So I started the year with a desire to be a healthier version of myself (Don’t we all). Luckily for me we are into the second month and I am still on track.

After thinking about this for a while and reading through copious amounts of articles of food trends for 2020 that didn’t speak to my situation I decided to sit down and pen a quick article that would be relevant to not only me but a lot of people on my end of the world.

So here are 5 trends to adopt in 2020 that will make your year a healthier one.

1. Eat more legumes

Le-gu-mes. These are foods such as beans, lentils, and peas etc. that are commonly eaten in the African culture. In Botswana and other African countries common examples are ditloo (jugo beans), letlhodi (lentils), manoko (ground nuts) and black eyed beans. Now that you have an idea about what I am on about you must be wondering why these made my list of trends.

Firstly, I might be a bit bias because it’s my favourite food group but the science to support why is unparalleled. Legumes are a high fibre source which is brilliant in this day and age where refined carbohydrates are the order of the day; including a legume source in your daily/ weekly diet can assist with your bowel movement which can come in handy for those suffering with constipation.

They are easily accessible and affordable in the African market, actually it is almost impossible to go to a market and not find a hawker selling this amazing food group; more brownie points for supporting small business owners.

Lastly and also most importantly, these are a good protein source this is especially important because protein is an essential nutrient necessary in our daily diets for various important functions such as tissue repair.

The above should be good enough reason for you to run to your local market and grab some beans or lentils; if not a bonus point goes to the affordability factor. These are more affordable than the animal protein we are accustomed to eating.

2. Plant based

I hope I haven’t scared my meat loving Batswana away, but in 2020 I am truly committed to this cause and so are a majority of people the world over.  I am yet to write a full piece on this, but as an introduction there has been a lot of research on the advantages of living a plant based diet or reducing intake of animal products substantially.

Not only is this beneficial health wise (there are studies on the positive impact plant based diets may have on lupus, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid diabetes) but there is a huge body of research that advocates plant based for environmental sustainability purposes.

3. Packed lunches

I don’t know when things changed but I often talk about how when I was growing up eating out was a treat for special occasions and celebrations, you know birthdays, promotions, passing! And that, that made me appreciate it so much; nowadays eating out is more common than cooking. For a lot of people eating out at lunch is a daily thing and unfortunately, when eating out, caution is usually thrown to the wind and a lot of unhealthy foods are eaten as a result.

In 2020, can we make it cool to pack our lunches to work? Can we start departmental competitions on who has packed the healthiest lunch? Who was the most creative? And maybe even host a healthy bring and share once a month as a team builder. WHY? Well its simple really because HEALTH.

A lot of foods we buy from vendors or fast food restaurants are prepared with unhealthy ingredients. Over and above that, it goes without saying that if you were not involved in the preparation you will never know how clean the food was and what ingredients went into the meal.

Secondly, cost, if you are like me and love money, then the cost of daily lunches would scare you into packing your own meals which by the way is cheaper in case you were wondering. The average person who buys a meal and beverage daily for lunch parts with P600.00 monthly and this is for lunch bought from street vendors the cost can escalate to up to P1300.00 and this is if you are only buying one meal. Most people buy breakfast also.

4. Home Gardens

I’ve been privileged enough to come from a family where I’ve seen this take sharp. Backyard vegetable gardens are everything. My aunt has one, my gran has had one and my dad usually has one for green leafy veg. I am committed to starting one this year. WHY? Well health of course but it also ensures there’s always something some type of vegetable in your daily meal which is important for those all essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. It also weighs lightly on the pocket.

In 2020 I hope young people and families take to this because most of us live in houses with backyards that are not being utilised. A flat balcony is also a great place to grow some herbs and some herbs and lastly it’s a great activity to use for family time.

5. Infused water

We all know that we need to be drinking lots of clean safe water. But one thing for sure is water can be boring and forgettable, one way to change this is to add some flavour to it. I struggle with water consumption but this year I am determined. One thing I am doing is committing to the infused water trend. Actually, after this I am going to be grabbing some water with turmeric and lemon which happens to be my latest obsession. What I love is that using ingredients that are beneficial to your health makes this even better.

This is what I am committing to in 2020. What about you?