Eat well when busy
Most of us, employed full or part-time, or otherwise busy with other responsibilities, find it hard to stick to an healthy diet when we are the most busy. Throughout your work week, it is just much easier to run out and grab a sandwich for lunch. However, easy is not often the best, and can be unhealthy. And while we completely understand that you are busy, there are a few ways that you can make you eating healthy throughout the week easier for you.
Eat your breakfast
Many people choose to skip breakfast in place of an extra 15 minutes in bed. We understand this instinct, however, “breakfast is most important meal of the day” is not just a saying. Breakfast will jump-start your metabolism, and fuel you with the energy you need to go about your day. If you have a good breakfast, it will keep you from reaching for a pack of crisps mid-morning. Avoid breakfasts with high refined carbs and sugar. Instead, look for high in fibre and complex carbs, like wholegrain cereals and breads.
Keep healthy foods in view
Out of sight, out mind, right? Well, it doesn’t quite work like that, but you can try to implement a strategy based on that. If you make the healthier options more in reach, you are bound to grab one of them. For example, keep healthy snacks on the counter, so you can snack on them when doing something else. Or grab one when on the go.
Stock up on SIMPLE foods and vegetables
When you are busy, the thought of chopping up melons or mangoes, might put you off of doing it at all, and make you grab a already prepared snack that is not as wealthy. For this reason, give some thought to how easy it will be to prepare the vegetables and fruits you buy, as this might be a factor in whether you eat them or not.
Weekend Prepping
During the week, after a long work day, and before another, it might be hard to squeeze in some time to cook a proper, healthy meal. An hack to this problem would be to do some prepping on the weekend; chopping vegetables, make up dressings, pre-cook grains and rice or make some soup. This will slash your cooking time during the week, turning a 1 hour cooking session into 20 minutes.
Do one weekly shopping
The more visits to the shop you make, the most likely you will fall into the temptation to grab unhealthy foods. Avoid this by planning your shopping for an entire week. If you don’t get bad food in your kitchen, you won’t eat it. This method will also save you time!
Avoid long gaps between meals
One of the most common mistakes when it comes to nutrition is to eat 3 or less times a day. It will be much harder to control your cravings when you are hungry, so you are most likely to fall into temptation mid-morning or afternoon if you restrict your eating to big meals. You should be eating every 2 hours, even if do not feel particularly hungry. Keep some easy snacks on hand, like nuts, and just munch on them throughout the day.
Always have water on the ready
A classic, for a reason. Yet, many people still overlook this. Staying hydrated keeps your energy levels up and your hunger down. Drinking two litres of water a day is what your body craves, and we can often mistake this yearning for hunger. As a reminder to drink, keep water nearby at all times.
