New Year, Same You

As the year draws to a close, many of us pause to reflect on the past months. I tend to be quite a reflective person in general, but these quieter days of Christmas and the New Year do allow for a deeper breath and a bit of a winded feeling: I can't believe another 365 days have flown.

Life as a single mother, with two teenagers and one smaller child offers me a vivid daily reminder that perfection is rarely achievable. In fact, it is never achievable. Perfection doesn't exist in nutrition anyway and that might be one of the reasons I love the rich tapestry it creates. Between packed lunches, growth spurts, late nights, fighting screen addiction, early mornings, and the constant balancing act of work, house and family, there is little room for drastic change. You wouldn't think that though, given the abundance of New Year's plans for lifestyle change marketed at us. Sigh.

If you've worked with me you know I will often say that drastic changes defy the laws of physics: permanent change is arguably an achievement of creating a stable enough system. Creating drastic change involves a huge amount of energy to overcome the existing inertia - think of energy as the seductive diet world word of 'willpower' - once that energy/willpower is removed, the system naturally returns toward its prior equilibrium: where you find yourself. Yes, eating a pack of cookies a day may very well be a stable system for you to cope with work/marriage/life/you name it. Observe without judgment: from there we begin.

Change simply cannot exceed the rate at which systems can reorganise. If your life is anything like mine, you're spinning a huge amount of plates: respect it. What we want is sustainable change. Just like stable motion, it depends on gradual force applied consistently over time—small adjustments that respect inertia, minimise resistance, and allow a new equilibrium to form rather than briefly overpowering the old one. You see? Physics GCSE and reteaching it to my teenage son last year did come in useful ;-) (#neverwanttodothatagain #leastfavouritescience).

A powerful lesson from clinical practice is that supporting the body biochemically often leads to natural, organic improvements in behaviour. If you've worked with me, you'll have noticed that I often start here: it is easier to correct the biochemistry then the ingrained behaviours that require more time, emotional work and courage. Both are equally important but life's rules dictate we should put out the easier fires first.

For example, when blood sugar remains steady, cravings ease. When the gut functions well, energy improves. When inflammation decreases, motivation returns without force. This insight shifts the focus from what to cut out or restrict (diet mentality, often rooted in disordered eating) to what can be added to support health. Please rebel against those pressurising forces that present drastic change as the way to start your year: choose ONE nutrition goal for 2026 - if it goes well - I promise others will organically branch from it - just watch yourself grow.

My vote for 2026: Eat legumes three times a week.

Yum

The Nutritional Power of Legumes

Legumes include lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas. They are often overlooked in modern diets but have been staples in traditional cuisines worldwide for centuries. Their nutritional profile supports several aspects of health:

• Slow-release carbohydrates provide steady energy and help maintain balanced blood sugar levels.

• High fiber content feeds beneficial gut bacteria, promoting digestive health.

• Plant-based protein supports muscle repair and growth.

• Micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, and folate contribute to overall wellbeing.

• Compounds that support hormone regulation, including oestrogen metabolism.

  
  

When researchers pool together results from many high-quality studies, a consistent picture emerges: people who eat legumes—such as lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas—tend to have better long-term health. Large analyses have shown that higher legume intake is linked with lower rates of heart disease, particularly coronary heart disease, as well as a reduced risk of early death from any cause. Other combined studies have found benefits for blood sugar control, with people who regularly eat legumes showing better insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Meta-analyses also suggest that legumes can help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol, support healthier blood pressure, and contribute to weight stability, likely because they are rich in fibre, plant protein, and slow-digesting carbohydrates that improve fullness and metabolic health. Some analyses even link legume-rich diets with better gut health and lower inflammation, which may help explain their protective effects across so many systems in the body. While no single food is a cure-all, the weight of evidence shows that legumes act as a quiet but powerful contributor to long-term health when they can be tolerated and digested well.

Practical Ways to Add Legumes to Your Diet

Incorporating legumes doesn’t require complicated recipes or special ingredients. Here are some simple ideas to get started:

• Add cooked lentils to salads or soups for extra texture and nutrition.

• Use chickpeas to make hummus as a healthy snack or sandwich spread: you can simply mash with a fork.

• Include beans in stews, chili, or casseroles to boost protein and fiber.

• Swap out some rice or pasta for peas or beans in your usual dishes.

• Try legume-based snacks, such as roasted chickpeas, for a crunchy treat.

  
  

These small additions can fit easily into family meals, school lunches, or quick dinners.

This cost about £40p to make

Focusing on what to add (versus remove), like legumes, can create a positive cycle. Instead of relying on willpower alone, the body’s needs are met, making healthy choices feel more natural and sustainable. There is no crash - a new equilibrium is being built.

Overcoming Common Barriers: Gut Microbiome Health

Some people avoid legumes because of concerns about digestion or preparation time. Here are tips to address these issues:

• Soak dried legumes overnight to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility.

• Start with small portions to allow your digestive system to adjust.

• Use canned legumes for convenience, rinsing them well to reduce sodium if it is added (you can buy many brands where beans are just in water).

• Experiment with different types to find your favorites and avoid monotony.

  
  

With these strategies, legumes can become a regular, enjoyable part of your meals.

I love using legumes as a test-the-gut-water food too: If you simply can’t tolerate legumes/beans/lentils, it’s not a personal failing or a lack of willpower—it’s a physiological signal that your gut needs attention. Beans are rich in fermentable fibres and resistant starches, which rely on a diverse, well-adapted gut microbiome to be broken down efficiently; when that capacity isn’t there, symptoms like bloating, pain, or urgency are a predictable result of excess fermentation rather than “intolerance” in the traditional sense (gut dysbiosis). Ignoring these symptoms and forcing beans in can worsen gut irritation, reinforce dysbiosis, and erode trust in hunger and fullness cues.

The more effective approach is to work with the gut rather than against it: temporarily reducing problematic fibres, rebuilding digestive capacity in a structured way, and supporting microbial diversity through tolerable alternatives and targeted strategies. As a dietitian specialising in gut microbiome health, I help people interpret bean intolerance as useful data—not a dead end—so it becomes the starting point for restoring digestive resilience rather than a food group they feel condemned to avoid forever. We do this through various functional gut tests and I can provide you with more information if you contact me.

Canned beans are very healthy too

If the new year is meaningful for you as a line in the sand and you'd like to improve your nutrition, remember: focus on what you can add rather than what you must remove. Respect the realities of busy days and fluctuating energy. Offering yourself a foundation for lasting health improvements: slow and steady always wins the race.

If years of over-restriction have left you feeling like you “just can’t stick to things,” it isn’t because you’re weak, unmotivated, or broken—it’s because the diet industry has trained people to fail (it makes them more money - isn't that nasty?).

Unrealistic rules, rigid protocols, and all-or-nothing thinking systematically erode confidence by asking humans to behave like machines, then blaming them when physics and biology pushes back. Repeated cycles of restriction and collapse don’t build discipline; they teach distrust in your own body and decision-making. The most powerful response is not more control, but rebellion: stepping away from extreme promises and choosing reasonable, repeatable changes that actually fit your life. Small successes rebuild self-trust, and confidence grows through evidence, not willpower. This year, revolt against an industry that profits from self-doubt by making changes you can sustain—because when confidence returns, capacity expands, and what once felt impossible becomes achievable again.

Much of what I wrote above was about us all as individuals and our individual life journeys: body and soul - extremely important but it doesn't cover everything connected to wellness. We exist as part of a whole too.

It has been another tough year globally and what we need more than ever is community and connection.

Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) is a Jewish book with short practical teachings about how to live a better life. A quote within it says: 'You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.'

This teaching from Pirkei Avot offers a grounding reframe for us all. You are not required to “fix” your body, eat perfectly, or master nutrition once and for all—that impossible standard is exactly what the diet industry uses to keep people stuck in cycles of failure and self-blame. At the same time, you are not free to give up on yourself entirely. Caring for your body through food is not about control or punishment, but about participation: showing up, making the next reasonable choice, and engaging in the work of nourishment as an ongoing relationship rather than a finite task. When we accept that we are part of a larger system—biological, social, and cultural—we can stop demanding perfection from ourselves and instead focus on consistency, curiosity, and self-respect.

Each small, compassionate act of eating well is a meaningful contribution, not just to individual health, but to resisting an industry that thrives on disconnection and reclaiming a more humane way of living in our shared world.

I wish us all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026 full of participation in this beautiful gift of life.