January 08, 2019 Why healthy eating trumps convenience

Life gets busy, right?

So much so, good diet and healthy eating habits often quickly go out the window. Throw two kids, a busy family life and business into the equation and it gets even harder. Consistently eating well’s a precarious balancing act.

I’ll be the first to put my hand up to say that I overdid it over Christmas. Too many rich foods, the occasional bout of overeating, you name it. I know – it’s nigh on impossible to keep yourself in check over the festive season.

Hence why I’m writing this blog. I’m currently in a world of pain working with my personal trainer to try to regain some semblance of fitness, so getting back on the proverbial dietary wagon’s a big one for me at the moment.

I’m certainly not a dietician, but I just wanted to share a few tips that have helped me get my diet in order over the past year or so and also dispel a few common misconceptions about healthy eating…

Go fresh, not convenience

When you feel perpetually busy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and the like. Or worse, instant, processed foods from the supermarket. The trade-off for convenience over good nutrition isn’t worth it, in my opinion. I also think it’s a bit of fallacy to think that you need to spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking to eat well. If you’re busy, there are loads of quick and easy fresh vegetable and whole foods-filled meals you can prepare. For me, it was a case of shifting my mindset around eating the right amount of nutrients and getting the right energy from food to support my training. Being too busy to eat well’s a cop-out, in my opinion.

Keep healthy foods on hand

If I’m hungry in between meals, I’m much more likely to go for the easiest thing I can get my hands on. Which is why I always make sure I have plenty of healthy foods readily available – both at home and at work – to fill me up and keep me going. That way, I avoid the temptation of eating crap and ensure I’m getting the right nutrients over the course of the day.

Get your probiotics on

Probiotics have been a game changer for me in terms of general health. They’re fantastic for restoring the balance of your digestive system and are super easy to get your hands on during the day. I’m talking foods like good-quality yoghurt and even soft cheeses, both of which also double as fantastic in-between-meal snacks.

Go nuts

Ever since starting my personal training program, I definitely eat a lot more nuts and seeds than I used to. From everything I’ve researched, they’re a great source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. In other words, they’re great for getting a whole of everything at once. Back to my previous point on keeping healthy snacks on hand, nuts and seeds are surprisingly filling and fantastic for keeping hunger at bay.

 

Less is more

This is a big one. As part of trying to establish a good base of fitness over the past year, I’ve been focusing on portion size for each meal – Christmas overeating, notwithstanding. It’s a tough one at first, but your stomach adapts pretty quickly. In fact, I fill up much faster now by eating less. Go figure.