It’s January 1st, and you’ve just emerged from a month of holiday parties filled with peppermint bark and Christmas roasts. Recipe blogs all boast posts with buzzwords like “detox” and “clean eating.” You’re tempted to jump on that vegan, gluten-free, paleo bandwagon.
You go on Pinterest and find healthy recipes that actually look delicious. Then you pin them to a board named, “New Year, New Food.” But all of this momentum is often for naught, and here’s why.
Changing Your Eating Habits Doesn’t Happen Overnight
Photo by Emma Noyes
According to Psychology Today, change doesn’t happen overnight, it happens in stages. Making lasting dietary improvements isn’t as easy as, “Tomorrow, I won’t eat any more refined sugars.” It is a process of give and take. Some days you wonder why you ever felt the need to eat brownies, but some days the cravings send you straight to the cookie jar. Accepting this process brings you much closer to success than a few words written on a piece of paper and taped to the fridge.
Leftover Holiday Food Is Everywhere
Photo by Emma Noyes
The weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve are marked by cookie exchanges, dinner parties, and potlucks that end with the hosts shoving food back into your hands to take home. Temptation is everywhere, and it’s such a waste to throw all of that perfectly good food out.
New Year’s Doesn’t End After Midnight
Photo by Emma Noyes
Oh, we still have another week before school starts? Well, why should the festivities end now? Let’s have a few more gatherings before we have to go back to the bleak reality of the second semester. Hey, I think I have some leftover desserts I can bring to the party.
You’ll Probably Have a Hangover on January 1st
Photo by Emma Noyes
The best part of December 31st? You get to party with your friends and family in celebration of a weird and wild 2015. Sometimes this means apple cider with your 8-year-old cousins, but most often it means champagne and 30-racks. Three pitchers of sangria later, all your stomach will want is bread, bread, bread. If you need to find the perfect cure for your hangover, check out this list of brunch recipes.
Wine and Dessert Are the Only Cure for January
Photo by Phoebe Melnick
Once the holiday season has officially ended, winter loses its purpose. No more Christmas music? Then why would you want to let it snow? All those dreary winter months stretch out ahead of you, seemingly without end. Better head for the comfort of Nutella-stuffed brown butter pie and a beer blanket ASAP.
The Temptation of Start-of-Term Parties
Photo by Renée Wool
You get back to school, and you haven’t seen your friends in at least two weeks. The only logical conclusion is to go out and take tequila shots to celebrate your reunion. Soon, the nachos on the menu start sounding like a truly excellent idea. And a tequila sommelier would tell you that they pair perfectly, right? No matter how you celebrate your reunion, just don’t play beer pong.