it anymore. There are all kinds of ways to save on a plant-based diet, so try it out, or start small by doing meatless Mondays.

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New York City has the country’s largest public school system, and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently dictated that Meatless Mondays will be put into effect in the fall of 2019. Kids in public schools will eat vegetarian only lunches on Mondays with the hopes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving child health. Will the new menu make kids healthier, though?

There is no denying that child obesity rates have grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Climbing obesity rates can be attributed to increased consumption of processed foods, hormone and antibiotic-filled meats and dairy, and refined carbs and sugars. There has not been a lot of focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain essential nutrients that the body needs to function correctly.

De Blasio has argued that Meatless Mondays will improve the health of students in the 1,800 plus public schools in New York City. Consuming a vegetarian diet, however, only has its benefits if the foods that are being consumed are indeed healthy. An early peak at Meatless Monday menu items doesn’t show a healthy future, though. Mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and grilled cheese sandwiches are on the menu. While these are typical kids menu items, Meatless Mondays don’t seem that healthy if those will be the vegetarian options.

According to several studies in different schools, the Meatless Monday concept resulted in more food waste and noncompliance. A few studies revealed 40% more food waste on vegetarian days. Because kids are picky eaters, it can be hard to introduce healthier, vegetarian options. It may be more advantageous to start gardening programs and nutrition classes for kids to understand what a healthy diet consists of. We aren’t saying that the average first grader is going to choose kale over a grilled cheese, but learning about food is never a bad idea.

De Blasio’s idea of instituting Meatless Mondays is not a bad idea, considering 65% of American children between the ages of 12-14 show signs of early cholesterol disease. Is it a solution to the growing child obesity epidemic? Not likely. A better first step might be to eliminate things like mozzarella sticks, fries, grilled cheeses, and onion rings, and replace those with healthier options. Simply cutting meat out is not going to magically make kids healthier. Vegetarians can eat unhealthily too.

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We have said many times that waiting until you are sick or unhealthy to make changes in your life is not the way to live. It is best to try and live a healthier lifestyle in order to prevent yourself from becoming sick. Could people live healthier lives, free of medications, if they ate healthy, plant-based diets? Would the world be a better place if people stopped consuming factory-farmed meat, dairy, poultry, and eggs? These are a couple questions that the documentary, What the Health, focuses on.

In this documentary, Kip Anderson attempts to inform people about the dangers of eating meat. This isn’t Anderson’s first outing in this field, though. His previous film, Cowspiracy, showcased how eating animal products negatively harms the environment. He sort of picks up where he left off, but pries companies like the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the American Cancer Society (ACS) to figure out how they can recommend meals that contain animal products, when animal products are causing the diseases they are attempting to fight.

Anderson presents a lot of research that points to the dangers of an animal-based diet and backs it up with doctoral interviews. Using various information from different studies, Anderson works to point out the fact that companies like the ADA, ACS, and AHA suggest to eat animal products on their websites because they receive funding from fast food industries, meat companies, and dairy industry tycoons, among others. This speaks to Anderson’s theory that the government is trying to make you sick.

One of our favorite pieces of information in the documentary is that type 2 diabetes is not caused by eating sugar and carbs. Type 2 diabetes is caused by eating unhealthy fatty foods that make it hard for your body to regulate blood sugar. And they make the clarification that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, manifesting differently than type 2.

What is the takeaway from What the Health? It basically says that the solution to a healthy body, environment, and future is going vegan, but it does not explain how to transition into a plant-based diet and lifestyle. Not everyone knows what foods to buy or what to make. You can eat plant-based and still be unhealthy. You could only eat French fries, baked potatoes, carrots, and tons of processed foods and still consider yourself a vegan. This movie will definitely get you interested in learning more about plant-based diets, but we hope our readers will do research before jumping “all in” to a vegan or vegetarian diet. Here are some tips to help you transition into a healthier diet.

One of the easiest things you can do to start a transition is to adopt a “Meatless Monday” ritual. Focus on eating nothing but fruits, vegetables, and legumes that day. You can also try to do half the week without meat or animal products and see the difference in how good your body feels when those things aren’t in your daily diet.

You don’t need meat, dairy, or eggs to get protein. The protein you get from animals is essentially recycled. Go straight for the source by eating leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans, and sprouts. Check out our article about plant-based protein sources here.

Try participating in the Full Body Cleanse. It is a dramatic change from what most people are used to, but it can show you how different fruits and vegetables benefit your body. When you are feeling better, it makes you want to continue on a healthier path. Just remember one thing: Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

All in all, we do recommend watching this documentary because it does give you a chance to see behind the smoke and mirrors and get a feel for exactly where some of our so-called food supply comes from.

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One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to get fit or lose weight. Both of these involve making a healthy, dietary intervention to help you on your way. What most people don’t think about, however, are the little things you can do to have a positive, healthy impact on your life.

The best way you can tackle a healthy New Year’s resolution is to write out a list of things to adopt into your life. If you want to eat less meat, try devoting a day or two out of the week when you don’t eat meat. We’ve assembled a list of things you can do to really turn your life around. You don’t have to incorporate all of these into your life, but try following a few for a healthy start to the New Year.

1. Leave the previous day behind and begin every day anew. Start it off with a fresh fruit smoothie for a healthy start.
2. Adopt a “meatless Monday” mentality to focus on other ways to get protein from plant-based sources.
3. Put away your phone when you’re out with friends. Engage with them face to face.
4. The 2/30 rule is a great way to reach your fitness goals. For every 2 hours of television, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, or movies, you need 30 minutes of exercise.
5. Cut back on sugars. This is a big one! It isn’t the easiest thing to do, but check out our article on the best ways to do so.
6. Drink more water! You should drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you weigh 150lbs and divide that by two to get 75, you should be drinking 75oz. of water.
7. Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach. This isn’t beneficial for your health or your wallet. You buy unhealthy items that you don’t need. Make a list and go after a meal.
8. Eat whole foods as much as possible. Try to avoid processed foods and focus your attention on plant-based foods or healthy snacks like trail mix or cut up fruit.
9. Don’t miss out on sleep. You should try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night because sleep is the body’s natural way of regenerating.
10. Get your stress under control. This is going to help keep you healthy by decreasing your cravings, relaxing your muscles, and contributing to better sleep.

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