In this day and age, everything moves with the clock. Amid all this hustle and bustle, one does not find enough time to fixate on eating or sleeping.
However, this routine and negligence are significantly affecting your health. ‘Eat healthy, sleep well, and exercise daily,’ this mantra is all over the mainstream media, health blogs, and magazines for a reason. But the problem is, who has the time to follow this mantra? After all, we are talking about an age where time is money; it is above money.
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10 Ways To Eat Healthy
Despite all the justifications you give yourself, like time shortage, etc., you need to realize that if you do not care what you put in your mouth (or how frequently you do so), you will eventually exhaust and lose in this race of life.
So, here are some ways to eat healthy without disturbing your tight schedule.
1. Plan it all
Planning does not imply chalking out a formal meal plan every week or even writing it at all, for that matter. You have to spend just five minutes looking over your calendar. Decide which meals you will eat next week and where you will eat them.
It is not difficult to manage, as you can do it while sitting in a cab, chatting with your colleagues, or checking your emails before bed.
You can incorporate your gadget into making your meal plan. The Note section of your smartphone is going to come in quite handy. Just jot down what you plan to eat in the coming week. It will significantly help, as you will not have to put much thought into your eating plans for the entire week.
Planning also saves a lot in terms of grocery waste. You can also track what and how much you are eating. That is necessary if your diet, do portion control, or even put on a few pounds.
2. Slow down
It is the simplest way to eat healthily. Your eating speed determines how much you eat and how many pounds you will gain. Numerous studies can confirm this relation between your pace of eating and the quantity of your food intake.
According to the evidence, fast eaters have 155 percent more chances of being obese than slow eaters. The connection between the two is that of hormones. Your hormones send a signal to your brain when you are hungry.
Your brain receives and comprehends these messages in 20 minutes. So, when you eat fast, you will keep eating until your hormones signal to your brain that you are full. At this time, you will have eaten much more than you required.
Moreover, studies have shown that eating slowly can cut the calories you take in at meals, and thus, it helps you lose weight.
Several other studies have indicated that eating slowly entails chewing, which is also a great source of weight maintenance. It improves your metabolism and digestion. Hence, you can make a lot of difference in your dietary style by eating slowly. You must have heard ‘haste is waste,’ so do not waste all your hard work on healthy eating only by hasty eating.
You may be in a hurry and think to gobble down a few bites and rush to read a few points for a meeting after the lunch break. But, it can become your daily routine and lead you to obesity.
3. Prepare
This is another routine change that you need to make. If you go to a dine-in for your meals, you must have noticed that your dinner bill alone consumes a large portion of your salary. Not only this, but also it is not a good sign if you are trying to eat healthily.
If you think eating outside will save you time, you are sadly mistaken. You cannot keep this routine long, as it is expensive and unhealthy.
Want to fix your meals at home and that too in lesser time?
Take an hour or two and prepare food for the days ahead. Use your weekends to do little chores like making gravy and freezing it, or set aside the essential items you know will be required to cook the meal you have already planned.
You can also precook some ingredients or even fix entire meals beforehand. Chopping all the produce on your weekend will also help you throughout the week. These simple and minor items are going to make a lot of difference. Not only will they relieve you of the tension of choosing which place to go or what to eat, but they will also give you a constructive thing to do.
Also, when you are on to make one thing and have turned the stove/oven on, why not get done all the oven-related items at the same time? Multitasking is not only for work; you can also apply that in the kitchen and save time.
You may have much spare time with the handoff meal, even when cooking. During this time, you can do other chores like cutting the vegetables for the salad you would make for your lunch the next day.
If you do not like cooking, you can also outsource the job. You can heed those meal delivery services that will cook for you. Many companies out there create delicious meals suiting your dietary needs. Most of these companies provide frozen meals; however, many have started delivering fresh meals now.
Moreover, if you want to cook for yourself but do not know how to, you can try a healthy meal-kit subscription. From that, you can also learn new skills and get the ingredients for each recipe.
4. Choose whole-grain bread
This slight change in your diet will drastically impact your health. When shopping now, do not take the traditional refined-grain bread; put the whole-grain bread in your cart.
Researchers consider refined grain a source of many health issues, while whole grains have been associated with several health benefits.
Many studies have shown that consuming whole grains can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Moreover, whole grains are a great source of Vitamin B, fiber, and minerals like iron, zinc, manganese, and magnesium. Also, you would not have to worry about taste or monotony, as whole-grain bread is available in different varieties, and several taste better than refined bread.
However, do not forget to read the label. Make sure that the bread is made of whole grains rather than a mixture of refined and whole grains. Go for the bread that contains whole seeds, for it will be pure and healthier.
Also, check out these 15 Simple Food Swaps for Healthy Eating.
5. Always make a list before shopping
There are two ground rules when it comes to grocery shopping. First, always make your shopping list ahead, and second, never go to the store hungry. You will be much more impulsive if you have come unequipped in the store, and hunger will only add to your impulses.
Once you have made a list, always stick to it, even if you are dying to try that new cereal, the ad of which you have been watching for weeks. Doing so will help you keep your promise of eating healthy and save many bucks.
6. Shop online
It is preferable to do your grocery online. There will be a delivery charge involved, but you will save a lot of time, and there may be fewer chances of caving into your impulses.
You will not have to spend time traveling to and from the store in online grocery shopping. Moreover, you will not have to interact with strangers. For some, this is going to be a great blessing. Another perk of online shopping is that most online stores remember your preferences and ensure your required items do not run out.
However, if you do not like shopping online or have trust issues, you should keep the grocery list with you and avoid extra spending.
7. Eat Eggs in your breakfast
Eggs are a power factory, and they become even healthier when you eat them in the morning. As per the studies comparing several calorie-matched breakfast types, eggs come first.
Many studies indicate that eating eggs for breakfast increase satiety. This breakfast allows people to consume fewer calories over the next 36 hours, which helps significantly with weight loss. Another study of healthy and fit young men shows that eggs increase satiety, resulting in less hunger and a relatively lower desire to eat, compared to cereals or croissants containing breakfast.
Participants who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 270-470 fewer calories at lunch and dinner buffets than those who ate other items for breakfast. Therefore, a mere step of adding eggs to your breakfast can improve your health a lot. Also, fixing an
egg-containing breakfast will take less time and entail much variety. It will save you from boredom, as you can have boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, etc.
8. Choose water over beverages
Drinking enough water will tackle most of your worries. Several studies have proven that drinking water can help in weight maintenance and loss and even contribute to the number of calories you burn daily.
Evidence also shows that drinking water before meals can give you satiety and even reduce the calorie intake in the next meal. Drinking water instead of beverages can cut your sugar and calorie intake.
Another study has shown that people who drink adequate water have reduced consumption of calories by 200 per day compared to individuals who drink other beverages.
9. Choose baked or roasted over grilling or frying
How you cook your food can have a drastic influence on your health. The standard methods for preparing fish and meat are broiling, frying, and deep-frying, which is unsuitable for health.
These cooking methods lead to the generation of several potentially toxic compounds like advanced glycation end products (AGEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).
Studies have repeatedly proven that these compounds can cause cancer, heart, and other serious diseases. Therefore, you should use healthier cooking methods like boiling, simmering, baking, slow cooking, pressure cooking, poaching, and stewing.
According to several studies, these methods do not lead to the formation of any of the aforementioned harmful compounds and thus make the food healthier. That does not mean you cannot indulge in deep-fried fish or grilled chicken. It would be best if you did not eat them frequently.
10. Do not eat and work at the same time.
Multitasking is good, but not when it comes to eating. Set your work aside when it is lunchtime. Munching salad while giving a final touch to your presentation can be disastrous to your waistline. Eating and working at a time takes longer than doing these tasks separately.
Moreover, when you focus on the lunch entirely, you return to your desk afresh. That will enhance your productivity for the following hours. Better take your lunch outdoors and enjoy eating in the fresh air.
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Conclusion
Making healthy eating a part of your busy lifestyle can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By discovering these 10 easy and practical ways to eat healthy even with a busy schedule, you can say goodbye to fast food and hello to a healthier you.
From meal prepping to choosing healthy snacks, these tips are designed to fit seamlessly into your busy day-to-day routine. So why not take the first step towards a healthier you today? Start implementing these small changes and see how they can lead to significant health benefits. Your body and mind will thank you for it!
