Embracing healthy eating sounds very easy until you try to combine that with a busy schedule.
It’s normal not to have time to prepare the full course, healthy meal as recommended by your trainer or doctor. That means you settle for what’s available, be it the tempting three-piece meal at the local fast-food restaurant or the fish and chips at the local hotel close to work.
Before you know it, you’ve basically eaten unhealthy meals for a couple of months and gained all the weight you thought you would have lost.
To avoid taking yourself back to square one and feeling miserable about it, embrace these healthy eating hacks no matter how crazy your day gets.
Create your go-to meals list
Research some of the meals that take a very short time to prepare and add these to the list of meals you already know how to prepare. This will give you a variety to choose from and widen your nutritional options.
You will also know what to shop for when you go grocery shopping so you won’t struggle when it’s time to prepare your meals and desserts when you finally have time to cook during the week.
Learn timesaving hacks
There are so many hacks online that can teach you some amazing timesaving cooking tips. These tips will show you how to cut down on cooking time as you prepare your favourite healthy meals and teach you how to keep them fresh for a longer period of time.
With those tips, you'll no longer see the need to eat convenient meals that aren't good for you, while you're on the move.
Find the healthiest thing on the menu
Whenever you're at a restaurant, don’t be tempted to go overboard. Find healthy substitutes for what you would normally eat.
Instead of having fried chicken with chips and a soda, eat a chicken salad with water or fruit juice. You could also try something new and possibly learn new delicious, yet healthy meal ideas.
Making those small changes will make a huge difference in your healthy eating journey.
Shop for healthy snacks
When you do your weekly or monthly shopping, look for healthy snacks you can reach for during the day. Some of the ones you can look into are oat bars, dried fruits and nuts.
When you already have your snacks with you, you won’t be tempted to buy snacks that might sabotage your healthy eating plans.
Prepare everything early
Prepare your meals in bulk during the weekends or whenever you have some free time. Think of what you want to have that week and spare a few hours to make everything at once instead of struggling during the week.
Store everything in the fridge and work your way through the prepared meals gradually before preparing the next batch. This will save you a lot of time and kill the cravings to buy unhealthy meals on your way home.
Eat moderately
Eating healthy doesn't mean you will never taste fries and burgers again. You're free to enjoy your favourite cheat meal every now and then but the trick is to make sure you're consuming them moderately.
Try and have half the portion you usually do or limit the times you buy these meals. You won’t feel guilty because at least you know you don’t usually eat those meals on a daily basis.