A new year’s resolution that stuck (mostly)

We enthusiastically wish friends and strangers alike a happy and prosperous new year on New Year’s Day, which is also Day 1 of shiny new resolutions for many of us. Vowing to eat better is popular, maybe because many of us have been plied with chocolate and lots of other goodies over the holiday season.

New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but notoriously difficult to keep, so I didn’t expect that my less than full-fledged resolve to stop eating sugar last January would last more than a week or two but happily I have surprised myself.

I was a sugarholic, I admit it. The British are known for their consumption of sugar – lots of it. When I was young, cakes and biscuits always came with the tea my mum would make us every afternoon. I am sure this solidified my sugar habit.

Luckily, I take my tea and coffee with just milk because I went further than cutting down on the amount of sugar I eat and tried to (mostly) quit it completely. Grocery shopping is simpler since I changed up my diet. It makes me strangely happy to be buying bags of pears, avocadoes, bananas and walnuts these days, instead of sugary treats. Because fresh produce and nutritious food costs more, I am laser-focused on bargain shopping, including price matching and keeping an eagle eye out for pink stickered and close-dated items (but only the lower sugar ones). I am just one of many people who have had to resort to shopping this way since the cost of food soared.

My go-to is now plain oatmeal with microwaved fruit, pumpkin seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice and a square of Dollarama’s 85 per cent dark chocolate melted on top. Who says that eating healthily can’t be delicious?

My taste buds seem to be evolving as I have gone from snacking on Dollarama’s 35 cent chocolate bars to enjoying their dark chocolate bars in moderation. (The Belgian chocolate one is roughly the same composition as the much more expensive Lindt bar.)

Of course, I tried my brother’s take on our mum’s chocolate sweet (as we’ve always called it) this Christmas. The recipe was lost after she died and my siblings are vying to replicate it. Had it been a tad closer to my mum’s I would have taken a bigger slice. After all, Christmas Day is special and once a year.

If you made a New Year’s resolution this year, remember to not get down on yourself if you don’t follow it every single day. Life happens and 90 per cent or 75 per cent faithfulness is pretty darn good. Best of luck with sticking to your new habits.

Anne Hawe
West End community correspondent

Anne Hawe is a community correspondent for the West End. She can be reached at annie_hawe@hotmail.com

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