7 Simple Ways to Be Happier and Healthier in the New Year

We all know eating right is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. But with diet trends more volatile than our stock market, it is hard to determine what is actually right when you are ready to make a change.

There is the diet where you get to eat bacon every meal. Pure heaven for me! There is the diet where you just drink sugary juices to cleanse. I personally think dentist lobbyists are behind this one. Heck, there is even a breatharian diet, which has you not consuming any food and getting your nutrients from the sun instead. Is this just a new way to say anorexia?

Choosing a diet is almost like Russian roulette. The diet you choose today could be the demise of you tomorrow. With all this pressure, it is easier not to choose anything at all — keeping you in the exact same state you desired to move away from in the first place.

So rather than choose a diet, it’s much better to choose a lifestyle of eating natural and organic whole foods. By eating whole foods, you will get as many nutrients as possible and optimize your overall health. When your body is operating in its prime you will have more energy to live your life to the fullest.

Here are seven simple ways for you to build and maintain a wholesome diet that will support you in living your best life.

1. Educate yourself online.

Know what you are consuming and how to make choices that support your goal of health and wellness with these reliable resources.

• Beyond Diet–The most comprehensive and holistic approach to creating a healthy lifestyle through recipes, meal plans, shopping lists, workout videos, coaching, tracking tools, and even a community to support you in the changes.
• Tee Major Fitness–The Kaizen Clean Eating Program breaks down the essentials of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, making them easier to understand, while also providing healthy meal plans to reduce the changes to bite-size goals you can accomplish. There are also fitness programs to support you.
• Food Babe–A blog with investigative work on the health of the most popular chain restaurants and products you consume. You’ll be both shocked by what you learn and inspired to make changes immediately.

2. Have whole foods delivered straight to your doorstep.

Save yourself time by getting organic food to prepare yourself.

• Sun Basket–Organic, non-GMO pre-measured meals you can cook in 30 minutes. Built on strong values which you can taste in every bite. Currently, delivery is on the West Coast only, but it will be expanding soon.
• Thrive Market–Delivers healthy food and products to your door at wholesale prices. Think the Costco of Whole Foods with home delivery.

3. Make whole foods at home.

There is just something about wholesome food made at home with love.

• Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward–Over 100 easy, healthy, and delicious plant-based, gluten-free recipes.
• The Art of Eating Well by Hemsley and Hemsley–165 mouthwatering and nutrient-rich recipes, which are free from grain, gluten, and refined sugar.

4. Go back to the basics.

To get even closer to the origin of our foods, you can order products directly from a farm or grow them yourself.

• Rent Mother Nature–Lease a part of nature to deliver farm-fresh harvests from sustainable sources to your door, including cheese from a cow in Vermont, honey from a beehive in Maine, and oysters from the pristine waters of Washington’s Puget Sound.
• Back to the Roots–Kits with everything you need to grow fresh food right at home. So easy that I could even figure it out! This from someone who has a tendency to kill plastic plants.

5. Eat healthy when you are out and about.

Look for companies that believe in value of whole foods or be sure to bring your own.

• Great Harvest Bread Company–This franchise uses only the highest-quality ingredients for their breads and ever expanding menu — including sandwiches, paninis, and quinoa bowls.
• Fresh Healthy Cafe–Revolutionizing the fast-food industry by providing fresh food with high nutrients in their smoothies, juices, wraps, and protein bowls.

6. Use natural skincare products.

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.

• Saavy–These all-natural beauty care products make your skin absolutely radiant.
• The Honest Co.–Natural family and household products designed to be safe enough for precious babies while still being effective.

7. Support yourself in the lifestyle change.

When going through any change, it is important to build the appropriate support system for yourself.

• iWish Life Goals–An app that assists you in determining your goals and keeps you inspired to make them happen.
• Passion Planner–A journal and calendar wrapped into one that supports you in diving deeper into who you are to support the changes you want to make.
• Intently–An innovative site on which you create vision boards to support you in creating the life you want to live. The unique aspect I love is that Intently replaces all your pop-up ads with inspirational messages to support you in manifesting your dreams!

Living a healthy lifestyle can be easier with inspirational and supportive products and programs like these, which are available to us all. The first step comes from you. You need to make the commitment you want to change. Then take one small step every day in the direction of your goals. Before you know it, you’ll be celebrating your accomplishments with all the extra energy!

For more ideas and inspiration to create your best life follow me on Twitter.