Clean Eating Tips for the Busy Person.
The busier you get, the less likely you are to think about healthy eating. Unfortunately, acting in this way is counterproductive. You might think you are saving time and being more efficient by grabbing a burger and working through your lunch hour, then filling up on energy drinks when you start to get tired.
However, you are actually reducing your productivity levels by eating in this way. A poor diet causes you to feel tired and lose energy during the day, directly impacting the work you get done. It also contributes to several more severe health problems such as chronic disease and weight gain.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to turn your diet around and start eating healthy, even when you are super busy. In this article, we share 10 of our top tips for eating healthy when my time is limited.
Plan Ahead.
It is said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” When it comes to healthy eating, this is absolutely right. If you don’t put together some sort of plan to eat healthily, you will end up eating unhealthy junk foods. The best way to plan ahead is to list down the foods you plan to eat tomorrow at the end of each day and then prepare what you can the night before. You may argue that you simply don’t have the time to do this. Still, realistically it’s only going to take 10 minutes to pack a few healthy snacks and prepare a healthy lunch. Indeed you can find 10 minutes at the end of each day to do this?
Don’t Do Your Weekly Shop When You Are Hungry.
As part of your healthy eating plan, you need to start buying healthy foods when you do your weekly shop. Doing your weekly shop when you are hungry makes this task a lot more difficult. Your hunger will naturally draw you towards convenient junk foods. Therefore, make sure you have something to eat before you do your weekly shop.
Always Carry Nuts.
Nuts are another fantastic, healthy food that you can use as a substitute for vending machine snacks. They provide your body with a selection of health-boosting vitamins and minerals along with reasonable amounts of protein and fat. To avoid the temptation of unhealthy snacks, make sure you always carry a bag with you so that you can quickly grab a handful whenever your stomach starts to rumble. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and brazil nuts are all packed with nutrients, minerals, and vitamins.
Take Full Advantage of Fruits.
When you are busy and start to feel hungry, what’s your usual course of action? If you answered, “head over to the vending machine and grab a quick snack,” then you are not taking full advantage of fruits. Fruits can be just as filling as chocolate or crisps, provide much more nutritional value, and contain fewer calories. They are just as quick and easy to eat, so even if you are super busy, fruits are the perfect snack food. Make sure you pack a few pieces of fruit into your bag each day, and then when hunger calls, you have them readily available.
Incorporate Vegetables into Every Meal.
This may sound like too much of an effort when your time is limited. However, if you choose suitable vegetables, it hardly takes up any of your time at all. Salads, carrots, celery, tomatoes are all convenient to buy and ready to eat. Boil up a couple of eggs and bring them with you; they are accessible, full of protein, and will keep you going.
Look for Lean Fish & Meats.
When you are busy and have forgotten to bring your healthy packed lunch, grabbing a quick burger, or hot dog might seem like the best option. However, there are plenty of healthier meat choices out there. Most hot deli counters allow you to buy a roasted chicken that is both tasty and nutritious. Most supermarkets also sell cooked chicken breast slices. Lean meats are just as quick to eat as burgers and hot dogs but provide your body with higher quality protein and no nasty added ingredients.
Get A Thermos Flask.
One bad habit I have noticed amongst busy people is that they regularly buy branded coffees. This doesn’t seem like such a bad habit on the surface. Still, when you consider that six of the drinks on the current Starbucks menu exceed the 300 calorie mark, it’s a habit that can quickly add over 1,000 empty calories to your week. So instead of hitting the coffee shops every day, get yourself a thermos flask and fill it with coffee or tea. Both these options will give you easy access to your favorite hot drink without adding hundreds or thousands of calories to your week.
Use Smoothies.
Smoothies are an excellent way to fit multiple fruits and vegetables into one convenient drink. The best part is they take just a few minutes to prepare. To make a smoothie, you first need to pick the fruits and vegetables you plan to use. Then, chop them up into chunks, place them in your blender, and add a few other optional ingredients if you like. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth, and pour the smoothie into a smoothie flask.
Use Your Freezer In The Right Way.
Your freezer is a valuable tool if you want to eat healthily and save time. If you know you will be having a hectic week, then cook up a large batch of healthy food at the start of the week. Divide it into individual servings and freeze these servings. Then on the days where you don’t have time to cook, simply get these frozen servings out of the freezer the night before and warm them up when you are ready to eat. Doing this will allow you to enjoy healthy, nutritious meals without having to cook every night.
Choose the Lesser Of Two Evils.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, events will conspire against you, and you won’t be able to eat healthily. You’ll accidentally leave your healthy lunch at home, the local shop near your work will have no fruits or vegetables left, and your only choice is to head to a fast-food outlet. In these situations, simply choose the lesser of the two evils. Take a look at the amount of salt, the calories, the number of trans fats in each option on the menu, and then choose the least damaging. This isn’t exactly healthy, but it’s making the most of a bad situation.
Summary.
Sticking to a healthy diet is tough at the best of times, but it can sometimes seem impossible when you are busy and stressed. We hope the tips in this article have shown you that eating healthy is not only possible but straightforward if you approach it in the right way. Eating junk food doesn’t do you or your body any good, so if you are one of those people who feel they are too busy to eat healthily, now is the time to change.