As a doctor, I usually face the question of how possible is it for someone to eat healthily, yet he/she is on a tight schedule. Eating healthy can be such an uphill task especially for persons working under pressure and strict deadlines. Well, have no fear because, with a good plan and a little budget, you can still achieve healthy eating habits while on a tight schedule.
It’s gratifying when you plan and invest well in your eating plan. Not only will you remain healthy, but also find ample time to work on your stuff. One of the ways is cooking more than you can eat once then enjoy the same meal twice or even more times.
Last minute rush decisions on what you want to eat will most likely cause you to eat what you didn’t intend to. Failing to plan is planning to fail, well, this saying really comes to play in the sense that poor planning of food causes what is termed as food emergency. Since you don’t have time to plan and cook, you end up going for addictive processed junk. Nothing deals a massive blow to a good eating program like junk food. Cooking is a revolutionary act that can really save your life.
Planning with a good strategy can keep you in line in terms of eating well. Over time, as a doctor, I have found out these six commandments that help my patients keep eating healthy meals. Regardless of their busy schedules, these strategies have yielded positive results.
For a span of a week, plan on what you want to eat and make a list. A list in hand; helps you operate within your budget, saves you money, saves your time and wards off unhealthy food from your shopping cart. With your list, visit the grocery store and purchase all those foods and the ingredients to your healthy meals. Hint! Avoid going out to shop on an empty stomach!
Go frozen. To save on time wasted when visiting grocery stores every time you want to cook vegetables, store your organic veggies in a freezer. Ditto for frozen grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, and organic berries. Warehouse stores can be a right shopping place for vegetables since they save your money and time. For those with huge freezer spaces, watch out for sales and coupons offered by these warehouse stores. With a good storage space, you can stock huge and thus avoid trips to the grocery stores for a long time.
Go for pre-prepped. With a tight schedule in place, it’s pretty obvious that you need to save every minute you can get and dedicate it to your work. Well, most markets offer pre-washed and pre-cut produces. Be it spinach, romaine, kale or even arugula; they are readily available for you to cook. Although they come with a higher price, you end up saving a lot of time in the kitchen.
Canned foods are good too! There comes a time when you can only afford few minutes to cook and eat. Don’t lose your momentum of eating healthy and go for junk, instead go for canned and jarred foods. Wild Alaskan salmon, roasted red peppers, sardines, vegetables or chicken stocks are just but a few foods that are readily available in cans. It is, however, important to read carefully on the labels of canned foods. Always go for PBA free cans, chose lower sodium versions of food and go for sugar, gluten, dairy free products.
Set preparation days and make them fun. Once everything is in place (kitchen stock), set aside days for preparation. These are the days that you’re are going to spend more time in the kitchen, either fully or partially preparing meals. To keep the foods as fresh as possible, choose days that are equidistant apart (preferably Sundays and Wednesdays). Treat this task as rather fun tasks rather than tedious mandatory chores. Involve the kids in it as this will not only ease the task but also groom the kids for the future. Duties involve, cooking brown rice & other whole grains in advance, whipping up sauces & marinades, and chopping veggies.
Beyond reasonable doubts, there will come times that you’ll be time crunched. This is not the time to falter but instead a time to soldier on with a few hacks. Your schedule may get so tight that even fixing a simple plate of salad topped with pre-cooked salmon is impossible. With a good food plan in place, you will have stocked your kitchen and freezer with healthy snacks together with nuts and seeds. These foods will help maintain your blood sugar levels such that you won’t be so hungry by dinner time. Luckily, most stores these days have hot bars with healthy sections. Visiting the whole foods market for food such as rotisserie chicken accompanied with pre-cooked veggies can go a long way in helping you maintain a robust food schedule.In times of difficulty with your food schedule, it's pragmatic to go for protection instead of perfection.
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