Working nine-to-five? How to still eat healthy!
Life can get pretty hectic these days. Working eight hours per day, sleeping eight hours per night (or trying to!), commuting to and from the office, shopping for food, cooking meals, staying fit, seeing friends and family… and that’s not even the half of it. With so much going on, it can be hard to stay balanced and when I get too busy it’s often the food and fitness that start to slip.
While on the hypoallergenic diet to cure my IBS, slipping was not an option. I got stuck in and committed to knowing exactly what was in every meal for at least six to eight weeks. A lot of my allowed foods could only be found at specialty stores, adding extra time to my shopping trips. I soon realised what a shame it is that food preparation traditions have gone out the window in this work-hard-play-hard day and age. Food shouldn’t be so stressful. It also shouldn’t be something to whack down your throat while you run from the office to a meeting. How can we change our eating habits and prioritise good-quality food? How can we say no to packaged, process meals when our lifestyles make it so easy to opt for the alternative? The answer is, because it’s worth it. Carina Norris wasn’t wrong when she wrote You Are What You Eat. If we eat crap, we feel like crap, and yet we still try and cram our days fill of activities. If we have more energy, we can fit even more into our happy, healthy days, can we not??!
Here are a few tips I picked up along the way that help make good eating a priority:
Plan a menu
Yes, of course this would be the first, obvious tip, but I don’t know many people who plan out their meals for the week. I like to think of one meal I specifically want to have that week, work out what’s in that, then see if I can reuse some of the ingredients in the other meals. That way, I buy less at the market and have less chance of wasting any food. I also never throw out any food unless I really have to. If something is on its last legs (not that I let it get that bad!) I’ll transform it into something delicious! Try using an online recipe finder – such as this one from HFG – that lets you search by a meal’s main ingredient and pick the one that needs the least additions.
There are plenty more benefits of forward meal planning. You’ll have more than enough time to pre-soak any beans or grains you might need, and if you add your social commitments into the schedule, you’ll know when you’ll have more time to prepare things and when you might need to whip up something fast, like a stirfry. Remember it probably takes longer to order and wait for many fast food items than it does to make a quick, healthy dish!
Stock your pantry
Fill up your cupboards with staples such as legumes, nuts, seeds, cans of tomatoes and coconut milk, spices and grains and keep some organic frozen veges (such as spinach and beans) in your freezer. Even with just these few basics you could make a lentil and spinach curry on rice. Voila!
BYO snacks
We all know you’re more likely to grab something on the go if you’re hungry. Be prepared for those in-between times with healthy home baking (such as this delicious cake), nuts and seeds, fruit, hummus and fresh vege sticks, home-popped popcorn, rice crackers and nut butter… the list goes on! Keep some of these items at work, in your handbag (or manbag…), car, or wherever you might need them.
Make double and save your leftovers
I notice that if I serve dinner from a big pot on the table it’ll usually all get gobbled up, even if there’s more than enough food. Instead, I often make double quantities and immediately spoon the spare servings into freezer-ready containers as I’m dishing up that night’s meal. I can either take them for tomorrow’s lunch or pop them in the freezer for an emergency. Some meals – like soups, curries, chillies etc. – freeze better than others.
Eat for energy
Wholegrains will keep you fuller for longer, making it less likely you’ll turn to processed food for a hunger fix. Start the day with something filling and nutritious, like organic porridge, and include lean proteins and unsaturated fats in your lunches and dinners.
Share the load (if you can!)
Find a friend who wants to swap a cooking night every now and then; you cook a healthy meal one week, then they take a turn. Or share out the shopping/cooking roles with someone else in your household. Try and make it fun, rather than a chore!
Do you struggle to find time to cook healthy meals? Any tips for how to get by? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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