Sometimes the month-long holiday season seems like the perfect set-up for making New Year’s resolutions that emphasize the word “no.”

There’s something about January that makes us want to re-group and renew. It might be motivational to put strict food rules in place, but this kind of thinking can make food seem like the enemy. I’m not a big fan of resolutions that focus on negatives. Food should be your ally on the path to health and well-being.

I prefer New Year’s resolutions that focus on foods to include. For example, my list of resolutions for 2018 included “eat protein for breakfast.” When I needed a simple weekend protein rich breakfast, I made tofu scramble with veggies. Tofu is an easy solution for high-protein, high calcium breakfast. For 2019, I have another goal in mind. If you’re looking for resolutions you can stick to long-term, that promote health and help with weight control, you can’t go wrong with a goal of eating more plant foods. Research points to multiple health benefits of plant-based diets, from lower risk for heart disease and diabetes to easier weight management.

Some people may be put off because they think a plant-based diet equals never eating meat…….Find out if this is true by joining our dietitian, Jenifer Tharani, MS RD for this free workshop, plus recipe demos of quick, simple, no cook recipes.

List of topics to be covered include:

 - What is a plant based diet and why you should consider eating more plants?

 - Making the transition to a plant based diet

 - Tips on stocking a plant based pantry

 - Key nutrients to think about when adopting a plant based diet

 - Five “SMART” New Year’s resolutions that involve boosting the amount of plant foods you eat