Healthy Eating is Hard

One thought is often on the minds of most humans.  How can I make the time to eat better?  Whether it’s for yourself, or your family, it is a non-stop multiple times a day challenge to plan and prepare healthy food.  Then do it again the next day, and on and on for the rest of your life.

Objections

It’s too expensive.  Buying pre-cut foods is a time-saver but the cost can’t be justified.  It takes so much time to prepare it yourself.   The workday is long, and there are so many other chores to get to in the evening.  The time spent preparing, serving, eating, and cleaning up the kitchen is a routine that takes way too much out of our lives.  Healthy food can be boring and bland.  Sometimes we just want something with more substance and flavor.  We want to join in the social aspect of what everyone else is doing, rather than stick to our plan.  We are too busy with kids’ activities and have to be out of the house early in the evening.

Obesity is an epidemic in our world, and each of us wants to live a long, healthy life, free from disease and pain, and filled with more energy to fully enjoy life.  We know that nutrition is the cornerstone of this.  How can we achieve more balance with the way that we eat?

Meal Planning

One thing that I’ve been doing for years is making a meal plan for the week.   I find that this is the perfect length to pre-plan, allowing for some flexibility as things come up, but sticking to the planned meals and just adjusting the order. This way we can ensure that we have all the ingredients we need, and not have to make daily decisions or stop at the store every day on the way home.  I do find that it is necessary to do a mid-week top-up of groceries. This allows certain foods to be purchased fresh that come in the latter part of the week.  It also allows for a top-up of fresh fruits and veggies.

Meal Prepping

First I write out the meal plan using ideas from various websites, my recipe binder, cookbooks, and from our usual rotation.  Then I make the grocery list, and one of us shops or places an online order.  The plan includes breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners.  All the bases are covered and there is no reason to have to buy anything.  I pick Sunday mornings when possible, or some point on Sunday depending on weekend plans.  Even Saturday afternoons could work if need be. 

I wash and cut up all of our fruits and veggies.  I make veggie bags for myself and the kids for half of the week (we will do this again mid-week).  They prep their main lunches and I prep my salads and protein.   We make sure everything in the fridge is grab and go so that lunches take only seconds to assemble.  Breakfast sandwiches or French toast that the kids can warm up, and frozen smoothie bags for the blender.  Sometimes, we will prep a couple of dinners for the slow cooker for nights that we both work.  Or cook a double batch of rice or hard-boiled eggs.  As much as can be done in advance, we prep on Sundays.

Convenient Snacks

I often find it easy to stick to my habitual breakfasts, packed lunches, and planned dinners.  The difficulty is in-between meals when I get hungry or feel a craving.  This is when fast food and junk food become the go-tos.  I have to have snacks prepared that I can take out with me.   Yogurt, granola bars, apples, almonds, crackers, Babybel cheese, or protein powder to mix up with water for a shake.  I don’t always feel like eating these alternatives, but I’ll be much more likely to have it than if I had to wait until I got home.  Having raw veggies cut and ready to eat can be an easy thing to grab while cooking dinner to avoid binging on cookies or chips.

Timing of Meals

If we have activities going on in the evening, we just choose to eat earlier.  Instead of getting fast food on the way home, we eat our planned healthy dinner around 4:30-5.  Then the kitchen can be cleaned up, and everyone has had their main meal.  We may need a smaller snack later, but it is better than eating a large unhealthy meal later in the evening.  Those are the nights that slow cooker meals can be convenient and keep it simple with sides. 

Mid-week Routine

It is important to take some time around Wednesday night to do a little more prep to get through the rest of the week.  It also means running into the store to get some more items so they will be fresh and appealing.  I find that going a full seven days is too much for lettuce, berries, and main lunch components.  Some people prep all five lunches at once, and that is fine if you will eat them all week.  For most of us, it allows the chance to pick something different for lunch so that you don’t get bored and use it as an excuse to go out.  I can typically stick to planning six or seven dinners and sticking to it, but the mid-week top-up allows me to also grab any items that should be fresh for the dinners near the end of the week.

Allow for Exceptions

Learning the difference between lapses that are okay, and ones that are unnecessary is critical. No healthy eating plan will work long-term if we don’t allow for some indulgences. It has taken me years to learn the difference. Allowing yourself some treats at a social gathering, birthday party, or night out is acceptable. This is not your everyday habit and routine. It’s when you seek out the unhealthy foods yourself on a regular work day, or in the evening, when there is no special occasion for it. These are the times that habit takes over and it becomes a difficult pattern to break.

If you can truly save your indulgences for vacations, celebrations and the like, then you can achieve balance. You have to be strict with yourself and ask if the eating opportunity is necessary. Ask yourself if there is something else you should have instead. Will you feel better for eating it, or will it make your body feel worse? Is this treat worth having at this moment, or should you save it for a time when you will appreciate the experience more?

Consistency and Discipline

I am far from perfect.  I buy way too many “treats” when out and about, and often buy something different for lunch than what I have packed.  Most of us are a continual work in progress.  A few steps forward and fewer steps back is always the goal for each new week.  Fewer lapses and more consistency with choices will get me closer to building these habits.  Building in the time is challenging, and summing up the desire is even more so.  It is a goal worth continuing to strive for, by scheduling it into the week.  We all owe it to our families, and our future selves to feel the best that we possibly can.