For many of us, leading a busy working lifestyle can often mean cutting corners elsewhere, especially in our daily diets. 47% of British workers only find 20 minutes to grab a pre-packaged sandwich at their desks for lunch, while 40% say that they spend less than 10 minutes eating breakfast, according to a survey carried out by the New York Bakery Company and reported in Cosmopolitan.
These surprising stats show how little time we allow ourselves for eating quality, wholesome food during the working week. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. With some careful planning and a little forethought, you can still balance a full schedule with the extra time needed for a balanced diet. Read on to discover our four healthy eating tips for the busy lifestyle.
Don’t underestimate breakfast.
Around half of us Brits admit to regularly missing breakfast, according to a 2015 study commissioned by Flahavan’s and covered in the Daily Mail, more than doubling the number of breakfast-skippers found in 2012. Whether this is due to changing attitudes to the morning meal or just because we’re trying to fit as much sleep as possible into our day, the importance of breakfast shouldn’t be underestimated.
Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to get right for your health, so try to set aside time for your own each morning. Often, the only change to your routine that needs to take place is an adjustment of your alarm clock to 15 minutes earlier. This is more than enough time to enjoy a quick, healthy meal that will keep you full until lunch. Take a look at the NHS’s Good Breakfast Guide for some helpful tips and some great suggestions.
Stay hydrated throughout the day:
On average, the adult human body is made up of 60% water. It’s one of the most important fuels we need to keep topped up to remain healthy and functional, so staying hydrated should be a priority even on the busiest of days. Furthermore, what we often think is hunger is just our body telling us that it’s thirsty, and a glass of water will make the feeling vanish. Staying hydrated can help you to eat less throughout the day, so it should be at the top of your list if you’re trying to cut down on snacking.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to invest in a re-usable water bottle to take to work. This will allow you to get all the benefits of hydration, without having to pay a premium for bottled water. The Independent have a good product round-up of the 10 best water bottles, so give it a look and choose one that’s right for you.
Snack the right way:
Let’s face it, on some days it’s just impossible to avoid snacking at work. However, instead of constantly raiding the biscuit tin or paying the vending machine a visit, you can snack the right way to make things healthier. Having the right nibbles at hand can remove the temptation of unhealthy munchies, so stock up on things like nuts, granola bars, or dried fruit for when you get those hunger pangs. You can even make things more convenient by subscribing to a scheme like Graze, which can deliver healthy snacks through the post right to your office at weekly or monthly intervals.
Plan your meals ahead of time:
One of the main excuses for not eating healthily is that there isn’t enough time in the day to put together a healthy meal. However, if you can master a few quick and easy recipes, you will be able to plan your food shopping in advance and prepare them in no time — check out BBC Good Food’s quick and healthy recipes collection for some go-to inspiration.
It’s a good idea to keep your cupboards stocked with long-lasting essentials, such as pasta, rice, and tinned tomatoes, because then you will only need to shop for perishable items to make a variety of recipes. Don’t be afraid to prepare enough for a few days’ meals as most easy dishes like casseroles, bakes, and stews can be kept fresh in the fridge or freezer for when you need them. You will even be able to put together your dishes in advance when you have some free time and store them for later.
Be sure to invest in some plastic food containers, like these ones from Plastic Box Shop, which are air tight to keep your food fresh and ready to eat. They are available in a variety of sizes to suit your purpose, and you can even take the box to work to cut down on any preparation time.
Follow these four easy tips for healthy eating as part of a busy lifestyle and you will be well on the way to revolutionising your diet for the better. Good luck!
