New Year's Nutrition

Whether or not New Year's resolutions are your thing, it's only natural that after a few weeks of holiday indulging you might find yourself really craving a lifestyle reset and, like we’re always saying, good food changes everything—so don't forget that cutting down on indulgences doesn't mean you should cut down on nutrition. Your body and brain will always benefit from a broad nutritional profile featuring all kinds of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fibre, healthy fats… We’ve broken this down into some of the key foods that will support you in three of the most important elements that can help create a balanced and happy life: regular exercise, a focussed mind, and a good night’s sleep.

Nutrition to help get you moving

All the rainy weather combined with these shorter, darker days, can make it feel pretty tough to think about the fact that it’s good to get the blood flowing.  But fuelling up on good food can help! If your body is going to be working, it needs energy, and the most basic energy blocks for exercise are carbohydrates and protein. When eating carbohydrates, it is important to eat complex carbs from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes, which provide fibre, vitamins, and minerals in addition to energy. After all the available carbs have been used up your body uses protein. From high quality grass-fed meats to eggs to nuts, there are many different ways to fit protein into any kind of diet, and if you’re going to be spending some time sweating it’s extra important to have a good handle on at least one consistent and substantial protein source.

Nutrition to help you stay focussed

The end of the year often (though we know not always!) means projects get wrapped up, or a least put on hiatus. January can be an exciting opportunity to launch brand new projects or return to those in progress with renewed vigour. It’s important to remember though that taking a break from work for a healthy meal or snack will make you work much more efficiently in the long run.  Leafy greens like kale are packed full of the B-vitamins that can help with memory and focus, while regularly incorporating blueberries, cranberries, green teas, dark chocolates and similar foods into your day will keep antioxidant charged blood flowing to your brain.  Make sure your fatty acids stay topped up by incorporating fatty fish, omega rich vegan oils like flax, and, of course, everyone's favourite: avocados.

Nutrition to help keep you rested

It's one of life's little—or sometimes not so little—frustrations that you can spend your whole day wishing you had more energy and yet still find it difficult to sleep at night. Many of us rely on caffeine to get the focus we need for working through the daily to-dos, but it's really important to take note of when it might start to hinder overall, rather than help. Everyone's reaction to stimulants, whether in espresso or matcha, is a little different; try to be aware of how long it takes your body to process them. Some of us can have a cup of coffee at 10pm and nod off half an hour later, others... not so much. The classic safe bet for an evening sip is chamomile tea, both for its lack of caffeine and for its reputed nerve-soothing and sedative qualities. When it comes to sleep, your brain is basically working with melatonin and serotonin, so foods with nutrients that interact with those chemicals are likely to impact your rest. Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps you make serotonin and melatonin. Walnuts are great source of tryptophan, and also contain their own melatonin, and tart cherries can also naturally boost levels of melatonin. Kiwis actually contain serotonin! More generally speaking, vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium all help your body create melatonin, so try having tuna or turkey for dinner for their high levels of B6. Vegetarian B6 sources include pistachio nuts, avocados, and pinto beans. Spinach, chard, almonds and yogurt are all high in magnesium, and you can get your calcium from not only dairy, but kale, edamame, figs, oranges... there are all kinds of tasty ways to help yourself have sweet dreams.