7 Ways to Make Healthy Eating Convenient

7 Ways to Make Healthy Eating Convenient

One of the biggest obstacles that we have to a healthier, fitter lifestyle is not what we know but lack of application.. We know we should be eating more greens and the good stufff. Yet what is holding us back? Having an arsenal of convenient options is one way of keeping things on track.

1. Bulk Cook for Healthy Eating 

Batch cooking a couple of meals or always having left overs is a great strategy to help keep you on track. Once you have this nailed then calling on some cold cuts of meat, pre chopped vegetables, pre-cooked starches, bean salads and bowls of freshly chopped greens can make a world of difference.

Best way to implement

Set aside 10 minutes or less to chop, make and remove from containers food items that can keep in the fridge. When you are cooking dinner cook more than you need. Batch cooking chilis and bolognese sauces, trays of chicken and fish work great.

2. Keep it simple

When dieting (either for muscle gain or fat loss), the principles are the same. Keep it simple. This is not the  time to be filling your head full of mindless tasks such as ‘where can I get that yak milk’ or ‘is it 2 tablespoons of filtered soaked chia or 3?”.

Best way to sneak it in

Revolve your plate around 3 sections; protein sources, vegetable sources and starches. Then it is a case of allocating each section with choices you like. For example, chicken breast with stir fry greens and air fried potatoes.

3. Find convenient options/solutions near you

I have alot of texts over the years with cries of desperation starting with ‘where can I eat here?’. The response is a quick google map, a quick look at a menu and the choices follow. Why not do the same? Healthy and convenient is getting much easier nowadays. Protein rich is a growing trend as it healthy eating full stop. Once you have your work place sorted, this pretty much takes care of the majority of your week. Healthy eating options can be sourced, calories can be monitored and the choices made with more confidence.

Best way to implement

Use google maps (or head out for a walk during your lunch) to find nearby eateries and search the best option for your goals.

4. Learn how to cook

Imagine the scene. You arrive home from work. It is 9pm. Your last thought is to cook. But you rustle up a 5 minutes meal with 4 ingredients. Proper ninja stuff. It is tasty and effortless.

It is amazing how many of us are bamboozled when it comes to this. Cue the takeaway.

Learning to cook is an investment. Like any skill it provides a return. Learning how to play golf, for example, meant that instead of finding my ball I could actually chat with friends instead of a tree. I now enjoy it!

5. Think Ahead

Picture this – you are in a rush this morning but managed to grab your coffee and head out the door. One meeting has led to another and left you no time to head out and grab a meal at your favourite restaurant. You come home exhausted. You reach for the cupboard and settle on tea and toast.

This is not an uncommon pattern but is easily fixed. Thinking ahead means meal planning maybe 1 or up to 2 days in advance.

Best way to implement

The night before write out what you intend on eating the following day. Stick to the principles. You are far more likely to stick to a more structured eating schedule if you can visualise what it is you are going to eat. The choices themselves will be far more rational and less based on emotional hunger pangs.

6. Tray Based Recipes / Slow Cooker

Batch cooking simple recipes are a key feature of a healthy lifestyle and eating practices. Two best tools are trays and slow cookers. Simply open up a pack of meats or fish and crack on. Check this out: 

7. Chopping Veggies

I think most of us, most of the time can put up our hands and say ‘we don’t eat enough vegetables’. For whatever reason we can help ourselves by performing a mini prep every 10 minutes that you have spare. They are then easy to throw into a bowl and be done!

Best way to implement

When you have 10 minutes or so crack on some incredible tunes and get chopping for 5-10 minutes. Mind those fingers.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be a pain-staking process. Set aside some routine tasks and try them!