Healthy Eating For Busy People
Life can get so busy that people tend to put healthy eating in the backseat.
But that can prevent you from reaching your nutritional and health goals.
When you think you don’t have enough time to prepare healthy foods using fresh ingredients or to eat a proper meal, that can make you grab the easiest and most convenient foods that you can find (and that usually ends up being fast food or junk food).
Those are often packed with unwanted calories and very few nutrients.
Unfortunately, poor eating habits can take a toll on your overall health and wellness.
So in this post, I’m sharing a roundup of practical tips on how to eat healthy despite your busy schedule.
Healthy Eating For Busy People
Make a high-protein breakfast a priority
As you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Starting your day with a high-protein breakfast will keep you full longer, give you the energy you need throughout the day, and help you build muscle and burn fat. Lean protein is so important for a healthy diet.
The most common high-protein food people eat for breakfast is eggs. They’re easy and quick to make, you can add veggies to them, meat, cheese, and any sides you like.
They’re perfect for busy people, as they take less than 10 minutes to make.
If you just drink coffee for breakfast, it’s a habit you should try changing, as having a high-protein breakfast is a great thing you can do for your health.
Pre-portion snacks
You might be tired of hearing this, but drinking water is so important for your health. It’s not only great and important for weight loss, but it greatly impacts your health.
You need to stay hydrated all the time.
If this is something you struggle with, there are a few easy ways you can start drinking more water.
The first one is to buy a big water bottle, and have it with you all the time.
The second one is to set a reminder on your phone to remind you to drink water. There are even some apps that can do that for you. It’s a great way for busy people to be reminded to drink water often.
Drink a lot of water
It’s generally a good idea not to eat right before going to bed.
You need to give your body time to process and digest the food before you go to bed, so don’t eat at least a few hours before sleeping.
It’s also a good idea that if you eat at night, you don’t eat calorie-heavy foods.
Pack your own snacks
Another important thing for building healthy habits, is making a meal plan. While you might think you don’t have time for that with your hectic schedule and busy life, it will actually save you so much time.
Making healthy meal plans will help you do grocery shopping quickly and easily, it will help you always know what you’re eating the next day so you don’t have to spend time brainstorming meal ideas, and it will allow you to organize your day.
Include lots of fruit and veggies, lean protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbs in your meal plan.
If you have a busy schedule, think about meals that are quick and easy to make, such as stir-fries, stews, salads, soups, and similar.
You can have lean protein as the main part of your lunches and dinners, and then make healthy side dishes to go with that.
Make a meal plan
Exercising more will definitely help you jumpstart your weight loss journey.
Cardio and strength training are both important for your fitness goals - they will help you burn calories faster, and get toned.
If you don’t like going to the gym, don’t worry, you don’t have to. There are many other ways to exercise - you can do yoga, pilates, go to dance classes, ride a bike, hike, run, take up a sport, and so on.
Find something you enjoy and something you can actually stick to long-term. Remember, you want to develop healthy habits long-term, not just lose weight and go back to your old unhealthy habits.
Do meal prep
Once you have a meal plan, do can actually meal prep in advance.
You can prepare whole meals in advance, or just some parts of them.
For example, you can dedicate a day, for example Sunday, for meal prepping your meals for the next few days. That way, when you’re busy with work during the week, you just need to take out the meal out of your fridge, and reheat it.
Or, you can meal prep some ingredients, and use them to quickly make a meal.
This is an amazing tip for healthy eating for busy people.
Make healthier choices at restaurants
A tip that takes no time but makes a difference, is making healthier choices at restaurants.
When eating out, we tend to think we’re automatically messing up our healthy diets, so we don’t even try to order something healthy.
However, there are so many healthy options in almost all restaurants, you just need to make a habit of making healthier choices. Get salads, meat, and veggies, soups, etc. You can even swap some parts of a meal for healthier things - swap out a side of fries for a side of rice or grilled veggies, for example.
Make easy swaps
Speaking of swaps, there are so many easy changes you can make to practice healthy eating.
Swap fried food for baked or steamed food. Swap potato chips for veggie chips. Swap fried chicken for grilled or baked chicken. Swap a Starbucks frappuccino for a cup of black coffee. Swap sodas for freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Making those small changes will really make a difference, and even the busiest people can make them.
Practice mindful eating
Think about the food you’re eating, while you’re eating it. Limit the distractions, so you can actually figure out when you’re full, and when you should stop eating.
It will help you stop overeating.
Pay attention to your drinks
When we’re trying to eat healthier and make healthy eating habits, we sometimes forget about what we drink.
Drinks can have so much added sugar and calories, so it’s very important we drink healthy drinks as well.
Instead of sodas, sugary drinks, alcohol, and milkshakes, opt for water, fresh juice, regular coffee, and tea.
Eat all food groups
The key to healthy eating is having a balanced diet. So make sure you add all necessary food groups to your meal plan. Lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, healthy carbs - everything you need to fuel your body.
Pack your lunch
Instead of buying your lunch out, pack it. If you meal plan and meal prep, it will be easy to just grab the lunch you already prepared, and bring it with you to work.
Ordering food or grabbing it on your lunch break usually leads to making not-so-healthy choices.
Stock your freezer
Prepare some healthy meals, and put them in your freezer. That way, when you’re extra busy and don’t have time to cook, you can just unfreeze them and have a healthy meal ready to eat.
Buy frozen fruits and veggies
To save time on washing and cutting your fruits and veggies, you can buy bags of frozen produce. They are not less nutritious than fresh produce, but they make the cooking process a tiny bit quicker.
Use handy kitchen tools
Another great tip for busy people who are trying to have a healthy lifestyle is to use handy kitchen tools. If you’re preparing your own food, you know it’s always great when you can make a part of it quicker. So, having a food chopper that chops onions and carrots for you, can make a difference sometimes.