Children In Kitchen At Home Helping Mother To Make Healthy Packed Lunch

Poe Predictions for 2025

Nijsha Johnson
Health Educator

Will Florence, RD
Health Educator

The beginning of the new year is a chance to build healthy habits and set goals for yourself. Watch as our expert health educators give advice on upcoming trends.

11 Trends to try in 2025

  1. Get creative with your workouts. Repetition-based workouts aren’t the only option out there. If you have trouble building new habits, diversify your movement options. Activities such as aerial yoga, dance classes, or pilates can keep things fresh. Look for online instructional videos to follow at home.
  2. Swap ultra-processed food to whole ingredients in recipes. In this fast-paced culture it’s easy to pick up food and be on your way. Make food from whole ingredients to create mindfulness while eating. Whole food ingredients also allow you to know exactly what is going into your recipe to meet your daily nutritional goals.
  3. Choose sustainable kitchen equipment such as bamboo utensils, stainless steel, and glass containers. Microplastics are a hot-button topic right now as we navigate how to make the best health decisions for ourselves. Sustainable kitchen equipment can curb your exposure to unwanted chemicals and help support the environment. Start small by swapping your plastic utensils for wooden ones.
  4. Engage the family in the kitchen. At the Poe Center we love to encourage hands of all sizes to get involved in the kitchen. Getting your children involved with cooking can help them develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Have your little hands wash produce while the adults chop veggies and handle any hot equipment.
  5. Maximize your space with greenery. Whether you live in an apartment or a house there is always a chance to upgrade the foliage in your space. We see people of all ages learning how to grow their own produce and tend to plants. Put a basil plant in your window to brighten up your space.
  6. Adopt intuitive eating over fad diets. Intuitive eating is a non-restrictive approach to your diet. It requires listening to your body’s cues: needs, hunger, and satisfaction to inform your eating habits. Intuitive eating creates sustainable habits to eat healthier. Use MyPlate to plan your meals.
  7. Try community-based gardening. Sharing produce, exchanging tips, and helping each other in the garden are great ways to garden as a community. To learn all the techniques for how to garden effectively it takes years of knowledge. Finding other people in your community means you don’t have to start at zero. Check out Raleigh City Farms, Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN), and  the Black Famers Hub to support local food systems in North Carolina.
  8. When working out, simply showing up and doing your best is valuable. It’s not necessary to give 110% every time to see benefits. It is easy to set big goals for yourself in the beginning of the year only to get burnt out by them by February. Build a workout regime with showing up in mind. Getting started is always the hardest part for many people.  Start small by doing intentional movement for at least 5 minutes a day.
  9. Do fewer dishes. After meals, the clean-up is the hard part. One-pot meals are a great approach to minimizing dishes and simplifying your day. Try one of our one-pot recipes.
  10. Forage for local foods. Foraging had a big up-swing this past year and there’s no slowing it down. Depending on where you live may have an impact on what you can forage. It is important when foraging to properly identify your food before you consume anything. Join a foraging group to get outside with an expert.
  11. Picking a single vegetable to focus on during the season. Instead of trying to do it all, doing one thing really well. Your produce choices impact how your garden will grow in the next year. The best beginner advice is to smart small. This can mean a basil plant in your window or planting tomatoes to tend to for the season. Start with a fruit or veggie you eat frequently.

 


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