One reason people fail to achieve their physique goals is they never quite get the nutritional part of the equation right. Exercise is only one part of the “better health and body” formula. We all know how easy it is to overcompensate for a workout by eating too much or making the wrong food choices, especially when pressed for time. The best way to avoid this fate is to plan ahead. You can’t “wing it” with your diet and expect to get stronger, leaner and more defined.
Without a little planning, you’ll encounter a time crunch and take the path of least resistance at meal time, which usually means grabbing something unhealthy on the go. It’s easy to make the wrong decision when you’re starving. Yes, it is possible to pick up something reasonably healthy at a fast-casual restaurant these days like a salad and a bowl of soup, but you’ll pay more for the convenience. With a little planning, you can eat healthy even when it seems like there aren’t enough hours in a day to prepare meals.
Healthy Meal Preparation: Cook Once, Eat Several Times
One time-tested trick is to spend one day cooking and eat for a week. A big pot of soup or stew filled with veggies and your choice of protein can quickly be transformed into a quick meal later in the work week by serving it with a salad. Keep frozen veggies on hand when you don’t feel like washing and prepping fresh ones. Surprisingly, frozen vegetables may be a better choice in terms of nutrition. They’re frozen at their peak of freshness locking in their nutrients until you’re ready to serve them. Fresh vegetables can lose some of their vitamins when they travel long distances or sit on supermarket shelves.
Another tip is to spend 20 minutes on Sunday washing and chopping vegetables and use the veggies in dishes later in the week. Cook up a pot of quinoa and refrigerate it along with the vegetables. When it’s time to prepare a meal, combine the quinoa and vegetables with a protein, like chicken or a plant-based protein source like tempeh, and a sauce and create a one-dish dinner bowl. Buy a bag of dried beans or lentils. Cook the entire bag and freeze what you can’t use right away.
Keep a jar of low-sugar marinara sauce on hand to add flavor to frozen vegetables. You can even make enough of one healthy recipe for multiple meals, serve one for dinner, and freeze the rest for later in the week. Roasted veggies are also quick and easy to prepare – and even veggie haters often find them edible.
One of the best sources of long-chain omega-3s, fats that help fight inflammation, is fatty fish. Preparing fish might not sound “doable” when you’re pressed for time, but fish preparation can be surprisingly quick and easy. Buy frozen wild-caught salmon or cod at the supermarket. Choose a low-sugar sauce to spread over the fish before baking in the oven for 30 minutes. Get creative with your sauces. Spinach-artichoke dip tastes delicious baked over a piece of cod. Add a salmon and frozen veggies lightly sauteed in olive oil and you have a low-calorie, antioxidant-rich meal that’s a good source of healthy fats – and so easy to make.
Healthy Meal Preparation: Power Up the Slow Cooker
When you have limited time to cook meals, hook up the slow cooker. Use it to prepare quinoa or another whole grain cereal overnight. When you wake up, add berries and nuts for antioxidants and healthy fats. Slow cookers are a “must have” when you’re time challenged. Soups, stews, chili are all a breeze to prepare with the help of this appliance you can program to cook a meal. For on-the-go protein, prepare hard-boiled eggs and refrigerate them. Heat one up and enjoy it with hot cereal in the morning. No excuse not to eat breakfast when it’s ready when you wake up.
Need more inspiration? Grab one of the popular recipe books that use only five ingredients and cookbooks devoted to “one pot” meals. More recipe writers are using short ingredient lists for people who don’t have time to cook.
Healthy Meal Preparation: What about Healthy To-Go Lunches and Snacks?
When you take your own lunch, you know what you’re getting – that’s not true when you eat lunch out. Grab a package of high-fiber, low-carb tortilla wraps and use them to create to-go wraps for lunch. Add a piece of fruit and you have a quick but satisfying lunch. Make a container of chicken or tuna salad and use it to fill wraps for the rest of the week. Chop up salad ingredients, enough for several days, and place them into Mason jars. In the morning, grab a Mason jar full of salad and add it to your lunch bag.
Don’t blow your healthy eating plan by not having a snack strategy. Resist those dangerously high-calorie office treats by carrying your own healthy snack packs to work. On Sunday, fill bags with nuts, seeds and other healthy treats to take to work. Low-sugar protein bars will work in a bind too.
When You Have to Eat Out
When you’re away on a business trip or on vacation, eating out may be your only option. If you’re in a decent-sized city, skip the restaurant and look for a natural food market with a hot and cold bar stocked with salads and healthy entrees you can buy by the pound. Most have a large selection of vegetables, fish and plant-based protein options freshly prepared with healthier cooking oils than the average restaurant uses.
If you’re working or vacationing in a new area, research healthy restaurant options online beforehand and plan your eating itinerary ahead of time, so you don’t end up compromising too much.
The Bottom Line
Eating healthy consistently takes commitment and motivation, but it’s worth it. The key is to plan ahead so you don’t end up relying on convenience foods. Turn healthy meal planning into a challenge and an adventure. Use these tips to make it a little easier.
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