If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to eat more healthily, then you may be wondering how fitting this in with such a busy schedule is possible in a sustainable sense. Take heart: it not only can be done but is easier than ever before; use the no-hassle hacks below to build healthy eating into your daily life.
Meal Planning
Planning out a weekly menu is one of the best things you can do to keep on track with eating healthily. Getting home late from work, after a busy day, it’s too easy to grab the easiest thing that comes to hand from the fridge, regardless of the calorie count, or to phone for quick fast-food delivery.
Plan out some easy-to-prepare, nutritious meals in advance, and shop for these ingredients in good time, too, so that you need spend no time on an evening pondering what to eat and then finding a quick trip to the shop is in order. If you have a spare ten minutes in the morning before leaving for the office, why not chop vegetables, or measure out required portions in advance, to save time later and make it more likely that you’ll stick to the plan.
Help boost your resolve by batch cooking, too! If you’re preparing a casserole or a bolognese on the weekend, cook three rather than one, and pop the extra portions in the freezer, ready to pluck out for a healthy, easy meal on a weekday evening.
Choose A Healthy Food Delivery Company
You could opt for a grocery delivery company that specializes in healthy food so that you can be sure that everything in your fridge supports your goals. Click here for a review of Public Goods, one such healthy delivery company with a sustainable ethos that provides a range of high quality, vegan, and cruelty-free products that will help you eat more mindfully throughout the year.
Signing up to and regularly using a food delivery company for your weekly grocery shop can keep you on track: by making sure that you’re fridge and kitchen cupboards remain stocked with high-quality, nutritious items, you’ll be removing the risk of succumbing to phoning for a pizza or grazing on junk food in place of a proper meal.
Sensible Snacking
Snacking doesn’t need to be taken off the table if you’re committed to eating healthily; in fact, keeping your energy levels topped up throughout the day is likely to make your efforts more successful and keep you motivated – and full – too! But the nature of the snacks you choose is crucial.
Chopped fruit and nuts make for great choices – prepare small pots of these healthy treats the night before to take to work, or keep them next to you at your home office desk. Greek yogurt, boiled eggs, oatmeals, olives, or roasted chickpeas are other body-loving snacks that can replace chocolate or crisps. Speaking of chocolate, though: dark chocolate has several compelling health benefits and has been proven to promote a feeling of satiety, even when only a small amount is consumed. So there’s no need to deny yourself the odd square or two of dark chocolate.
Wonderful Water
Ensuring that you stay hydrated is crucial in the drive to eat healthily. Research has shown that the body’s thirst signals are commonly mistaken for hunger pangs; so, if you feel peckish between meals, try having a few sips of water to see if it’s this that your body is actually asking for.
Maintaining hydration is beneficial to the body, brain, and mind and can help everything from digestion to concentration to sleep and mood. Keep your fluid levels up by regularly drinking throughout the day. Men should aim to be drinking about 2.5 liters of water, and it’s 2 liters for women; this can be made up of water, milk, juice, tea, and coffee. You can also up your hydration by incorporating fruit and vegetables into your diet that have a particularly high water content, such as grapes, watermelon, and celery.
If you find water a little bland, then try adding a few slices of lemon and lime to a chilled jug of water, or even a teaspoon of cinnamon, which adds an interesting hint of flavor and a beautiful blush tinge to the liquid.
Eat Mindfully
The practice of mindfulness caught the public imagination last year, and the variety of benefits that it offers makes it likely that its popularity will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. Mindfulness means, in essence, being entirely present in the moment and in tune with your body, mind, and surroundings.
Incorporating mindfulness in terms of diet involves eating slowly and savoring each mouthful without background distractions such as your phone or tv. The proponents of this practice claim that it helps you be more attuned to your body’s ‘full’ signals and, therefore, unlikely to overeat. It’s also a good way of appreciating the food with which we nurture our bodies and the journey it has taken to get to our plates.
Small Changes For A Big Change
Just making a few little tweaks, and planning ahead, can make a huge difference to your healthy eating plans. Getting organized with meal planning and grocery deliveries and switching out some of your go-to snacks for healthier (yet delicious) options will see you head into 2022 healthier and happier than ever before!
