Eating Healthy in the Real World
By Sara Butler
There are all kinds of suggestions out there for healthy eating. While they are certainly valuable and not wrong, some of them don’t exactly work in the real world when you have a budget, a full-time job, and a family to feed. If you want a few ideas for ways to merge healthy eating and your real life, then here are a few to help!
Try These Shortcuts
If you have the basic components of a healthy meal on hand, then throwing it together can be simple! When shopping for the week make sure to buy vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, dairy, and whole grains. Try your best to get the full range of food groups into each meal.
You should also try batch cooking. That’s when you make more than you know you’ll eat in one meal so you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer to eat later. It’s also a good idea to keep canned beans on hand to throw into a soup, casserole, or in a burrito.
Don’t shy away from frozen vegetables and fruits either. They are healthy and can help create a shortcut to a delicious homemade meal.
Be a Freezer Fanatic
You can freeze a lot of stuff, including pre-cooked rice and loaves of bread. While frozen vegetables and fruits are a great option, you should avoid any that have added sauces or syrups. Don’t be afraid to buy things in bulk and store them in the freezer so you can whip them out in a pinch.
Know Healthy Food Swaps
If you know a few healthy food swaps, then you can create all kinds of meals at the drop of a hat. Some healthy swaps include:
- Using salsa instead of salad dressing
- Eating whole grain bread, pasta, and tortillas
- Oats, quinoa, bulgur, and brown rice instead of their white counterparts
Eating healthy doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money, you simply need to know the tricks that help. As long as you plan ahead and set up an environment for healthy eating success, you should have no problems creating healthy and satisfying meals for your whole family, even on the nights your kids have soccer and you got home late from work. Remember, good health and healthy eating doesn't have to be time-consuming!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Bellevue, Wash.
