We’re all about 2 weeks into our New Year’s resolutions, right?  They’re the usual eat healthier, exercise more, drink less, yada yada yada.  Each year I try not to have the same resolutions as the year before, and sometimes I try to not to have any at all- it’s just so cliche.  But, this year, I really do need them.  As is too common, I do need a reset.  In fact, my whole family does.  Although, overall, we eat a pretty healthful, balanced diet, we’ve gotten into some bad habits lately and need to get out of them.  We do need to eat healthier.  We do need to exercise more.  My husband and I do need to drink less…or maybe just eat healthier and exercise more, let’s not go overboard.

One of the best (and easiest) ways to make the adjustment to healthier eating is to start with your first meal of the day:  breakfast.  It’s often an overlooked meal, but really is the most important one.  It starts you off and lays the foundation to how your day will go.  It has the ability to alter your mood, energy level, and therefore attitude and eating habits for the rest of the day.  If you eat a nutritious, satisfying breakfast, you’re less likely to grab that unhealthy midmorning snack.  You’re also less likely to experience the midmorning slump, which can then lead to poor lunch choices.  When we feel sluggish we tend to want comfort food:  salty, fatty, empty carbohydrates.   But if we feel satisfied in the morning, if we feel energized and good about ourselves, we want to keep that feeling going and end up making healthier choices throughout the day.