7 Helpful Ways to Cook Healthy When Pressed for Time

May 7, 2021 Leave a Comment

Find out how to stay healthy while being busy!

You are drawn to the concept of healthy eating but don’t have time to cook? Remember that where there is a will there is a way! If you are interested in learning about ways to eat healthy when you don’t have plenty of time, you came to the right place!

People react differently to the idea of healthy eating. Some fully understood the link between food and overall health and they are doing whatever is in their power to eat healthy! Others feel that it is that the constant emphasizing and of the significance of healthy food is a bit exaggerated. We have to say that we are somewhere in the middle. We are far from eating only raw, and counting every calorie but we do like to eat healthy and exercise.

Although it is critical to prevent disease if possible, this is not the main reason why we eat healthy. It is more about the way it makes us feel. Of course, burgers and fries are delicious and we enjoy eating them the same as everyone else. But very quickly after, we feel sluggish and sometimes even bloated. When we have a salad, on another hand, we feel fresh and energized, we sleep much better, and naturally, our belly never feels distended.

Healthy eating however comes with a price. Already made meals you can buy in supermarkets or restaurant meals aren’t the healthiest things you can eat. If you want to eat healthy in most cases it means that you have to cook by yourself. And this is a problem for many of us because we often don’t have so much time. Spending hours in the kitchen during holidays or even on weekends is okay. But having to do it every day when you go to work and have to do other things can be grueling.

We want to eat healthy and be healthy. But like most of you, we don’t want to sacrifice our free time to prepare delicious and healthy meals. So we began our investigation to find out if there are ways to eat healthy every day in a way that is not tiresome and time-consuming. Let’s see what we discovered!

Ways to Eat Healthy When You Don’t Have Time

Think Beyond Fresh Produce

Although there isn’t anything really funny about it, we always laugh when we hear USDA’s dietary recommendations that adults should eat anywhere between 5 and 13 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Who on Earth has the possibility for that! Sofia Vergara probably does, but there is no way that it is possible for ordinary mortals. But, when you realize that you spend many hours washing, cleaning, and cutting produce, you see there is a way to improve the situation. Nowhere it’s written that fruit and veggies absolutely need to be fresh. There are plenty of frozen and canned options that are excellent when you want to eat healthy food on a busy schedule.

Chop Everything At the Same Time

You have probably seen your grandma chopping veggies or herbs each time when she is cooking! Indeed when you are retired, it is perfectly splendid as you are much less in a rush. But as many of us have pretty hectic lives, our schedules don’t allow us to do this. A better option when you plan to eat healthy every day is to cut all the veggies on your free day. Use what you need for the meal you are preparing on that day and put the rest in containers. Therein, when you are cooking something on working days, you don’t have to worry about cutting, chopping, washing, etc. Another option to eat healthy when there is no time is to buy pre-chopped food.

Think About Snack Meals

Do you know that you don’t have to cook at all when you want to eat healthy? It is not a joke! You can combine different foods that we generally regard as snacks and create a perfectly healthy and delicious meal in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. But shouldn’t we keep away from snacks?! If by snacks you mean potato chips, then yes! However, there are plenty of other snacks – baby carrots, celery sticks, roasted chickpeas, charcuterie, cheese, olives, etc. Combined with some lettuce and a Greek yogurt dressing, they can be a perfectly splendid meal for those thinking about a diet to eat healthy.

Buy Pre-Bagged Food

Of course, it is always cheaper to go to the farmers market or supermarket, buy fresh produce and prepare them yourself. Whereas you will earn the money you spent, it is challenging to repair the health once the damage has been mind. That is why we always say that it is better to pay for the convenience and get pre-bagged food when you are short on time.

Make Breakfast the Night Before

Making a healthy breakfast is a problem for many of us! We know it is necessary and all, but we don’t have time to think about it or to prepare it. But if you want to eat healthy breakfast, you can prepare it the night before. Keep in mind that it really doesn’t have to be something complex – a bowl of whole-grain cereals with some nuts and dried fruits (cranberries) or a fruit salad will do a perfect job.

Create Your Own Recipe Book

Having no idea what you would like to eat can be a problem, especially when you are in a hurry. Let’s say you have to submit a text by 5 pm, and in the middle of your work, you start banging your head trying to figure out what to eat. It is a disaster, isn’t it? Fortunately, it is easy to avoid this situation. You need to think ahead and prepare a recipe book with your favorite healthy meals. That way, whenever lacking ideas, take a pick and prepare what you like in no time.

Keep it Simple

A big mistake when it comes to healthy eating is that we think that meals need to be challenging to be delicious. On the contrary, healthy food can be simple! Say, you want to eat healthy dinner, right! ? Take some fish fillets (salmon is always a good choice), grill them on medium fire and eat them with lettuce, rocket, boiled broccoli, etc. This kind of dinner is super nutritious, low in calories, and it doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare it.

Final Word

The most important thing is to give yourself a break! Indeed it is necessary to eat healthy, and we should do everything in our power to do so! As you saw from the examples we listed, there are many ways to achieve your goals even when you don’t have time. However, sometimes we are too busy, too tired, or too frustrated, and we want to enjoy burgers and fries! It is part of life, and we shouldn’t stress about it! Do you have some tips for healthy eating!

Author’s Bio

Thomas Nemel is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, health & fitness, and travel! He likes to review new gadgets, technologies and best pre workout for women. When he is not busy writing, Thomas enjoys riding a motorcycle, hiking, and cooking.