Tips from our health department nutritionists

As 2026 approaches, practice some healthy eating habits and get ready to enter the new year on a nutritious note.

1. Plan meals ahead

Just like you might plan dishes for your holiday gatherings, try planning your meals for the week ahead of time. Make a grocery list: start by listing ingredients and quantities for the meals you plan to make and cross off items you already have. Be sure to add beverages and snacks to your list as well. Not only does planning meals ahead make it easier to eat nutritiously, but it also saves time and money by decreasing last-minute cooking stress and reducing food wasted. Learn how to make a meal plan.

2. Make your food exactly how you want it by cooking at home

When you make your meals at home, you can choose the best ingredients and cooking methods. Choosing baking over frying, adding more dry fruits and less sugar, and using more spices and less salt are just a few ways to increase the nutritious value of your home-cooked meals.

3. Get the whole family involved

During holiday celebrations, family members love to get involved in the meal planning and prepping. Make meals a group activity year-round. Children who help plan and prepare meals are more likely to try new foods and prioritizing family mealtime improves healthy eating behaviors.

4. Use online resources

It can feel hard to meet your nutrition goals and keep meals flavorful and fun. Meals should include five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy or fortified soy products. MyPlate can you help you achieve this by providing options for each food group and creative ways to use them. Visit MyPlate to find nutrition information. recipes and more.

5. Practice mindfulness

With so many food options, mealtime can feel overwhelming. By taking time to explore the color, smell, taste, texture and temperature of each bite and paying attention to how your body feels, you can make mealtime more enjoyable and prevent yourself from eating too much or too little. Follow this script to practice mindful eating.

6. Keep mealtime a distraction-free zone

Mealtime is a great opportunity to relax, reset, and refuel your body. Take full advantage of this by making mealtime a screen-free, stress-free zone. Whether you use the time to catch up with loved ones around the dinner table or practice mindful eating on your own, remember the purpose of mealtime: to nourish your body and soul.

7. Love your safe leftovers

When cooking large holiday meals or doing weekly meal-planning, you will likely find yourself with leftovers. Remember to refrigerate promptly and follow food safety every step of the way. Learn more about the four steps to food safety: clean, separate. cook, chill.

8. Reduce food waste and give back to the planet

Food waste can be harmful to both the environment and your wallet. You can reduce your food waste by selecting fruits and vegetables wisely, storing produce properly, preparing fruits and vegetables cleverly, and composting the scraps.

9. Enjoy and repeat!

Practice these healthy eating habits all year-round.

Nutrition Resources
Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
MyPlate 
EatRight 
SNAP-Ed Connection
American Heart Association
Virginia Cooperative Extension