Be the best version of you in 2018

January usually brings New Years Resolutions, I am not going to eat this, I will go the gym every day, I will be so thin by the summer, I will give up smoking, drinking, eating, having fun and then I will look amazing.... sound familiar?

This year why not do something amazing, be the best version of you that there is. Can't sleep, anxious, have PMT, have eczema, have joint pain, headaches... fill in the blanks that apply to you. Why not feel how you are supposed to feel. Most people have no idea what it feels like to truly feel well.

Make 2018 your year. The year you eat for nourishment and enjoyment, not to curb cravings, not to numb your emotions, but eat to feel and look great.

My first tip, find foods that suit you, we are all individual and some of us require more carbohydrates to fuel our bodies, think sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa (make sure you rinse it thoroughly), millet. Some of us require more fats to feel great, eat coconut oil (try a teaspoon in your coffee rather than milk, it tastes great), eat oily fish (Sardines, Mackerel, Herring, Salmon and Anchovies, full of Omega,3 and 6 which is great to beat inflammation, brain health, better vision. But most of us just need to increase the amount of vegetables we eat - 10 a day really is not that hard.

Have a smoothie alongside your porridge (make it 80% vegetable, 20% fruit), eat spinach and mushrooms alongside your eggs. Enjoy a hearty vegetable soup with a salad on the side for lunch and make vegetables the main event at dinner. A wholesome vegetable chilli with beans. A lentil lasagna made with butternut squash lasagna sheets, a stir fry with prawns or Tofu. A piece of fruit and some nuts for a snack after your work and out and voila!

Don't cut out foods - crowd them out. Instead of saying, I must give up coffee, say I am going to replace every other coffee with a green tea or a matcha latte - when you try to include 10 portions of vegetables and fruit per day, there is little room for the refined carbohydrate snacks that would usually fill up your diet.

Finally move it - exercise is to integral to boosting mood, boosting your levels of Vitamin D, just breathing some fresh air can make all of the difference. If the gym is not your thing, walk to work, incorporate exercise whenever you can, make it part of your routine, you are much more likely to stick to it then.

Remember, this is not a dress rehearsal, we get one shot at this life. Let's make it a great one.