A New Year Means New Kinds of Nutrition Goals

As we say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023, nutrition goals seem to be a staple in goal-making across America. Social media is all a-buzz with advertisements to stick to create a new you this year by shedding pounds and getting ripped. And, to be fair, the arrival of a new year can give a powerful signal to evaluate your priorities and address your health. But this year, choose to ditch the old notions of nutrition goal-setting and instead focus on pursuing nutrition that supports whole body health in a more holistic way.

Outdated Goal-Setting

The old strategy for setting nutrition goals focuses what's wrong with you that requires fixing. These kinds of goals stem from a place of fear and scarcity that tells you the person you are today is not enough, and you need to be better.

Concretely, these kinds of goals look like telling yourself you need to lose that baby weight, stop eating processed grains and sugars, drink more water so you feel fuller and eat less, and exercise more often to get in shape.

Spoiler: these outdated nutrition goals serve no one, and they only hurt you. These kinds of goals reinforce a narrative that you are lacking and in order to be worthy of self love, you need to be something different.

New Goal-Setting

That's not to say you can't desire change. But the new kind of goal-setting will encourage you to desire change from a place of belief and abundance. You have always been enough, and changing anything about you does not make you better. It makes you different. And that's okay! You are a different person now than you were at 16, and you were different then than you were at seven. We are always changing and morphing.

So this year is your chance to look inward--not at what you want to fix--at what you want to become. Decide what brings you joy, happiness, beauty, inspiration.

Ask yourself: if nothing about me needs to change, what sounds like a fun ride this year?

Here are some nutrition goals that can easily support this way of thinking. But remember, if you feel yourself sliding into, "Yeah, I should be doing that," drop it immediately. That's not yours to fix right now. Beginning from that "should" feeling (which is just shame in action) will lead to old goal-setting, and we're ditching that for good.

You should be you. Right now. That is enough. Goals are just for fun. What kind of year do you want to have?

Nutrition Goals for 2023

I will listen to my body. I will eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I will enjoy food and use it for pleasure and celebration. I will also use it to nurture my body.

I will honor my need for fresh fruits and vegetables.

I will respond to cravings for more protein, carbohydrates, or fats and get curious about why my body needed that.

I will respond to my thirst, and I may support this goal by keeping a water bottle handy.

I will rest frequently.

I will move my body in a way that helps me feel strong, playful, and/or sensual.

Happy New Year!

Feel free to add your own. But check in with your body to determine if you feel self-love and abundance or scarcity and shame. Here's to nutrition goals that bring you closer to your authentic self.

You got this!