How to Eat Well when You Are Busy
Eat breakfast every morning., Take healthy snacks with you., Drink water., Make smart choices when you eat out., Limit alcohol., Remove junk food from the house.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Eat breakfast every morning.
Skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do for your body.
Skipping breakfast has been connected to obesity, irritability, and reduced mental awareness.Breakfast is important, and you should always eat it, even if you have to wake up five to 10 minutes earlier or take it to work so you can eat it at your desk.
Fix a healthy breakfast to start your day off right.
Skip unhealthy breakfasts, like donuts, cake, pizza, or sugary cereals.
Try healthy smoothies with fruit and proteins, like nut butters.
You can eat healthy muffins, like these flax seed muffins or vegan chocolate walnut muffins.
Take leftover steamed vegetables from the night before and a boiled egg or a piece of chicken.
Eggs, avocado, and nuts are another good breakfast.
You can try making your breakfast the night before. -
Step 2: Take healthy snacks with you.
Keeping healthy snacks at hand helps you avoid going too long without food, which can lead to unhealthy choices like a candy bar from the vending machine or fast food.Pre-portion these into one zip-lock bag for each day, to prevent over-eating.
Fruit is some of the most portable, pre-portioned foods out there.
Bring an apple, orange, or banana with you to boost your blood sugar during a busy day.
Try healthy granola or fruit bars.
Avoid bars with a lot of added sugars, hydrogenated oils, and unhealthy ingredients.
Make your own granola bars if you can.
Portable protein sources include mixed nuts, cheese sticks, jerky, and no-sugar-added nut butters. , Staying hydrated is very important, and water is essential for your overall health.
Plus, water doesn’t contain additives or extra sugars.
When you are at your desk, switch out your calorie and sugar heavy sodas with water.
Replacing just a few sodas each day with water will significantly lower the amount of calories and sugar you consume.You should drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day.
Buy a reusable water bottle and keep it full and in your bag so you always have access to it.
Try adding a dash of lemon or lime to the water, or drink natural seltzer waters. , No matter what you plan, you may find yourself going out to dinner or lunch with friends and co-workers, or maybe you are too busy and decide to go out.
This doesn’t mean you just give up your healthy eating plan.
Instead, make healthy choices by choosing a restaurant that serves healthy food or choosing a healthy entree.Choose health-focused restaurants when possible, include vegan, vegetarian, and all-natural locales.
Search online or ask a server to find the nutrition information of the meals, or ask about "light" or healthy meals, such as grilled chicken or fish with a side of vegetables.
Most restaurants offer larger portions than necessary.
Consider having an appetizer as your meal, or splitting a meal with a friend.
If you order a full entree, stop as soon as you are full and ask for the plate to be taken away (or put in a to-go box).
Skip fried foods, fatty salad dressings and sauces, and other unhealthy items. , Alcohol adds calories and sugars to your daily diet.
While a glass of red wine can be beneficial and an occasional beer or mixed drink won’t hurt, you should limit the amount of alcohol you consume on a daily basis.Dietary guidelines from the U.S. government recommend no more than one drink on a given day for women, or two drinks for men.In this system, one drink is 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol, 8 oz of 7% malt liquor, 5 oz of 12% wine, or
1.5 oz of 40% liquor.This means a large glass of wine or a tall cocktail could actually count as two drinks.
When you go out with coworkers or friends, limit yourself to one drink after work.
At night, consider replacing your nightly beers with a fruit and greens smoothie. , If the junk food is there, you will probably eat it.
To help keep you from getting home from a long day and binge eating ice cream or chips, don’t buy any junk food.
If it’s not there for you to eat, you can’t make bad choices when you are hungry and tired.Instead, keep healthy snacks around the house.
Buy cottage cheese and pineapple instead of ice cream, or buy kale chips instead of potato chips. -
Step 3: Drink water.
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Step 4: Make smart choices when you eat out.
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Step 5: Limit alcohol.
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Step 6: Remove junk food from the house.
Detailed Guide
Skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do for your body.
Skipping breakfast has been connected to obesity, irritability, and reduced mental awareness.Breakfast is important, and you should always eat it, even if you have to wake up five to 10 minutes earlier or take it to work so you can eat it at your desk.
Fix a healthy breakfast to start your day off right.
Skip unhealthy breakfasts, like donuts, cake, pizza, or sugary cereals.
Try healthy smoothies with fruit and proteins, like nut butters.
You can eat healthy muffins, like these flax seed muffins or vegan chocolate walnut muffins.
Take leftover steamed vegetables from the night before and a boiled egg or a piece of chicken.
Eggs, avocado, and nuts are another good breakfast.
You can try making your breakfast the night before.
Keeping healthy snacks at hand helps you avoid going too long without food, which can lead to unhealthy choices like a candy bar from the vending machine or fast food.Pre-portion these into one zip-lock bag for each day, to prevent over-eating.
Fruit is some of the most portable, pre-portioned foods out there.
Bring an apple, orange, or banana with you to boost your blood sugar during a busy day.
Try healthy granola or fruit bars.
Avoid bars with a lot of added sugars, hydrogenated oils, and unhealthy ingredients.
Make your own granola bars if you can.
Portable protein sources include mixed nuts, cheese sticks, jerky, and no-sugar-added nut butters. , Staying hydrated is very important, and water is essential for your overall health.
Plus, water doesn’t contain additives or extra sugars.
When you are at your desk, switch out your calorie and sugar heavy sodas with water.
Replacing just a few sodas each day with water will significantly lower the amount of calories and sugar you consume.You should drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day.
Buy a reusable water bottle and keep it full and in your bag so you always have access to it.
Try adding a dash of lemon or lime to the water, or drink natural seltzer waters. , No matter what you plan, you may find yourself going out to dinner or lunch with friends and co-workers, or maybe you are too busy and decide to go out.
This doesn’t mean you just give up your healthy eating plan.
Instead, make healthy choices by choosing a restaurant that serves healthy food or choosing a healthy entree.Choose health-focused restaurants when possible, include vegan, vegetarian, and all-natural locales.
Search online or ask a server to find the nutrition information of the meals, or ask about "light" or healthy meals, such as grilled chicken or fish with a side of vegetables.
Most restaurants offer larger portions than necessary.
Consider having an appetizer as your meal, or splitting a meal with a friend.
If you order a full entree, stop as soon as you are full and ask for the plate to be taken away (or put in a to-go box).
Skip fried foods, fatty salad dressings and sauces, and other unhealthy items. , Alcohol adds calories and sugars to your daily diet.
While a glass of red wine can be beneficial and an occasional beer or mixed drink won’t hurt, you should limit the amount of alcohol you consume on a daily basis.Dietary guidelines from the U.S. government recommend no more than one drink on a given day for women, or two drinks for men.In this system, one drink is 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol, 8 oz of 7% malt liquor, 5 oz of 12% wine, or
1.5 oz of 40% liquor.This means a large glass of wine or a tall cocktail could actually count as two drinks.
When you go out with coworkers or friends, limit yourself to one drink after work.
At night, consider replacing your nightly beers with a fruit and greens smoothie. , If the junk food is there, you will probably eat it.
To help keep you from getting home from a long day and binge eating ice cream or chips, don’t buy any junk food.
If it’s not there for you to eat, you can’t make bad choices when you are hungry and tired.Instead, keep healthy snacks around the house.
Buy cottage cheese and pineapple instead of ice cream, or buy kale chips instead of potato chips.
About the Author
Marilyn Bailey
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in cooking and beyond.
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