Welcome back to the last step of New Year, New Me. We’ve gone over workout attire, workout ideas, and exercise routines. But what about diet?

Well, your diet should consist of these components show in the graph below:

Now, I’m not a nutritionist, so I can’t tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat, but I do think this can be sometimes a hard diet to stick to. But the secret is, you don’t have to stay on this diet of only “healthy foods.” Eating healthy can have a balance between healthy foods and “unhealthy” ones as well.

But ultimately, eating healthy most of the time is the best option to staying healthy, so to help you have some ideas of what you can eat to stay fit, here’s some meals and snack ideas that are easy and simple.

Breakfast

Chia pudding
Chia pudding is high in protein and fiber and keeps you full and satisfied for the day, which is perfect for breakfast. You can keep them in jars in the fridge and have them ready for the week. You can add toppings like honey, fruit, and nut butters for a yummy and healthy start to the day.

Eggs and toast
This combo provides both carbohydrates and protein. It’s filling, easy, and a great way to start the morning. You can add toppings like hot sauce or “everything but the bagel” seasoning. You can pair this combo with some healthy turkey bacon, too.

Yogurt bowl
Yogurts are filled with protein and have nutrients for maintaining bone health. Yogurt also comes diary free for the lactose intolerant people (I didn’t forget you guys!). You can top this with berries, granola, honey, nut butter, etc.

Oatmeal
Oatmeal is great because it’s gluten free and is an amazing source of vitamins. You can make oats into cookies, hot oatmeal, cold overnight oats, or you can even make pancakes. You can never go wrong with oats for breakfast.

Lunch
Turkey burger lettuce raps
Turkey is a lean meat, which is good for staying fit. Swap out your bread for two slices of crunchy lettuce. It balances out the savory taste with the refreshing green from the lettuce.

Fresh Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are made from thin rice paper wrappers made from flour and water. They are filed with a combination of pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and cabbage. They are great for a light lunch! These refreshing rolls will make you feel strong and very heathy. You can enjoy them with the sauce of your choice.

Avocado Toast
“Avo toast” has lots of unsaturated fats and a good amount of fiber. Pair this with aa fried egg on top for some protein to keep you full, or put some toppings like pickled onions, known to go ideally with this meal.

Dinner

Salmon and veggies
This is probably the best dinner you can have. It has protein, fiber, and nutrients that keep you full for the night. Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or even a salad would be perfect to pair with this meal.

Veggie soups
Want something light, but filling? Veggie soups are your best friend. All you do is put your favorite veggies in a pot with some water and seasoning, blend it up, and there you go. Some of my favorite soups are zucchini, tomato, cauliflower, and artichoke. Give them a try!

Sushi
Sushi rolls are terrific for a night in when you don’t feel like cooking. Try to stay away from ones that are fried, because that basically takes the healthy factor away from it.

Snacks

Chocolate Covered dates
This is a super tasty treat, and it’s healthy! All you need are dates, chocolate chips melted, and nut butter. These small treats are great for a desert after dinner, or for when your sweet tooth is craving something sugary, but healthy.

Smoothies
You can never go wrong with a smoothie. Filled with fruits and veggies (yes, veggies too), these are perfect for after working out. You can add protein powder and a nut butters to for an extra health boost to your drink.

Sweet potato fries
I know those McDonald’s fries are delicious, but forget them and try sweet potato fries. Sweet potato is healthful for your skin and has loads of vitamin A, which keeps your immune system healthy as well. Switch from an oil fryer to an air fryer or oven cook these and for the perfect afternoon snack or appetizer!

Chocolate bananas
Basically, all these are are bananas dipped in dark chocolate; that’s it. They’re a delicious alternative for regular ice cream, so try these out.

Hummus and veggies
Hummus is a powerful source of plant-based protein, the genuinely healthy “chips and dip.” You can dip carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and other veggies of your choice.

So, those are some of the variety of meals and snacks you can make that are healthy and easy to make. If you want the recipes to make any of these, you can find a variety of them online or on the influential app TikTok, which is where I got the idea for this series. Just head over to your local grocery store to search for ingredients.

Well, that’s all the tips and steps I have for you for this fitness/health series. I hope you learned new and helpful things to be on your way to a new and improved you this 2022.

Good luck besties!