Eight Foods to Eat To Ring in the New Year

You've made your resolutions and are going to put our best foot forward in the coming year. Many of us will try to get back in better shape and exercise more. Some will be looking to change things up for the better, by taking up a new challenging hobby or possibly switching to a whole new career in a new job.  

One thing you probably haven’t thought about is what you are going to eat on New Year’s Day. According to many world traditions, what you eat on the first day of the year can bring you luck and prosperity. So we rounded up eight of our favorites to eat for the new year, that some feel will bring us good vibes, health, and prosperity in the coming year. And we threw in a with a few recipes to get you started.

Greens

According to Southern US tradition, greens resemble money and are a staple in any New Year's Day dinner. Make a dish using leafy greens to bring you fortune in the new year. With the same green and crispness of dollar bills, it makes sense why they are said to bring you good fortune. As if we need another reason to eat a kale salad...

Some favorites: boiled cabbage, collard greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, and turnip greens.

If you are going for collard greens, may we suggest adding bacon grease? 

(Your New Year diet can start on January 2nd!!!)

Fish

Another representation of good fortune: fish. According to Eastern European tradition, the silver scales of fish were said to symbolize coins. They were saved and placed in pockets for good luck. (Can you imagine the smell?) Fish also represent abundance since they swim in large schools.

Try the Polish New Year mainstay, Pickled Herring, for a year of prosperity. 

We hear it's great on crostini. 

Pork 

If you are looking to move forward in life, then pork is the food for you. Since pigs root ahead as they eat, they are seen as a symbol of progress. This seems odd...we know...but think about it. Chickens move backward. We can't start the year eating food that moves backward.

Here's a great pork roast recipe. 

Grapes

In Spain and Mexico, it is a tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight. This represents the 12 months in the year. The sweetness of the grapes determines the luck and success you have in each month of the new year. If you come across tart grapes, buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy month!

We're thinking the Cotton Candy grapes will be good for this one. No tartness found there! 

Soba noodles

Eating Toshiko Shi soba, a soup with buckwheat "year crossing" noodles, is a New Year's Eve tradition in Japan and is now practiced in the United States. 

The long, thin noodles are never broken in the cooking process, so they represent a long, healthy life. 

Check out this "Long-Life Noodle" stir fry. 

Pomegranate

Pomegranate seeds have always been associated with fertility. In Greece for example, they take it to a whole new level. The tradition is to take the whole fruit, throw it across the floor releasing a bevy of seeds that symbolize fertility, life, and abundance. 

One suggestion, if you want to try this, maybe put down some plastic before tossing the pomegranate to the floor. If that still sounds too messy, The Food Network has a few methods for cutting open the tasty, nutritious fruit. Check it out here. 

Oranges and Honey 

A tasty tradition in Asian cultures is, eating oranges with honey on New Year's bringing good fortune, wealth, and money. Who isn’t up for more good fortune? 

This recipe for Fruit Salad couldn't be any more superb and tastier. It has pieces of fresh orange throughout and is sweetened with orange juice and honey. The perfect food if you are going for the gold!

 

Lentils 

Lentils are eaten around the world for the New Year because these tiny legumes are round, resembling coins, bringing luck and prosperity.  

From Europe to South America lentils are prepared in a stew, served over rice, and eaten with pork. Here is a delicious winter lentil stew recipe for you to enjoy. Who knows, lentils may help put a little more ‘coin’ into your savings accounts this year. 

So, there you have it! Eight foods to eat this day to get the new year started off right!

These past two years have been like no other, so we are willing to give anything a try to make it a good one - even if it's shoving fish scales in our pockets. 

Cheers to a Happy and Healthy New Year!