New Year Same You Only Better

January 4, 2023

The old idea of eating bad for two months and then binge dieting in January is so last year. We now realize that honoring ourselves and our body is a way to reduce negative health outcomes and helps you increase your functional longevity. What is the point of living forever if you don’t have the cognitive functioning to make decisions or the physical ability to go to the bathroom on our own? Simply, that is my motivation for following the science related to the food is medicine research. I have made a choice to try each day to follow McGregors Daily Dozen and if you haven’t downloaded the app please do as I think it is a road map that shows what is important and gives you a clear path for improvement. For me it helps me realize where I am going wrong even during the darkest time and I promise I see the dark times because I am human and not a bullshit instagram version of the perfect life. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD and when the time change kicks in and the temperatures get cold inevitably my diet goes to shit. When my diet goes to shit so does my mental health and overall general outlook and I’m sure you recognize the downward spiral and if we are adding the alcohol of the season lord help us. This year was one of the hardest for me andI had to dig deep to figure out what I could do with small daily changes that I could dig myself out of the gutter I found myself in. Here are the steps that worked for me:

  1. Look at hydration by observing and being honest with the numbers. Get your baseline and then add 1 glass per week. Shoot for 8 glasses with an accountability system such as a pitcher or container set up to show what you’ve drank thus far. Have a midline mark that you should achieve by lunch. If you wait to drink all later you will be up all night.
  2. Work out. Whatever work out is for you do it even when you don’t feel like it. You need the after effects and schedule your work out like your work day.
  3. Diet/Diet/Diet- time change and colder weather had me not wanting smoothies and that was a huge hit to my overall intake in the healthy categories. Our breakfast bar was created as a way for me to eat something on the run that offered some benefits in the daily dozen categories. I also added instant oatmeal with frozen blueberries for breakfast which also lets you tick the boxes. Throw greens in everything even if you think its weird. You will always see kale or spinach added in our dishes just to help achieve the greens goal. Winter food is brown. DONT EAT BROWN FOOD. There is little to no nutrients found in brown food. Look for dishes like those at Vito and Vera, with all the colors in the middle of winter because we think of what nutrients are available and make those dishes happen. We do that intentionally so that we can be happier when eating them because of their beauty but also because of the nutrients. Food is medicine.

Vito and Vera’s mission has always been to meet people wherever they are on the plant based continuum. We believe that by adding plants no matter how small can change your life. Life is not a sprint or a diet month but a lifelong journey that we find fun ways to take care of our bodies so that in later life we can function. If you are taking better care of your car then your bodies than we can help. Just try adding one dish to your diet and see if you feel better. Every small change you do will show up in a positive way. Here is to New Year and a better you in 2023.

Much Love

Chef

by Alicia Watson