Cooking for a Busy Lifestyle

No matter how much you may want to make healthy choices, it can often feel like there isn’t enough time to do so. Try these simple tips to change your habits and make it possible to be both the busiest and healthiest version of yourself!

Tip 1: Start small and build from there
You may be overwhelmed or feel like you don’t even know where to start when it comes to preparing food for the day -- let alone the week. Start making little changes in your life and work from there. For example, gain support from your family or significant other to work together to prepare food.

Tip 2: Plan ahead
With a busy lifestyle, planning ahead is key. Try to pick a day for grocery shopping, then spend an hour or two on weekends planning meals and snacks for the week. Once you’ve got your meal plan down, make a shopping list and hit the stores where you can purchase items in bulk. Doing so is not only time effective, but cost-effective too.

Tip 3: Meal prep
Prepping on the weekends makes for stress-free weeknight meals. Pre-packing and prepping food for easy assembly and access will make choosing healthy options (rather than fast food) an easier option. You can start by investing in glass (or plastic) containers to store meals and snacks for the week so that they are accessible and ready to go.

Tip 4: Have fun with it
Cooking is a social and fun activity if you want it to be. Plan a time with your significant other, family or friend(s) to cook foods for the week ahead. Not only do you have company while cooking, but you can get new ideas for meals from them.

Bottom line: There will be days when you may not have time to meal prep and need to eat out. However, eating out doesn’t mean you need to let your healthy ways go down the drain. The balance between cooking at home and eating out is a healthy, attainable plan.

Written by: Leigh Hullett, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

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