10 New Year's food resolutions for 2022

One of the best ways to shake yourself out of a same-food rut is to vow to try a new cuisine altogether. Bring fresh tastes to your dining table with our travel-inspired recipe collections, from Brazilian and Caribbean, to Moroccan and Vietnamese. Or, try three family-friendly dishes guaranteed to get kids trying and talking about new foods. If you’ve never tried your hand at cooking authentic Japanese, Mexican, Korean or other cuisines, there’s never been a better time to start. Try your hand at a classic butter chicken, or learn the ins and outs of making Korean kimchi or simple Jewish potato latkes. Check out our guide to 10 new cuisines you need to try for some tasty inspiration. If you're feeling under the weather and in need of a hug in a bowl, we also have 7 new comfort foods you should try from our columnist Melissa Thompson.

2. Make veggie versions of meaty favourites

These days, it’s easier than ever to reduce your meat consumption. We’ve noticed a huge growth in plant-based meat alternatives recently, from vegan sausages and mince, to burgers. Try swapping your usual mince, sausages or other meat dishes for a veggie version this month. Get stuck into our top vegetarian recipes for mouth-watering meat-free ideas. Planning to have one meat-free day per week is a great way to start, and we’ve got all the vegetarian and vegan recipes you need, from casseroles and burgers, to comfort food classics and even roast dinner recipes. You don’t have to give up your go-to dishes – our classic recipes minus the meat include shepherd’s pie, lasagne and chilli.

3. Give back to the community

There are lots of ways to give back to your local community through food. Try volunteering at a food bank in your free time or donating to a local food charity for families in need. You can check your local council website to find food banks or soup kitchens near you looking for volunteers and donations. You can also share food and cooking skills with your friends and neighbours. Whether shopping for a neighbour, swapping homemade dishes with friends, or hosting virtual drink tastings and cookalongs, bring a feeling of togetherness into 2022.

4. Fight food waste

Make your food go further, use up everything you buy and stop wasting food once and for all with our top tips on how to reduce food waste. Try our 5 nights of waste-free family meals and make a week of delicious, nourishing dinners the whole family will enjoy. This clever meal plan is not only budget-friendly, but makes cooking on busy weeknights a lot less stressful. Read our guide on leftover recipes: how to avoid food waste for genius ways to use up common leftover ingredients and create some tasty dishes in the process.

5. Learn a new skill in the kitchen

Did you take on a kitchen project during last year’s lockdowns? Keep the momentum going by trying something new in 2022. There are plenty of ideas, but these are three of our favourites:

Make your own fruit leather

Got a glut of fruit to use up? Try making homemade fruit roll-ups. It’s surprisingly easy to do and kids will love rolling them up (and eating them!).

Churn your own butter

So, you got into breadmaking during last year’s lockdowns, but now, how about making your own butter to go with it? It’s incredibly simple: just whip double cream with an electric whisk until it starts to separate into buttermilk and butter, then sieve out the buttermilk (the latter is great for making fluffy pancakes) and you’re left with homemade butter. Or, check out our home-churned butter method that involves a jar and a marble.

Master dumpling-making

Dumplings have been trending across social media, in restaurants and in online searches. Whether you choose Polish pierogis, Japanese gyoza, Nepalese momos or Chinese siu mai, there are many to master, so what are you waiting for?

6. Practise mindful eating

Mindful eating is rooted in the Buddhist practise of mindfulness, and involves giving your full attention to your food in the moment without external distractions. This is particularly supportive of the cephalic phase of digestion, the stage in which your stomach prepares its digestive juices in response to the sight, taste or smell of food.

Mindful eating basics

• Slow down and remove all distractions while eating
• Pay attention to your hunger cues and ask yourself, ‘Am I eating out of habit, boredom or true hunger?’
• Engage your senses: notice the colours, textures, flavours and smells on your plate
• Ask yourself, ‘How do I feel after eating this? Do I feel satisfied and energised, or tired and bloated?’

Eating mindfully can feel a little strange at first, but over time, it’s a great way to train your body to get back in touch with its natural rhythms of appetite and digestion. Try it for at least a week and see how you feel.

7. Experiment with new ingredients

Brave the world of new ingredients and plate up fabulous unexplored flavours. Try some sweet and sour tamarind in our tamarind prawn curry, a pinch of allspice sprinkled over your jerk chicken or take some inspiration from Latin America and fry up some slices of plantain.

Check out Melissa Thompson's round-up of 10 exciting ingredients to try and fill your kitchen with smells from around the world.

8. Grow your own

Really embrace seasonal eating and try growing your own produce at home. It's a great way to get the kids showing off their green fingers and you'll never be short of a herb or two. Read our guide on how to make a herb garden, whether you have space for a whole potted patch or a humble window box. Pick your favourite ingredient and give growing a go.

Read up on how to grow your own salad leaves – they're one of the quickest, easiest crops to start. We even have expert advice from Gardeners' World in our guide, your top 10 grow-your-own problems...solved.

9. Get to grips with kitchen gadgets

Got an air fryer you've been nervous to test out? Is there a dusty slow cooker taking up space at the back of a cupboard? Now is the time to crack out the gadgets and experiment. With many of us spending more time in the kitchen last year, we saw searches for certain kitchen gadgets rise dramatically. The most popular searches were for air fryers, rice cookers and soup makers. If you fancy giving one a go, check out our reviews section to find out which are best.

10. Feel healthier and fitter

At BBC Good Food, we don’t believe in fad diets or extreme regimes, but a balanced approach focused around nourishing your body with wholesome foods. If you want to get more active, our fitness and nutrition tips are sure to come in handy, from meal plans for runners to how to workout at home. And finally, if you’re considering dieting, make sure you have all the facts first. Read our in-depth analysis of the most popular diets to get the lowdown on many plans, from detoxes and the Dukan diet, to the Sirtfood plan and 5:2. Before you embark on your regimen, read these six things you should consider before starting a diet. Find even more ways to give yourself a boost with our top 10 healthy, mood-boosting recipes.

Enjoyed these ideas? Try even more foodie projects:

What is sourdough?
5 tips for fermenting and pickling vegetables
How to make kefir
How to make kombucha

What's your New Year's resolution? Leave a comment below.