Figuring out how to make time for healthier food in your life is something that will boost your health more than anything else. If you can get it right, you will almost always experience massive benefits, many of which you don’t expect.
But, of course, actually carving out a few hours in your calendar to make it happen is challenging. You want to make time for food, but you don’t seem to be able to make it work.
That’s where this post can help. It explores how you can make space for healthy eating and incorporate it into how you live and what you prioritize.
Change Your Mindset
As with all things like this, the first place you want to focus on is your mindset. If you have the wrong ideas and attitudes, you’ll find it almost impossible to prioritize healthy eating.
Therefore, start small with healthier options and build from there. For example, instead of snacking on chips, you could focus on nuts.
Then, as you go through this process, remind yourself of the benefits of doing it. Try to remember why it is so important to you.
Lastly, if you do get something wrong on the journey, don’t dwell on it. Instead, move on and forget it ever happened. If you look back, reflect and start to feel guilty, that can actually make your internal dialogue with yourself even worse.
Make Healthy Choices When You Go Out
Another thing you’ll want to do is look into how you can make healthier choices when you go out. Choosing the right foods and locations is critical.
If you can go to a juice bar and coffee shop all in one, that’s handy. These venues will often make juices from fresh vegetables ordered in the morning for you, giving you a quick health kick.
If you can find a restaurant that only uses real ingredients, that’s a good idea, too. These are handy when you want to minimize risks and maximize nutritional bang for your buck.
If you can go for steamed and baked over fried dishes, that’s also a good idea. Usually, restaurants will adjust your order to your requirements, depending on what you need.
As for portion control, keep this to a minimum. Many people go out to restaurants and use it as an excuse to eat as much as possible. However, even a lot of healthy food can ultimately wind up being unhealthy if you over-consume it.
Research Menus
Related to the last point, it’s also worth researching menus ahead of time so you know what to order. Learning about the food, the shape it takes, and so on, is critical. Once you know what you’re going to order, it removes the element of surprise and gives you back your power. You’re no longer feeling pressured and guessing what’s going to come with a specific meal.
Optimize Your Schedule
Optimizing your schedule is another way to make more time for healthy eating. If you can remove more unnecessary tasks from your regimen, you may find that you can eat better.
Many people with busy work lives during the week focus on cooking in bulk on the weekend. Preparing food in batches, say, in the form of a chilli, is usually a good idea. Then, you can use portion containers and simply freeze food for Thursday and Friday.
If you can double up your cooking, that’s also a similar idea. Here, you make a double portion so you have food for lunch the following day, and don’t need to scrabble around, thinking about what you should eat while you’re hungry.
It might also be worth hiring household help or a chef to do the cooking for you, especially if you’re really busy that week. If they can take care of all of this, you’re free to roam and do whatever it is that you need to do.
Include Healthy Eating In Your Routine
It sounds obvious and trite, but it is also a good idea to include healthy eating in your routine if you are struggling to find time for it these days. For example, if you want breakfast on the go, make overnight oats the night before and leave it in the fridge. Then, simply grab it when you wake up and start munching on it.
Another option is to make a quick smoothie with banana, almond butter, and protein powder. These are extremely healthy and quick, and great if you’re just about to hit the gym.
For work, buy a Tupperware and start assembling your salads from the base up. Begin with things like quinoa, then add the vegetables, then top with your protein source, usually beans.
If you can keep healthy snacks around, like nuts and Greek yogurt, these can be great when you’re too busy taking calls to prepare anything.
Master Fast And Healthy Recipes
If you think that all healthy recipes require a long time to cook and prepare, then think again. It turns out that a lot of the best meals involve cutting up a few veggies and throwing them in the pot.
Many people who eat healthily simply learn 3 to 5 main meals that cover all those basics and then eat them daily during the week. Many of these require less than 10 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time. If you make them in a big pot and store them in the refrigerator overnight, you can simply heat them up the next day for a quick meal. It’s that simple.
Simplify Seasonings
Related to this last point, you can combine various seasonings in jars on the weekend so you’re not measuring out each herb and spice one by one. If you can combine them, then seasonings for each meal become considerably easier, allowing you to use your time more efficiently. Just remember to opt for low-sodium options if you want to make your meals healthier.
