Over the past five years, Google searches for “new year new me” have consistently surged during the week between Christmas and New Year.
For many, the arrival of a new year inspires a fresh wave of motivation to improve themselves and prioritise wellbeing.
As we head into this reflective period, a new survey from recipe box delivery service Green Chef has revealed the top health and nutrition-related New Year’s resolutions among Brits.
To support these goals, registered nutritionist and recipe development manager, Lily Keeling has shared valuable advice for sticking to your goals.
The top health and nutrition New Year’s resolutions
New Year’s resolution
% who chose it as a top three goal
Lose weight
36%
Exercise regularly
23%
Eat more fruit and vegetables
22%
Eat less sugar
15%
Drink more water
14%
The survey revealed that losing weight is the most popular health and nutrition-related New Year’s resolution among Brits. Notably, this goal is more common among women, with nearly two-fifths naming it as a top priority, compared to one in three men. It’s also a leading goal in Newcastle, where over half (51%) selected it as a key focus for 2025.
To achieve this goal, Lily advises setting clear, realistic objectives that can be tracked over time. She cautions against fad diets promising quick fixes, instead encouraging gradual, sustainable changes.
Alongside this, over a fifth of Brits (23%) named exercising regularly as one of their top three resolutions. Exercise plays a vital role in supporting health and wellbeing, whatever form it takes for you.
To work towards this goal, adopt a “less is more” mindset, starting with smaller, achievable targets and gradually building up. The NHS suggests that this could include taking the stairs instead of a lift or getting off the bus at a stop early to get more steps in.
Over a fifth of Brits (22%) named eating more fruit and vegetables as one of their top resolutions, something particularly important for 18-24-year-olds (30%). Lily recommends meal prepping as an effective way to achieve this.
“Setting aside time each week to plan, prepare, and store meals ensures you’re packing your plate with nutrients and avoiding the stress of last-minute dinner decisions.
“For anyone aiming to meal prep more in 2025, I suggest identifying 10 meals you love and creating a planner to schedule when to prepare and eat them. This helps keep variety in your diet and prevents getting bored of the same meals.”
One in six Brits (15%) listed eating less sugar as a top resolution, with this goal being especially popular in Belfast (23%). Lily explains that sugar cravings often stem from low blood sugar levels amongst other factors. She advises against cutting sugar out entirely, as this can increase cravings and make it harder to stick to your goal.
Instead, Lily suggests reducing your intake of artificial sugars and sweeteners, commonly found in sweet low-calorie products, while making balanced choices when consuming sugar.
Almost one in six Brits (14%) identified drinking more water as a top New Year’s resolution, with this goal being particularly popular among the over-65s (21%) and residents of Bristol (26%).
The Eatwell Guide recommends consuming six to eight cups of fluid daily, including water, lower-fat milk, and sugar-free drinks.
Lily adds,
“In addition to drinking more fluids, certain foods can also help with hydration. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach have exceptionally high water content, ranging from 93-96%, making them both nutrient-dense and effective for staying hydrated.”
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
