I don’t have time to grocery shop and cook.
I don’t have time to eat healthy
I have food cravings that derail my healthy eating plans.
Being at home more means I am snacking a lot.
Do any of these sound like you? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us generally believe that healthy eating is important for better performance and overall health. Healthy eating can have a dozen different definitions, but most people agree that healthy eating involves eating fruits and vegetables (hello fiber and phytonutrients!), reducing processed foods, drinking water, and trying to eat more whole foods. The irony is that while we have all the best intentions of making healthy eating a priority, it can be the first thing to go when things feel hectic and busy in our lives.
I’m a mom of an 11-month old, I run multiple businesses, I have a weekly podcast, and I’m a professional athlete. I definitely understand the huge challenge of trying to fit it all in and will admit that it is rarely perfect. This is a reminder that healthy eating is not about being perfect; it’s about trending in the right direction. Here are some ways to help you get on a better trajectory.
Today's Theme: Make it Easy
Humans like to take the path of least resistance. That’s often why we will gravitate toward snack foods you can unzip and food delivered to your door. When it comes to making healthier food options, the first step is to make it easy. Making it easy is the key to most behavior change.
Two Shopping Hacks
If you have the financial means, there are some very easy ways to save time when it comes to meal prep and shopping.
Try delivery. We live in a world where some of us can have food delivered to our door or to our car. What is available to you to simplify your shopping? If you live in an area with farming nearby, you can get a weekly farm box sent to your door. At the bare minimum, you’ll have some fruits and veggies to use. There are also many ways to get groceries from your local store sent to your house or pre-picked and brought out to your car. It also saves money to buy your food without going into the actual store because most of us end up leaving with more than what is on our list. Plus, snacks we are avoiding might lure us in at the grocery store with product placement and lighting.
A barrier may be that it still takes time to go through a store’s website and pick everything you want. You still end up saving time (and gas) because you don’t have to drive to and from the store or wait in line.
Buy pre-chopped foods where you can. While it’s ideal to eat fresh with most food, you can buy frozen, chopped, and blanched vegetables. If you hate washing and chopping vegetables, buying frozen can remove some barriers, and you also don’t have to worry about food waste if you don’t get to it that week.
And on that note, we'll take a pause and be back next week with Part 2 of Sonya's hacks for making eating healthy easy.