"I Don't Have Time" | How To Eat On A Busy Schedule
Hey, hey! How many of you have said to yourselves “I don’t have time to prepare meals” or “I don’t have time to plan” or even “I don’t have time to shop”? We’ve all said it, we’ve all been there.
How about I counter those questions and thoughts with -- the amount of time you spend thinking these thoughts, you could’ve already started planning and prepping. [insert mike drop here]
Well, let’s just say Meal prepping is without a doubt one of the most efficient ways to ensure you’ll get all your nutrients in and stay accountable each week to your goals. Meal prepping will actually save you time and money and will also give your body EVERYTHING needed to sustain healthy functioning, as well as any daily physical and mental activities.
What’s meal prepping? At its very core, meal prepping implies cooking for a couple of days ahead, all at once.
This is a very flexible approach, as it allows you to prepare certain foods in bulk, which you can then use to create a variety of recipes for the week.
Step #1 - Choose your Protein & Fat sources
Protein & fats are essential to the body, as they regulate a variety of vital processes, including but not limited to recovery and (not just exercise recovery! Overall daily recovery), healthy functioning of all bodily systems and tissues and regulating hormonal function.
If you don’t get enough protein & fat in your diet you may experience things such as feeling tired early in the day (2pm slump anyone?), constant tiredness, brain fog and disrupted sleep.
When you are planning, it is a good idea to initially pick out your protein & fat sources
Most of your daily protein will come from foods like chicken, turkey, pork, beef, eggs, fish, prawns, cheese, and other dairy products. If you live a meatless lifestyle, it’s best to combine different grains, beans, and other legumes, to get the full amino acid profile.
Step #2 - Choose Your Carbohydrate Sources
While protein and fats are essential for the body, carbohydrates aren’t really the same. They are the preferred energy source for the body. it is always a good idea to get your daily carbohydrates in, especially if you are an active individual. The best sources of carbohydrates are all grains, beans, legumes & other whole grain products. These will give a consistent, gradual flow of energy to the body, to meet all its energy needs for physical and mental activities. Foods like white & brown rice, sweet potatoes, oats, starchy vegetables & fruits are a great choice.
Step #3 - What about micronutrients
Micronutrients are also essential to the body, as it needs them to regulate certain processes. If you rely on diverse nutrition and include plenty of different fruits and vegetables daily, you likely get a wide variety of micronutrients. That is unless of course, you have certain micronutrient deficiencies, at which case your best bet is to consult with your doctor.
Step #4 - Cook in bulk! KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!
Holding yourself accountable to setting aside an hour on Sunday can help you save time during the week! Once you’ve picked out your favorite protein, fat & carbohydrate sources, it is time to cook! Using resources like Kroger Click List, Meijer Pick Up, Shipt and Emeals can help with your groceries.
Prepping:
For the meats, you can use basic marinades
Once that’s done, you’ll have ~2-3 lbs of meat all cooked and ready.
For your grains and vegetables you can use basic seasoning and preparation.
Once that’s done, you’ll have a solid amount of carbohydrates ready on demand.
Since these are prepared in a very basic way, you can use them as a BASE to add upon.
For example, you can take some of the pre-cooked meat and toss it in a preheated pan with some vegetables, glazes & other spices.
The same goes for your carb sources, meaning that you can craft a variety of recipes and bring diversity to your nutrition, even though you cook the same foods every time.
Again, these are just your bases for meals and you can furthermore add vegetables, dried tomatoes, olives, capers and any other side products you may like.
Step #5 - Enjoy your food & time
Most people think that cooking your own food is time & money-consuming, but the truth is that it really is just the opposite of that.
Home prepared food is ALWAYS cheaper and takes less total time…On top of that, developing this healthy habit will actually GIVE YOU more time on this precious planet. So, what is it you can lose with meal prepping? Nothing, really.
With a busy daily lifestyle, eating healthily can often be a difficult task for many people.
More often than not, people fall for trend diets that don’t really pay any attention to the actual needs of their bodies.
This is where establishing an individual nutrition plan and cooking your own food, can come in handy.
Generally, following a balanced, diverse approach to nutrition is your best bet, as that will grant the body all the macro and micro nutrients that it needs to function well.
Following this REALLY SIMPLE approach & preparing the majority of your foods in bulk, is something you can do to save you time and money.
Want more ideas or accountability? I can help with that! Check out the Hybrid Nutrition program today!
#keepitsimple #levelupwithhybrid
