5 Healthy Eating Tips for Busy Lives

Between business meetings, family obligations, and keeping up with friends, IRL and online, our lives are busier than ever. Our over-populated schedules tend to cause us to generate exercise excuses and reach for the fastest thing possible when hunger strikes – not the healthiest. Don’t let a busy life turn into an unhealthy lifestyle, Chef Karla Williams and Registered Dietician Lindsay Martin of Hilton Head Heath are sharing their tips for making eating well easy, even when your day is hard!

More is More 

Chef Karla’s trick for filling up without filling out? Volumetrics. “Add fruits and vegetables to your meals to bulk up nutrients and the size of your dish, making your stomach and your eyes happy. Try adding julienned zucchini to whole wheat spaghetti next time you make a pasta dish. One-fourth of a cup of zucchini and one fourth of a cup whole wheat pasta mixed together will appear to be one half of a cup of pasta on your plate.”

Plan Ahead

“At the beginning of each week, write out a few meal ideas and head to the store with your grocery list,” shared Chef. “By having your food pre-planned, it takes the guesswork out of figuring what to eat for dinner.” For some ideas, take a peek inside our grocery cart!

Size Matters

Pay attention to portion sizes, especially when eating out. “Keeping the size of your portions under control over time will make a huge impact on your calorie consumption,” explained Chef Karla. “Pizza and cupcakes are okay to eat every once in a while, the idea is to not over-indulge in these items.”

Snack Smart

Contrary to popular belief, it’s okay to snack in-between meals, especially when you’re busy, it’s what you snack on that makes the difference. “It’s good to snack or eat a meal every 3-4 hours to avoid late night binging,” said Lindsay. “The key is to buy healthy snacks and portion them out ahead of time. If you have a snack drawer at work, individualize everything ahead of time so you’re not tempted to overeat after a stressful meeting.”

Set Boundaries

Can’t stop after just a few bites? “Don’t buy food that you know will be a temptation for you,” advised Lindsay. “And don’t be afraid to communicate with your colleagues about ‘free’ cupcake day or candy free-for-alls. Out of sight, out of mind!”

What are some of your favorite tricks for eating well? Share them in the comments!