New year, new goals. But “old habits die hard”, as Jagger says. Why do we have craving for ‘bad food’ – should we suppress them?

First things first, there is no ‘bad food’. Food is just food and we are blessed that we have it. It is just some foods are more nutritious than others. So called junk food is just designed with more fat, sugar and/or salt than others. Even its low nutritional value – and our knowledge about that  – is designed for you to want more. This is the goal. And it is all about our huge brain – we need a lot of energy to ‘do our thing.’ Salt, sugar, and fat triggers the brain to work fast. So we evolved to love high-energy foods with this stuff.

So, does this mean that we should ban everything? Definitely not. Our sanity is more important that a few calories more or less. Keeping that food in balance with the rest of our food choices is a good way to go. Often ‘bad choices’ raise blood pressure and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. For example, instead of a creamy coffee with your cake, you can drink an herbal tea help you with cholesterol.

A nice combination is mountain tea with olive oil leaves, rosemary leaves, Silybum seeds, and birch seeds. Do not leave them in the water for more than 5 minutes. Try to drink it without honey or sugar. Mountain tea is an easy to drink, aromatic beverage, in contrast with the rest, which are bitter, but it is ideal for cholesterol and detox. “Good medicine tastes bitter” say the Chinese.

Even when our brain says “yes” our body can say “no” and prompt us to make the good choices this year. We should not bring our body to the edge – ‘bad’ or ‘good’, the edge is still dangerous. Our souls and bodies need to be nourished as well as ‘spoiled’.

 * The above is not medical advice but mere suggestions for improving your diet. Before reach herbal use you should consult your doctor, especially those who have health issues, are pregnant or are under the age of 6.

Evropi-Sofia Dalampira holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and an MSc in Botany-Biology.