My new year began with an amazing example of survival against all odds.

I'm not sure how, but sometime on New Year's Eve a tree frog hopped into our washing machine. Oblivious to this, as we set out for the evening, I put my husband's gym socks on for a pre-soak and a hot cycle. And on New Year's Day, I unloaded some very clean gym socks and a very, very clean tree frog.

Now despite 20 minutes with the gym socks, hot water and an extra dose of detergent, the tree-frog survived. I found him clinging on to the side of the drum, admittedly dizzy, but otherwise okay.

We lifted him to the safety of a pot plant where he hopped about happily for the next few minutes. I'm not sure what happened after that (you can only watch a frog for so long), but here's hoping that he lives on.

So sometimes, survival is possible, no matter what the odds.

We've all heard stories about people who've cheated death, whether by surviving a horrific accident, or 40 years of smoking. The thing is, that sometimes, instead of acknowledging how lucky someone has been to survive, we instead use it to bolster our assumption that we're invincible. People so often say to me, "but does it really make a difference what I eat?" My grandmother smoked all her life, drank gin and tonics every day and ate whatever she wanted, and she lived to be 93. Now this may be true, but I'd point out two things here. One, she may just have been very lucky, and two, she may have been more healthy than we realise. Yes she may have had some unhealthy habits, but she also probably ate seasonally, locally and organically for much of her life. Added to that, a grandparent is likely to have been exposed to less pollution, less sugar and less processed food ? all of which nurtures longevity. So what I'm suggesting for 2007 is this: Put the assumptions and excuses to one side, and let's all get healthy! Instead of battling against the odds, how about we reduce our odds of developing obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Let's increase our odds of living a long and healthy life too, with maximum vitality and a minimum amount of pain and disease. There are so many opportunities in the New Year to act on your good intentions. Employers are embracing worksite wellness and gyms are launching get-fit programmes (Body for Life at The Athletic Club is especially good). New xercise classes are being scheduled and the stores are full of work-out gear, so there's no reason not to immerse yourself in the annual New Year's resolution frenzy! For those of you who are regular readers of this column, you may be interested in this. I'll be running a six-week optimum nutrition and weight loss programme (New Year, new you?) to help 15 people lose weight healthily within a fun and supportive group setting. The programme begins on January 20 and includes one two-hour introductory nutrition and fitness class, six follow-up nutrition classes and six follow-up group-training classes. All the exercise will take place in the Botanical Gardens, so if you prefer to exercise outdoors, but need some guidance, then this may be the solution for you. If you would like the schedule and cost details, then please e-mail me or call using the contact details below.

Whatever you decide to do to improve your health and wellbeing in 2007, remember to choose resolutions with realistic, measurable goals. One of the biggest reasons why people lose momentum after a few weeks (or days) is that their goal is too far away and too difficult. So instead of saying 'I'm only eating raw vegetables for the month of January', try saying 'I'm going to have two vegan meals a week in January'. Now, I'm not saying that meat, poultry, fish and dairy aren't healthy, instead I'm saying that including some vegan meals (entirely free of animal products) in your diet is healthy.

Meat, poultry, fish and dairy can all be excellent sources of protein (if they are unprocessed, low in saturated fat and haven't been deep-fried), but they do all contain cholesterol.

As cholesterol is made by the liver, any food that comes from anything that had a liver contains cholesterol. It is okay for most of us to eat some cholesterol, but certainly not in the vast quantities that are common today. Conversely though, vegan diets can be deficient in certain nutrients (such as B12 and Iron) that are abundant in meat, poultry and fish. If you ever decide to become vegan, it's crucial that you get good dietary guidance.

On the positive side, vegan diets are often extremely rich in fibre and plant sterols, both of which help to remove bad cholesterol from the body. Fibre also helps to provide a steady energy release and of course removes toxins from the bowel too ? all good! So if you decide to include some vegan meals in your diet in 2007, let me help you get started. The combination of beans and brown rice in this recipe provides a great source of vegetarian protein and complex carbohydrate. It's also delicious and so simple and quick ? as it cheats by using an Amy's organic tin for its base. I'm not usually a fan of tinned food, but I occasionally make an exception when the contents are this good.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Clinical Nutritionist. She can be contacted on 291-4725 or clinicalnutritiongmail.com.