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!

1. 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. Hard boiling eggs takes 10 minutes and the active time that you have to be involved in a hardboiled egg is roughly 2 minutes.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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.
   • 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.