Does it seem like some days you spend most of your life in your car? When it’s lunchtime do you find yourself running through a drive-through? Then do you regret that you are not eating healthy? Well, I get it, it is hard to eat healthy on the go.
Whether you’re always traveling to and from work, running your kids from baseball practice to dance class and beyond, or going on vacation – it can difficult to make good food choices.
We all know that the ideal situation would be sitting down to enjoy your meals (and snacks) at a table to relax, but in truth, you probably eat over your desk (if you eat at all) and then you’re so busy once work is over you live on granola bars and a bag of nuts.
If you’re going to make long-term sustainable change, you need to change your mindset, habits, and routines. This concept is wonderful… but do we actually get around to doing it?
Eating better is simply a matter of making a healthier choice. Being busy isn’t an excuse to ignore your health, and you CAN learn how to eat healthy on the go; here are ten ways to help you pull it off.
Being Prepared Is A Win-Win
1. Weekly Snacks
Getting snacks ready doesn’t need to be complicated – you can make life much easier for yourself (and the family) by preparing an entire selection of healthy snacks for the upcoming week. It doesn’t take much effort to put together snacks like almond butter and sliced apples, air-popped popcorn, almonds, a fruit parfait, or hummus with broccoli or carrots.
2. Pre-Chopped
Do you love the idea of preparing in advance but hate the thought of chopping vegetables? You can save a lot of time by buying your fruit and vegetables ready sliced or chopped. Veggies prepared ahead will come in handy if you want to make use of your slow-cooker to create soups and stews while you’re at work all day. More importantly, it means you’re more likely to follow through on your plans to eat healthy on the go.
3. Carbs & Proteins
The perfect meal or snack is a good mix of carbohydrates and protein – so chickpeas are the ultimate as they contain both, but enjoying a piece of citrus fruit with almonds or walnuts is also a good example.
4. Frozen Fruit
Whether it’s grapes or banana chunks – frozen fruit snacks are great! You are more likely to savor your treat because you have to eat them slowly (unless you’re a big fan of brain freeze). You’ll get the nutrition you need, it will curb your sweet tooth, and it’s easy to have snack bags prepared and ready to grab to enjoy the fact that you can eat healthy on the go.
5. Breakfast
The most common meal we skip is breakfast, whether we run out of time in the morning or don’t feel like eating. It’s an important meal, though, so you can make breakfast burritos in advance and keep them handy in the refrigerator to grab before you run out the door or another option is for a quick smoothie.
6. Batch Preparation
Prior preparation is an excellent solution for lunches and snacks. Please keep them in glass containers either in the fridge or the freezer. It doesn’t need to be complicated. You can also prepare your meals in advance and have everything ready to throw in your slow cooker before heading out for the day. I like to do things in chunks of time, so I peel and store. The next phase is to chop them into pieces. When using this strategy, it doesn’t seem like it takes as much time to do this.
7. Bring your lunch
Prevent temptation and unhealthy eating that often occurs when eating out on lunch breaks. So, bring a bag of lunch so you can control what you eat.
8. Keep It Simple
Don’t get caught up trying to make elaborate meals that can fail and end up in the trash. Make simple meals that you and your family love and are easy to prepare and store.
9. A Dinner Calendar
We don’t all have time to get creative in the kitchen, but we have time to create a dinner calendar to keep things on track. Not only will it make shopping easier, you know exactly what you’re making and when— for instance, Taco Tuesdays, Pasta Thursdays, Fish Fridays, and beyond.
10. The Work Fridge
If you have a fridge/freezer at work, then use it! If it’s big enough, you can take your entire week of meals in. You’re more likely to eat healthy with prior planning.
To Eat Healthy on The Go
Remember, meals and snacks high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats can help keep you feeling full longer than foods low in protein and high in refined carbs and added sugars.
When choosing a snack item from the convenience store or gas station, opt for minimally processed, protein- and fiber-rich items, such as:
- nuts
- cheese sticks
- nut butter and fruit
- hard-boiled eggs
- hummus and veggie packs
- trail mix
I would also like to remind you that it’s best to forgo calorie, and sugar-laden beverages, including sweetened coffee drinks, sodas, and energy drinks. Opt for water or unsweetened herbal teas to keep your calorie and sugar intake in check.
I hope you try some of these techniques to eat healthy on the go. I know how you feel when your lifestyle finds you on the move almost every day. But making healthy food choices does not need to be hard. Please keep it simple. Prepare items in advance. Educate yourself to choose healthier options, and you will reward yourself with being healthier, happier, and less stressed.
Did you like the suggestions in this blog? Get a FREE PDF of the contents no opt-in here: 10 Quick and Easy Ways to Eat Healthy On The Go.
I am Shirley Noah, author and an internationally known stress expert and entrepreneur. I would love to connect further with you to help you improve your health and well-being. If you are interested in learning more about how to eat more healthy, please take a look at my popular course, How to Eat to Relieve Stress.
Disclosure: This email may contain affiliate links. All opinions are always 100% mine and I don’t partner with any product or company that I don’t use and love!
