Many people find that their schedules are so packed that they aren’t eating as well as they should. This will catch up with you and cause problems in the long run, so you are wise to find a solution sooner versus later.
It’s one of our favourite excuses. I’d eat properly, but I just cannot. I’m too busy, my daily schedule is too tight. Won’t make, can’t do it. Unfortunately there is some truth in those statements, however, with some good will and effort, eating properly, that includes 6-8 meals a day, is doable.
Plan your meals
First of all you need a good plan. Lear what nutrients and when you shall be providing. Additionally find out how many calories a day you shall consume. It may seem difficult, but once you learn it, it’s no effort at all. Knowing what and when you shall eat will let you buy supplies once a week, preferably weekend. It’s a big advantage as you spend less time doing shopping, but also lets you stick to the plan during weekdays. No more time spent on going back to the shop, no excuses on being unable to prepare proper food.
Prepare food in advance
Try preparing food in advance. Some meals can be made earlier, some shall be made fresh. If you spend some time on preparing food over the weekend, you can easily freeze portions and simply use them during most busy working days. Similarly to doing shopping once a week, preparing most of meals in one go saves you time on cleaning after work. Yet another bonus. Once you have at least part of your food ready, you can spend just a fraction of time on preparing other meals, like salads. While making food during working days, try preparing more so that you have enough not only for the day you’re getting ready for, but also for the day after. People usually are fine with eating the same stuff in two to three consecutive days. You don’t have to cook every day and you only need to clean one mess. This can save you time again!
Avoid ready meals
Avoid buying ready meals. To save some time you can always buy diced or sliced meat. You can always buy frozen meat. I do agree that this is not necessarily prime quality meat, but saves you time on preparation and quite often is cheaper. Having canned fish from time to time isn’t a crime. Tins aren’t the healthiest option, but having them even once a week shouldn’t do any harm. Additional benefit is, that you can take a can like this to work place, consume constants and throw tin away – no cleaning afterwards! Sardines, mackerel, salmon and tuna are the most common options.
Buying vacuum packed smoked mackerel or salmon can be healthier option. Tuna steaks can be easily bought over the counter – simply fry them, it takes just 3 minutes a side! As for vegetables – if you don’t feel like peeling and cutting after a hard day, consider buying frozen ones. You can easily find mixes containing cauliflower, carrots, peas, broccoli, corn. Yet again, not the to notch quality, but they come pretty much ready to eat, once thawed, of course! Their value is slightly lower than of the fresh ones, but you cannot have everything!
Take food to work or school
Try getting a habit of taking food to work or school. Buy sealed food containers, so that nothing spills in your suitcase or backpack, as this would make some mess and more work in effect! You can choose between a few smaller boxes or one bigger. Smaller boxes allow you taking different types of meals, but are a pain in the back side when it goes to washing them. One big box is easier to wash, but you either need to match your meals, or make a proper commitment and stick to eating only as much as you should, not as much as is on your plate. Once you have your meals packed and ready, it takes less than 5 minutes to re-heat, if necessary, and eat one!
If above tips aren’t convincing, you may want to consider introducing supplements to your every day schedule, assuming you haven’t already done that. It is worth having them, just in case you have run out of food and you need something for a meal. Supplements are also useful when you know you’re going to have an extremely busy day – go ahead, prepare yourself a shake, it faster to take a few sips than to eat a proper meals. You may want to use only whey proteins, however there are proper meal replacements available as well. Please remember that supplements shall be treated as add-on to your diet, not a replacement of it, especially in a long run!
As you can see, with some good planning and effort, keeping proper eating habits is doable. You don’t have to master everything in one go. There’s nothing wrong in making mistakes, especially at the beginning. Some people are afraid of failures, therefore they don’t even start. And it’s better to start and fail from time to time, than not doing it at all.
