If you are what you eat, as the old saying goes, then one of the easiest ways to improve your health and wellbeing is to make changes to your diet. As we prepare to ring in 2026, why not resolve to make next year a healthier one, starting with your plate.
New Year is traditionally a time to make big plans which will fall apart within weeks, but small changes are more likely to stick. This year, try making a few simple tweaks to your diet by focusing on what will give you the best results.
Eat more plants
Of course, you can eat more vegetables, but by expanding this to plants you can include fruit, beans, and grains. Here are a few ideas:
Resolve to try one new plant or plant-based food every week. Simply buy a tin of beans you haven’t tried before, or pick up a new veggie or fruit during your weekly shop, then bring it home and add it to one of your regular meals.
One of my favourite tricks is to add seeds to salads and cereals. You can also toss half a cup of lentils or some beans into winter stews, bolognaise, chilli, and most sauce-based dishes.
If you already eat lots of plants, including a morning smoothie, try adding a little spinach to your usual fruit concoction – you won’t notice the difference. Similarly, try adding a portion of fruit – and/or nuts or seeds – to your morning cereal.
Pressed for time? Remember that frozen vegetables also count towards your five a day, and can easily be added to carrots or similar during cooking.
Probably the simplest way to add more plants to your diet is make more of what you’re already eating – just make the veggies a larger portion of your meal. For example, you can add extra lettuce and tomato to your lunchtime sandwich, or have a double portion of veggies with your evening meal.
Eat cleaner
Clean eating works best when it feels supportive, not restrictive. Instead of focusing on eating less processed food, see where you can easily replace processed with a fresh or frozen alternative. For example, try replacing sugary drinks with water, or a mix of fruit juice and sparkling water.
Try to enjoy home cooked foods as often as possible, and when you have to rely on frozen or processed, try to ensure that at least part of your meal is fresh. If your dinner is from the freezer or microwave, try adding a side salad.
One of the easiest ways to eat cleaner is to get in the habit of reading the ingredients on food packaging – ideally, you should be aiming for foods with shorter ingredients lists. This one habit will see you make healthier choices in the long run, as you become familiar with the wide array of additives in your food.
Add more protein
Protein will help you to feel fuller for longer, improves focus, and is an essential part of a healthy diet.
More protein doesn’t have to mean more meat – you can up your protein intake by having a glass of milk with your dinner, or adding lentils or other high-protein plant foods to your regular meals. Beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, hummus, and whole grains are all high in plant-based protein.
Simple substitutions can help when increasing protein in your diet – try having peanut butter on toast instead of jam or marmalade, or treat yourself to a packet of nuts instead of crisps.
Focus on gut health
One of the easiest ways to feel better is to improve your gut health – this means eating foods that support your gut, and avoiding foods that cause bloating or other issues.
Many of the foods already mentioned – fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains – will help to support your gut health. For best results, try to eat a rainbow – include as many colourful plants as possible in your diet.
The trick is to eat more fibre, and plant based foods are all rich in fibre. However, increase your fibre intake gradually if you want to avoid bloating.
Drinking more water will also help to keep your gut in good shape – aim for at least 2l of water a day.
Fermented, or prebiotic, foods will help to improve your gut bacteria. Try having a live yoghurt in the morning, or adding a little sauerkraut, kimchi or similar to your meals.
Probiotic foods will also feed your gut bacteria, ensuring they can do their job properly. Probiotic foods include bananas, porridge, beans, garlic, onions and asparagus.
You should also try to avoid foods that irritate your gut – these can be specific to you, but will almost definitely include foods high in sugar and/or grease, and large amounts of caffeine.
