Starting out 2015 with fresh whole fruit, herbal tea and a round of Al's famous oat pancakes, yum!

It's the second day of a brand new year and we're all feeling a little over indulged... excess rich foods, too many sweet treats and champagne toasts have taken a toll leaving us sluggish and tired!

Time to get refreshed and reenergized with my first new health feature and what better way to do that than cleaning up our daily nutrition routine! So, here's my top 10 nutrition tips for getting a fresh start to 2015!

1. Alcohol intake - Now that the parties are over, it's time to drop the drinks... well the alcoholic ones at least. If you must indulge, opt for a small glass of wine and wave it for the weekends.

2. Water - This is the life fuel of our body, alkaline waters are the best and you need to get 2L at a minimum per day. (Look for my simple lemon alkaline water recipe here soon!)

3. Veggies, Leafy Greens and Whole Fruits - Chock full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Choosing a variety of colors for each meal will boost your fiber intake and help cleanse toxins.

4. Refined Carbohydrates - White is wicked... such pleasures like bread, cake and crackers are not your friend. Cut the refined Carbs and cleanse your system. Choose instead quinoa, brown rice, lentils and starchy veggies.

5. Healthy Fats - Many of us forget that fats can actually be very anti-inflammatory for our bodies. Eating a good balance of healthy fats actually keeps us full longer and are a must for healthy skin, nails and glossy hair (who doesn't want those perks!) Good go-to foods are avocado, almonds, flax seeds and coconut butters and oils. Don't forget fatty fish either! (more on that below)

6. Dairy - You'll want to give this the boot to reboot your system, hard cheeses and milk are difficult to digest and also very acidic, keep dairy foods to low-fat or fat-free greek yogurt and products with good bacteria which will boost digestion.

7. Meat vs Fish - The typical diet is too meat heavy, thank goodness for "Meatless Mondays" a trick that you should adopt in your household too. Aim to eat more fish and shell fish (3 times a week) full of those healthy fats! 

8. Tea vs Coffee - We can all remember a time when the stress of work and family drove us to staying up late and those late nights and long days were fueled by our caffeine addiction. It seems most of us have a love affair with Starbucks, or coffee at least. We personally use our Nespresso Machine almost daily but limit it to one a day and we've successfully made the switch to Green Tea or herbal tea, the myriad of which have added health benefits!

9. Portion control - This time of year we should have boosted metabolisms due to the influx of holiday calories so we should take advantage of that by watching our portions... but not in the way you're probably thinking! You can still eat a good sized meal, but you need to pay attention that you fill your plate with the lower calorie options (veggies) ant put the meat/fish as the smaller side act.

10. Skipping Meals - It's an easy misconception that skipping meals will help you drop those extra holiday pounds and while that maybe the case initially, it's not the healthy way! Be sure to choose healthy snacks between meals and eat moderate portions at breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are aiming for a year full of health and good nutrition, not a quick fix that won't last!