Tips for Eating Healthy Fast
So many of us use time as an excuse to get out of eating healthy. You might say I don’t have
time to plan a meal or I don’t have time to pre-cook food but I do believe I can help you find
some time to do just this, and I know I can help you find time to grab food to go in a healthy
way! So often when we go out to eat we choose food that we may not eat at home and while I
think splurging every once in a while is great, if you eat out all the time these calories tend to
add up. Did you know that the average Chipotle burrito has 1000 calories in it and the average
dine-in meal in a restaurant has 1200-1500 calories! These numbers are at least one half if not
more of the calories you should consume in a day. So figure you are eating out multiple times a
day or multiple times a week, this adds up to pounds on your body and more than weight, stress
on your body which can lead to other health conditions. So now let’s get to it! How can you eat
healthy fast!
● Start with a plan, this does not have to be fancy, stick to this rule, start your day with a
protein, limit the amount of carbs and sugars in your morning meal. Say a smoothie, or
eggs. Hardboiling eggs takes 10 minutes and the active time that you have to be
involved in a hardboiled egg is roughly 2 minutes.
● Next move on to lunch.. Salads are a great option and they can be as simple as a
bagged salad but watch the dressing, only use about 1 TBSP of the dressing. Try to
include some sort of protein in your lunch, a lean meat, tofu, fish or beans. As well, try
to include a fat, avocado, olive oil, nuts, olives. Don’t tell me you don’t have time to
make a lean protein. All of the items I listed are in the pre-cooked section of the grocery
stores. Just pop some chicken or fish on top of a bagged salad and voila a healthy
lunch!
● Dinner is a little trickier but still very doable! One of my favorite go to dinners is grilled
chicken breasts with veggies. Almost all of this dinner can be cooked in under 15
minutes. Start with a chicken breast, you can season it with salt and pepper and a little
olive oil, and throw it on the grill or a grill pan. The veggie hack is my favorite! Who has
time to chop and prep veggies…. That is what the veggie party tray from the produce
section is for! Use those veggies and roast or saute, the prep is already done for you.
● When going out to eat, look at the menu and choose something healthy! Even if you
have to stop at a fast food restaurant there are healthier options. Go for a salad or
grilled chicken or the burger with a lettuce wrap and no bun.
● Lastly, when you decide to go to a sit down restaurant make sure you really look at the
menu and find three things you might want to eat. Decide which might be the healthiest
and see if you really want to eat that, if you don’t choose something else but order a to
go box with your dinner. I know this might sound silly but the portions at a restaurant are
generally for two and you can eat your favorite item but save half for later which will limit
how much you are eating in one sitting. As well, ask for dressings and sauces on the
side. In doing this you get to control how much goes on your meal!
● Having a plan in place is always the best first step, it gives you the control to make
healthy choices without feeling overwhelmed. Setting yourself up for success each day
gives you the freedom to feel good about your choices and feel even better about your
body.