Dr. Ann shares these quick and easy healthy resolutions

Start the new year off right with a renewed commitment to take charge of your health. Here are my top five picks for healthy eating resolutions.

Go nuts. Include a small handful of nuts (about 1 ounce) in your diet each day. These delectable morsels of good health score a perfect 10 when it comes to protecting your health and your waistline. Those who include a prudent portion of nuts in their diets daily are leaner, get less heart disease and less Type 2 diabetes, and live longer.

Eat a healthy breakfast each day. Folks who forgo this early morning feeding get more heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and weigh more (because they eat more calories over the course of the day). Click here to see what my three most favorite super-healthy breakfasts are and what I eat for breakfast on most days.

Dump your liquid calories. Sugar-fortified beverages, like sodas, fruit drinks and sports drinks, offer zero nutritional value, increase your risk of weight gain, obesity and Type 2 diabetes, and cost you money. Make cheap and 100% healthy water your beverage of choice.

Eat more beans. This economical superstar food comes in over 24 varieties. Beans are versatile and satisfying, packed with health-boosting nutrients, and have been shown to lower cholesterol, protect your heart, decrease the risk of some cancers, stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels and aid in weight loss. And they are delicious, too! Strive for a serving daily.

Go green. Never go a day without eating some dark leafy greens. These vegetable megastars are truly the nutrient Goliath – packing in more nutrition than any other food. There is simply no more efficient and effective way to reap the profound benefits of nutritional excellence than regularly partaking in this remarkable food group.

Dr. Ann Kulze is founder and CEO of Just Wellness and has a knack for breaking down the science of healthy eating and living into simple and easily digestible messages. She has been featured on “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah and Friends,” WebMD and U.S. News & World Report. Alabama NewsCenter is publishing advice from Dr. Ann.