“I haven’t got time to prepare food and eat healthy.” I’ve heard this a thousand times and I’m not exaggerating. This must be the lamest excuse in the history of anyone wanting to get in any kind of shape. Before I continue I have to say that whenever I talk about diet I don’t mean to diet! A persons diet in my opinion is the types of foods they eat day-to-day and not the latest fad they may be following.
The types of foods consumed on a daily basis are all that I require in helping someone get in their best shape. I don’t believe in the low-calorie approach or the low-fat nonsense. This includes any kind of restriction diet that limits or omits vital nutrients from the diet whilst still containing processed rubbish. I would never put anyone on one of those unhealthy diets.
I only believe in certain food elimination for foods that may be detrimental to individual goals. A lot of it is common sense but there are a lot of myths that stay in people’s minds and prevent them from getting a well-balanced diet and achieving their goals. This only adds to frustration and a shift towards eating the wrong kind of calories on a permanent basis. The quality and types of foods in a persons diet is far more important than the amount of calories.
Back to the issue of time and the perception that eating healthy is time-consuming. If you lead a busy lifestyle the first thing you need to become is organised. Even if your life isn’t as hectic as others you still need to plan and be on top of what you will be eating every single day. Make no mistake with this first step. No one is responsible but you to make sure that you buy the right kinds of foods week in and week out. You can only eat what you buy it’s as simple as that.
It is important to remember to use the freezer so you don’t waste food. This all comes back to being organised. Imagine this scenario, you spend a small fortune at the farm shop buying enough high quality meats for the week ahead. You go to work on a Monday morning and there is a crisis that will keep you working late everyday that week. When you do finally get home you know that the rest of the evening will be spent on work emails and grabbing a quick snack for your convenience. Eating will be the last thing on your mind. Before you know it it’s Friday and there is a smell coming from the fridge.
To make life easier plan and write down the types of food you will need and shop for them. Doing this will help to prevent just anything finding its way in to your shopping basket. Choose protein foods for each day mainly meats and fish and freeze them if you aren’t going to be eating them straight away. It will also establish a routine and add variety to your diet if you do it properly. Sticking reminder notes on the freezer door the day before you need to defrost something will also help you stay on course.
That’s the basics of getting organised. As for preparing food you can make it as simple as you like. There is nothing easier than throwing something in the oven. How long does it take to put a piece of fish or meat in the oven, sprinkle seasoning over it and leave it to cook for a while? 10 minutes before its done throw some chopped vegetables in the steamer. It needs no attention or effort, just walk away and listen for the timer.
This is just one way to make sure you eat natural healthy foods in place of processed meals. If you don’t have time to do this then you seriously need to look at your lifestyle. I will explore this further next time and discuss how to eat healthy at work no matter how busy you are.
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