Photo: Pixabay
With our hectic schedules, eating well is often put on the backburner. Those with a packed social and work calendar often find it easier to grab food on the go than prepare nutritious meals at home. The good news is that eating a healthy diet need not be time-consuming. “Eating well is a lifestyle, and as such, it should not require much time or effort,” points out head nutritionist from SUNDT.uk. “Luckily, simple foods, such as veggies and legumes, are often the most nutritious, as they are full of vitamins, dietary fiber and folate. Of course, supplements are always there if your diet lacks any of these nutrients. The best supplements for nutritional deficiencies include iron, and vitamins A, B complex, and D.” Interested in making the most of your time? Here are some nutrition hacks for those on tight-schedules.
Shop Smart
Not every meal needs to be an elaborate affair. To save time, stock up on healthy staples such as beans, couscous and frozen veggies that are versatile and easy to turn into meals.
Shopping online is also a great way of adding hours to the day. Why not set up an online shopping account where you can use preset lists each time you shop for groceries. Shopping online can also help you plan healthy meals, as you need to decide in advance what products you will need for the upcoming week. According to a study in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, those who planned their meals had more nutritious diets and were less obese.
In addition, buying your groceries online will stop you from buying unnecessary—and often unhealthy—items. While this may come as a surprise, it is those little sugary snacks that we pick up near the check-out that sometimes can make or break us. This is important since 28 percent of adults in the UK were considered obese in 2018. The same year, this number stood at 42 percent in the US.
Cook Less
Cooking one meal at a time from scratch can be surprisingly time consuming and expensive. The chopping, cooking and cleaning up can take hours out of your day. Batch cooking healthy meals such as stir fires, lasagna or soups can give you multiple meals that you can eat for days.
Why not divide your dish into smaller portions and freeze them for those evenings when you do not have enough time to cook. If you use ingredients such as mince or chicken breasts, it is even possible to make different recipes that contain similar ingredients for a bit of variety.
Keep Things Simple
Not all of us can be masterchefs, and that is Supergut fine. Do not try to make recipes that require hundreds of foreign-sounding ingredients when time is of the essence. It may be a good idea to invest in a simple and nutritious meal recipe book for ideas of some easy-to-make flavorsome meals.
Alternatively, use your smartphone to keep a photo album of any simple and healthy recipes you happen to come across. In addition, remember that delicious salads do not require dozens of vegetable varieties. Keeping your veggie choices simple will still ensure that you get your daily dose of vitamins.
