Step into a healthier year, with a handful of almonds

January 2021, India: The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to bring about changes to your lifestyle routine as there’s something exciting about starting afresh. Take advantage of that extra dose of motivation and try adopting habits thatcan create the most positive impact to your health and happiness, this New Year.

As many people continue to work from home and children attend school via virtual classes in the New Year, it’s more important than ever to take on and stick to the resolution of adopting a healthier lifestyle. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we can change our lifestyle and habits. Modifying dietary habits hasthe power to reduce risk of chronic diseases and what we eat is significant to our health, leading to a lifestyle that will keep you feeling energized, satisfied, happy, and safe from diseases.

Healthy snacking and including almonds in your daily diet can be a great way to start the year on a healthy note. Almonds are a good source of vital nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, good fat, dietary fibers and plant protein. As we step into 2021, let’s resolve to make one small yet positive change to our family as well as our lives and include a handful of almonds to the diet everyday, which can go a long way in building overall health.

Leading Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan said, “The beginning of a New Year is always exciting as we get to start off on a blank slate and chalk out our resolutions and goals for the future. While setting resolutions, I personally don’t think of a long term and distant goal, I tend to set an immediate plan that Ican start right away. My resolution for the year, is to omit all unhealthy snacks from my family and my diet.

To ensure this, I plan on upturning our pantry, and replacing any unwholesome options with healthy foods like almonds. Almonds are known for their satiating properties, and also provide energy, which makes them a healthy yet tasty treat. Besides that, almonds are known to contain a variety of important nutrients because of which they offer the goodness of health in every bite.”

Regional Head-Dietetics, Max Healthcare – Delhi, Ritika Samaddar said, “As we step into 2021, we’re all hopeful and eagerly waiting for a Covid-19 vaccine to be available. However, something that the previous year has taught us is to prioritize our health. Therefore, in the New Year, it’s important to take stock of your family and your eating habits and lifestyleto make the necessary revisions.

The first thing I would recommend is to start including healthy foods such as almonds to your own and your family’s daily diet. Beyond adding a host of nutrients to our diet, daily almond consumption may also help in strengthening immunity as they are high in Vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant to support pulmonary immune function. Vitamin E is also known to offer protection against infections caused by viruses and bacteria .”

Fitness Expert and Celebrity Master Instructor, Yasmin Karachiwala commented, “As a pre or post workout snack, almonds are a great snacking option as they provide a good dose of health and energy – without adding unwanted calories. With the end to the holidays and beginning of a New Year, it’s time to realign goals and get back into shape. We all know the importance of regular exercise and the value it adds to our overall health – whether it’s in supporting weight loss, or relieving stress, enhancing the mood or helping to better manage several lifestyle diseases.

However, diet and exercise go hand in hand and you cannot adopt one healthy habit and trade it off with another, such as unhealthy eating. So, I am starting the New Year with a resolution to push myself to be fitter this year, and I urge others to do so to. Begin 2021, with a solid fitness and diet regime in place, and be sure to fuel your exercise routine with a handful of almonds.”

Madhuri Ruia, Pilates Expert and Diet & Nutrition Consultant, commented, “Owing to our fast-paced and hectic schedules, it’s important to hit pause and reflect, and no better time to do this than the start of a New Year. I would recommend setting the tone for how you’d like the year to span out and what changes you’d like to bring about. If you’re looking at getting fit, start by eating healthy.

Eating healthy will not only alleviate your mood and better manage your weight, but also help lower your chances of developing any chronic lifestylediseases such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Embrace this new mantra by making important changes to your diet by adding new and health focused.

The best way to do this is by adding a handful of almonds to your daily diet. According to recent research from King’s College London, snacking on almonds everyday improved endothelial function of the arteries and also lowered “bad” LDL-cholesterol – both key indicators of heart health .”

Sheela Krishnaswamy, Nutrition and Wellness Consultant said, “2020 was a different year for most of us and everyone dealt with it uniquely, but if there was one thing that was common across most householdsin India through the year it would definitely be an increased focus on snacking and binge eating. But as we step into the New Year, it’s important to leave behind habits that had an adverse impact on our health, and chronic munching is definitely one of those.

So, in 2021, offer your snacking palate a cleanse, and instead of munching on oily or fried food, snack on healthy foods like almonds, fresh fruits, steamed sprouts, etc. Almonds are known to provide a bouquet of health benefits ranging from supporting weight and diabetes management, to promoting heart health and glowing skin, which will definitely add to your overall health and well-being in the longer run.”

Not sure what you’re waiting for, kick-off 2021 with a pledge to get healthier, fitter, and happier!