How To Eat Healthy When You Have No Time To Cook

Introduction

Let’s face it – if adopting healthy habits was easy, everyone in the world would be fit and healthy. The key to developing good eating habits is knowing what to eat—picking the right ingredients, consuming all the nutrients your body needs, and avoiding foods that do you harm.

The biggest obstacle is having little to no time to cook for yourself. The good news is that eating well is still possible when you don’t have much time. Today we’re going to share some tips on maintaining healthy eating despite your busy lifestyle.

Read on to find out how to eat healthy when you have no time to cook.

Meal Prep is Your Best Friend

When you don’t have much time to prepare your meals every day, learning how to meal prep will come in handy. Although it may be tempting to choose an already-made meal that needs a few minutes in the microwave to be ready for consumption, when you’re making your meals, you know what is in them. Additionally, you control the portion size. That way, you will also avoid overeating or wasting your food. Indeed, it may take some time to learn how to meal prep, but you’ll enjoy all the benefits when you do. You’ll get to make all your meals during the weekend when you have more time and have them ready for you the whole week. Sounds great, right?

Cook Something and Store it in the Freezer

Similarly to meal prepping, another smart option to eat healthy when you have no time to cook would be to make food in advance and freeze it for the future. This way, you will have an already made meal when you have absolutely no time to prepare something for yourself – you would need to defrost it, heat it, and voilà – you have your dinner ready.

Frozen Food Can Help You Eat Healthy When You Have No Time to Cook

Of course, it’s always best to eat fresh fruit and vegetables – there’s no doubt about it. If you have no time to cook, frozen fruit or a canned soup are still better than a fast food takeout meal. Remember that these options should not permanently replace fresh eating food. Every once in a while, you need fresh fruit and veggies. However, if you are in the middle of a hectic period of your life, let’s say – you’re moving to a new house, you can allow yourself to enjoy a couple of canned meals. But you should also listen to the professionals at Golans Movings and Storage and hire a team of experienced movers to help you relocate. That way, you will have enough time to see to your nutrition.

Try Out Meal Subscription Boxes

Nowadays, many companies deliver fresh ingredients to your doorstep every week, along with recipes and instructions on preparing meals. With these meal subscription boxes, life has never been easier for those who don’t have much time to grocery shop or cook. Granted, it will cost you a bit more than if you did the grocery shopping yourself, but when you have no time to cook, it’s worth it.

Eating Out Can be Healthy as Well

Going out to eat or ordering take-out is often connected to unhealthy food options, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Although it’s indeed easier to control what you’re eating when you are the one that’s making the food, eating out doesn’t necessarily need to be an unhealthy option. Here are a few tips for choosing healthy alternatives when you’re dining out in a restaurant:

• Pick meals that aren’t too greasy or oily. Avoid cheesy or creamy sauces and, of course – fried food.
• Replace the side of fries or other unhealthy options with fresh or grilled vegetables or a salad.
• Choose a fruit salad or fresh fruit in any other form as a dessert.
• Avoid sugary drinks.
• Avoid alcohol as well. We know this is a hard thing to do, but it’s worth it. Alcoholic drinks contain more calories than you probably thought. Cocktails and liqueurs are full of sugar, as well.

Snacks as Food – Yeah, Why Not?

Don’t get us wrong. Snacks can’t replace full-course meals for all your life. But when you do not have time to cook, an effortless way to still get your nutrients in is to put together some healthy options in your house. For example, you can combine raw vegetables, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, deli meats, and cheese into a snack meal. Then you can enjoy it when you have no time to prepare a full meal.

Simple Meals Can Also be Healthy

A meal does not necessarily have to be complex and take a long time to prepare for it to be considered healthy. A simple salad, a peanut butter sandwich, or oatmeal is still a healthy option. Furthermore, it can serve as great meals when you don’t have a chance to cook anything fancier. If you’re still getting your nutrients in and fueling your body, giving it the energy to go through the day without getting tired and hungry.

Do Your Grocery Shopping Online

An unhealthy takeout meal isn’t the only option that you can have delivered to your house. By grocery shopping online, you will save a significant amount of time and be able to prep some healthy meals in advance. Nowadays, there are many websites and mobile phone apps that you can use to order your groceries online. The most famous are Walmart Grocery, Instacart, Shipt, Amazon Prime Now, and many others.

Conclusion

Incorporating healthy eating habits into your busy lifestyle is far from easy. Sticking to eating right takes a lot of determination and willpower. But in the end, it’s more than worth the struggle, and your body will certainly thank you for it. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have gained more knowledge on how to eat healthy when you have no time to cook.