If you're busy like me (and let's face it, in today's world, who isn't?), eating healthy can seem a chore at best, and nearly impossible at worst. Who really has time to prepare a home-cooked meal from scratch every day? This can seem especially difficult if you're trying to feed a family with both parents working full time.
However, the good news is that it can be done - and it may be easier than you think...
With a little advance planning, and a bit of creativity and flexibility, you'll find yourself eating healthy, delicious homemade meals on a regular basis, which will not only have a positive impact on your long-term health, but also on your wallet!
Below are 4 tips to help you eat healthier every day, no matter how cram-packed your schedule seems, or how many kids you have to shuttle to soccer practice or dance class.
However, the good news is that it can be done - and it may be easier than you think...
With a little advance planning, and a bit of creativity and flexibility, you'll find yourself eating healthy, delicious homemade meals on a regular basis, which will not only have a positive impact on your long-term health, but also on your wallet!
Below are 4 tips to help you eat healthier every day, no matter how cram-packed your schedule seems, or how many kids you have to shuttle to soccer practice or dance class.
Today's ultra-busy modern lifestyle can wreak havoc on your waistline - and your long-term health. When you're constantly in a rush, it's so easy to just grab a bag of potato chips from the vending machine at work for lunch, or swing through the drive-through on your way home to pick up fast food for dinner. But a diet of mass-produced processed foods is taking its toll on our health, with the U.S. facing some of the worst modern disease rates in the developed world. We are constantly at the top of the list when it comes to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. While there may certainly be other factors at play, there is no doubt that most of these diseases have dietary causes.
It's time to make a change - not just for yourself, but for your family as well. Recent estimates suggest that the current generation of children may have a shorter lifespan than their parents. In a country with a developed infrastructure, sanitation, and access to clean water and food, this should NOT happen! Set an example for your children and others by making healthier food choices, starting today.
Here are 4 ways to make eating healthy easier - even if you're constantly on the go.
1.) Do Your Meal Prep Ahead of Time
It can be difficult to fit cooking into a busy schedule between work, picking up the kids, hitting the gym, and keeping up with your social life. But planning ahead can make a world of difference, and can even turn cooking from a chore into a pleasure if you let it!
Even without kids, my husband and I have found it is MUCH easier for us to cook healthy meals at home throughout the week if we plan our our menu on the weekend. (It's also much easier on our marriage since we're not constantly stressed and fighting about what's for dinner!) :-)
Sit down together for a few minutes on the weekend as a family and decide what you will make for dinner each night of the week - and who is responsible for preparing what. If you have children, they can actually be a great help in the kitchen - and you will be teaching them valuable skills that they can benefit from as they grow into self-sufficient adults. Give everyone a task for each meal - and ensure they know what they will be responsible for in advance so there's no confusion or excuses. (Try this Free Menu Plan to get you started.)
Then it's time to hit the grocery store. Make a list of all the items you will need for each meal, and try to pick them all up at once. Even if you have to make another trip during the week, it's a lot better than flying by the seat of your pants and making multiple shopping trips daily which waste time and energy, and often lead to extra "impulse" buys.
Then, chop and prepare some of the fresh ingredients in advance. (This is a great task to delegate to kids or your spouse!) While you don't want to cut everything up too far in advance, as some fruits and vegetables can lose nutrients when they are cut, chopping things the day before - or a couple of days before - and storing them in an air-tight container is fine, and can really help speed things along when you're cooking a late weeknight dinner in a hurry.
Also, learn to see leftovers as your friend! We like to cook up a big pot of something on Sunday night. That way we have plenty left over for lunch on Monday and even Tuesday. Prepping and cooking meals ahead of time can help ensure that the entire family has healthy, home-cooked meals throughout the week.
It's time to make a change - not just for yourself, but for your family as well. Recent estimates suggest that the current generation of children may have a shorter lifespan than their parents. In a country with a developed infrastructure, sanitation, and access to clean water and food, this should NOT happen! Set an example for your children and others by making healthier food choices, starting today.
Here are 4 ways to make eating healthy easier - even if you're constantly on the go.
1.) Do Your Meal Prep Ahead of Time
It can be difficult to fit cooking into a busy schedule between work, picking up the kids, hitting the gym, and keeping up with your social life. But planning ahead can make a world of difference, and can even turn cooking from a chore into a pleasure if you let it!
Even without kids, my husband and I have found it is MUCH easier for us to cook healthy meals at home throughout the week if we plan our our menu on the weekend. (It's also much easier on our marriage since we're not constantly stressed and fighting about what's for dinner!) :-)
Sit down together for a few minutes on the weekend as a family and decide what you will make for dinner each night of the week - and who is responsible for preparing what. If you have children, they can actually be a great help in the kitchen - and you will be teaching them valuable skills that they can benefit from as they grow into self-sufficient adults. Give everyone a task for each meal - and ensure they know what they will be responsible for in advance so there's no confusion or excuses. (Try this Free Menu Plan to get you started.)
Then it's time to hit the grocery store. Make a list of all the items you will need for each meal, and try to pick them all up at once. Even if you have to make another trip during the week, it's a lot better than flying by the seat of your pants and making multiple shopping trips daily which waste time and energy, and often lead to extra "impulse" buys.
Then, chop and prepare some of the fresh ingredients in advance. (This is a great task to delegate to kids or your spouse!) While you don't want to cut everything up too far in advance, as some fruits and vegetables can lose nutrients when they are cut, chopping things the day before - or a couple of days before - and storing them in an air-tight container is fine, and can really help speed things along when you're cooking a late weeknight dinner in a hurry.
Also, learn to see leftovers as your friend! We like to cook up a big pot of something on Sunday night. That way we have plenty left over for lunch on Monday and even Tuesday. Prepping and cooking meals ahead of time can help ensure that the entire family has healthy, home-cooked meals throughout the week.
2.) Take Shortcuts If You Really Need To
While buying whole produce is cheaper and generally healthier than pre-cut, if you're really pressed for time, it can be a great time saver. If you're feeling like you just won't have time to cut everything up for that Wednesday dinner when you have that late meeting, go ahead and grab some pre-prepped produce for that meal. Try not to make it a habit, but don't beat yourself up about it if you have to take a shortcut once in a while.
Just try to choose organic if you can, and if possible, purchase produce that was processed at your local grocery store, which is likely fresher and more nutritious than commercial packaged brands, which may have spent days or weeks in transit. Look for fresh trays of chopped veggies in the refrigerator case that have the store label on them, rather than pre-packaged plastic bags from the large commercial brands.
3.) Don't Forget Frozen
While it's true that there are a ton of unhealthy foods in the frozen foods aisle, it's not all bad news. In fact, some frozen fruits and veggies are actually more nutritious than the fresh produce at the supermarket! This is because, as previously mentioned, most produce starts to lose nutrients once it is cut. As soon as it is harvested, the nutritional benefits of that plant often begin to deteriorate. However, most frozen produce today is frozen almost immediately after picking, which means that it may actually retain more nutrients than fresh produce, which may have been picked a week or so before you buy it. (Obviously, fresh from your own garden is better than frozen, but I'm guessing if you don't have time to cook, you probably don't have time to grow your own food.) :-)
Frozen food is easy to keep stocked in the freezer without worrying about it going bad if you don't use it up within a few days, and most frozen items are conveniently pre-chopped, so they make meal planning a snap.
As with fresh, choose organic frozen produce when possible. Fruit, veggies, and seafood are all good choices from the freezer case - and frozen fruit makes a tasty snack or dessert for kids and adults alike. Speaking of snacks...
4.) Stock Up On Healthy Snacks
Snacking can be the downfall of even the healthiest eater. It's so easy to succumb to the allure of chips, candy, or doughnuts if they're sitting there staring at you when you're hungry. On the other hand, eating healthy can be nearly automatic if you have a healthy snack at your fingertips whenever you find yourself getting hungry between meals. Again, this takes a little advance planning, but it's so worth it!
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter and your desk at work. Keep some nuts and seeds such as almonds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds in baggies in your desk drawer. Boil up a dozen eggs on the weekend, and eat them throughout the week as a fast, satisfying and protein-packed snack. Fresh berries in a cup of plain yogurt are delicious. And dark chocolate (in moderation) can help satisfy your sweet tooth during that afternoon slump.
It makes it a lot easier to avoid the junk when you have healthy and delicious snack options on hand that you can grab as needed throughout your busy day. And don't forget to send some to school with the kids as well!
These 4 tips can make it a lot more effortless to eat healthier no matter how busy you are.
Do you have any favorite tips for eating healthy on the go?
Share below, or chime in on our Facebook page!
Rose.
While buying whole produce is cheaper and generally healthier than pre-cut, if you're really pressed for time, it can be a great time saver. If you're feeling like you just won't have time to cut everything up for that Wednesday dinner when you have that late meeting, go ahead and grab some pre-prepped produce for that meal. Try not to make it a habit, but don't beat yourself up about it if you have to take a shortcut once in a while.
Just try to choose organic if you can, and if possible, purchase produce that was processed at your local grocery store, which is likely fresher and more nutritious than commercial packaged brands, which may have spent days or weeks in transit. Look for fresh trays of chopped veggies in the refrigerator case that have the store label on them, rather than pre-packaged plastic bags from the large commercial brands.
3.) Don't Forget Frozen
While it's true that there are a ton of unhealthy foods in the frozen foods aisle, it's not all bad news. In fact, some frozen fruits and veggies are actually more nutritious than the fresh produce at the supermarket! This is because, as previously mentioned, most produce starts to lose nutrients once it is cut. As soon as it is harvested, the nutritional benefits of that plant often begin to deteriorate. However, most frozen produce today is frozen almost immediately after picking, which means that it may actually retain more nutrients than fresh produce, which may have been picked a week or so before you buy it. (Obviously, fresh from your own garden is better than frozen, but I'm guessing if you don't have time to cook, you probably don't have time to grow your own food.) :-)
Frozen food is easy to keep stocked in the freezer without worrying about it going bad if you don't use it up within a few days, and most frozen items are conveniently pre-chopped, so they make meal planning a snap.
As with fresh, choose organic frozen produce when possible. Fruit, veggies, and seafood are all good choices from the freezer case - and frozen fruit makes a tasty snack or dessert for kids and adults alike. Speaking of snacks...
4.) Stock Up On Healthy Snacks
Snacking can be the downfall of even the healthiest eater. It's so easy to succumb to the allure of chips, candy, or doughnuts if they're sitting there staring at you when you're hungry. On the other hand, eating healthy can be nearly automatic if you have a healthy snack at your fingertips whenever you find yourself getting hungry between meals. Again, this takes a little advance planning, but it's so worth it!
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter and your desk at work. Keep some nuts and seeds such as almonds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds in baggies in your desk drawer. Boil up a dozen eggs on the weekend, and eat them throughout the week as a fast, satisfying and protein-packed snack. Fresh berries in a cup of plain yogurt are delicious. And dark chocolate (in moderation) can help satisfy your sweet tooth during that afternoon slump.
It makes it a lot easier to avoid the junk when you have healthy and delicious snack options on hand that you can grab as needed throughout your busy day. And don't forget to send some to school with the kids as well!
These 4 tips can make it a lot more effortless to eat healthier no matter how busy you are.
Do you have any favorite tips for eating healthy on the go?
Share below, or chime in on our Facebook page!
Rose.
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