Can Healthy Eating Be Fast and Easy?

Sometimes the pursuit of the “good life” actually gets in the way of enjoying life the way we want. You can’t put your health on hold until you have more time.

But, are you ready for a major overhaul? Making big changes in your lifestyle, all at once, is too overwhelming for most.

Start small. Spend a quiet hour reflecting … what is most important in your life? Are you able to focus enough time on your health and family? What tasks are dragging you down? Can you delegate? Can you simplify?

Do you feel constantly pressured or worried about getting things done? Too much on your mind? Unburden your thoughts by making lists. I find that keeping a “to do” list on my computer frees up both paper clutter on my desk and the muddle in my brain.

Make healthy eating a habit

To save time and energy, and keep your diet on track, automate meals and snacks. What do I mean by automate? Pick 1 – 3 healthy meal or snack choices that you like and that are easy to prepare. Then have them over and over again.

If you prefer cereal with skim milk for breakfast, have it everyday. (Just pick a low-sugar, high-fiber cereal.) Or try 2 hard-boiled eggs, with or without whole-grain toast. Or yogurt, fruit, and nuts. The trick is to make your breakfast routine fast and easy, yet healthy and well-balanced. Just make sure that your meals include protein, healthy fats, and low glycemic carbohydrates. Avoid sugar, white flour, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, or too many processed foods.

For lunch, again put your meal on auto-pilot, especially if your daytime regimen is fairly routine. However, just make sure you steer away from the high calorie fare found at most restaurants and fast food joints. Pack your lunch. Include raw fruits and vegetables that don’t need preparation. Or if you do eat out, choose lower calorie alternatives by checking out the nutritional information ahead of time. Some online diet programs provide restaurant guides with nutrient data.

Here is the way I take my lunch to work. My methods are a little unconventional, but it works for me. I often stuff my purse or a lunch bag full of healthy foods packed in baggies. My staples are crisp raw carrot sticks, cut-up veggies like green, red, and yellow peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes, apples, a sandwich (I use a high protein, high fiber bread) with almond butter, nuts like almonds, cashews, or walnuts, hard-boiled eggs, low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, and an occasional low-calorie “treat”. I usually take about 500 calories worth of food with me for the work day. I graze on these snacks all day long while I continue working.

Make your own list of easy favorites. Try to include fruits, vegetables, and proteins in your daily choices.

If you have access to a refrigerator or microwave at work, consider soups, salads, or wraps. Leftover meat or side dishes from last night’s dinner can be served cold or heated up quickly.

Make a pot of soup or chili on the weekend to last all week. Store the soup in individual containers in the fridge or freezer.

The key to eating healthy is to develop a routine that works for you. It may initially require some thought and planning, and then some occasional tweaking. But the nice thing about a routine or habit is that it does not require much effort to maintain. It can become as easy as brushing your teeth or taking a shower.