An exceedingly busy life makes it tempting to just live off of the quick fixes from your office vending machine. But even when you are swamped with work, there are still ways to help you eat healthy meals:
Have a filling and nutritious breakfast
The old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” actually has some truth to it. According to WebMD, breakfast gives you the energy to accomplish your tasks for the day and helps you focus at work.
It also kick-starts your metabolism which burns your calories faster, and is linked to better memory and lower risks of getting diabetes and heart disease. When you eat homemade breakfast, you may be less likely to load up on unhealthy foods in the office, as well.
To make sure that you do not skip breakfast, consider preparing your breakfast the night before. Even when you are in a rush, you can just grab your meal and bolt out the door.
Here are some ideas for healthy breakfast recipes that are easy and quick to make.
Keep your meals simple
Whipping up an Instagrammable or Pinterest-worthy gourmet breakfast or lunch meal every single work day is just impractical.
To make a healthy meal you can eat at work, you would not need to focus much on its aesthetic value as you should on its preparation time. Keep your meal recipes portable and easy to make, such as veggie bowls, breakfast wraps, salads, berry smoothies or breakfast cookies. By keeping your meals simple, you would be less likely to let go of your healthy eating habits even when you are too busy or tired to cook.
Prepare meals for the week
If you want to save time making your meals and breakfasts the night before, you may also consider preparing make-ahead meals over the weekend. Some examples of this would be freezer breakfast sandwiches, granola bars, burrito bowls, and smoothies and breakfast parfaits. This works not only for your daily breakfast, but for your lunch, too.
Prepare them for the work week ahead, divide them into batches and store them in the freezer. Before you leave for work, you will just have to reheat the food or dress it up before packing it to take with you. If you could not find the time to prepare your meals, you may get them from services that deliver healthy lunch boxes to your office.
Stay hydrated
The human body can find it difficult to distinguish thirst from hunger. When you find yourself craving food even though you have just eaten, you might just be dehydrated. Try drinking some water first instead of grabbing a snack. You can keep yourself constantly hydrated by making a habit of bringing a water bottle everywhere you go.
Take note that vending machine sodas and bottled juice drinks are not ideal alternatives to water. Instead, go for your healthier beverages, like hot cocoa, green tea, and low-calorie iced teas. Eating hydrating fruits, such as watermelon, oranges, and strawberries, would add more water into your regular diet, too.
You may be handling a ton of priorities as an adult, but your health should still be one of them. Even when you are busy, there are practices you can develop — such as eating healthy — that allow you to still take care of yourself.