Eat Healthy By Preparing in Advance
We all know that fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protiens are super healthy for us. The problem is, eating them is not as easy as say opening a bag of chips and noshing on the spot. In other words, I’ve learned the hard way that in order to eat a healthy diet, it takes advanced planning. If you want food NOW then the last thing you want to do is peel a carrot, prepare a chicken breast, and boil up some brown rice.
Instead, prepare these foods in advance. That way, when hunger strikes, you have ready made options already in your fridge. Here are some ideas.
- Keep baby carrots in the fridge, or peel and cut carrots in advance.
- Cut and clean other veggies such as broccoli florets, peppers, and celery. You can snack on these separately or turn them into quick meals such as stir fries.
- Cook up a batch of brown rice at the beginning of the week and heat it up during meals.
- Buy your veggies prewashed and precut.
- Cook a big pot of soup or vegetarian chili at the beginning of the week. Pair it with a slice of whole grain bread and this is a meal!
- Purchase ready made healthy snacks to eat when a craving strikes.
- Keep nuts and dried fruit on hand. Make a big batch of snack mix at the beginning of the week for when you need a quick snack.
All you need to do is spend 2 hours on the weekend and you’ve set yourself up to make great food choices. Two hours of prep is nothing compared to the alternative. Think about how long it takes to actually lose weight. Being prepared can help prevent you from gaining weight in the first place. It can also help you lose weight if that’s your goal.