Treating yourself to junk foods, indulging in a high-calorie diet, and binge eating are all bad. However, what is worse is not eating on time and cutting down on food because you do not have the time to spare for a meal. With the busy lifestyle that most of us lead, it is almost impossible to take a few hours off every day to relish a nice meal.
The new work-from-home norm that we have all embraced post the COVID-19 pandemic has only made this worse.
As people are working round the clock and have lost the sense of a work-life balance, this has impacted the way we eat too and, in turn, our physical and mental health. So, it is no wonder that healthcare professionals worldwide are stressing on prioritizing healthy eating habits. If you are someone with a busy life, here’s how you could continue to eat healthily and stay in shape.
Include More Vegetables
When you cook or order food online, opt for foods rich in nutrients and have more vegetables. Including more vegetables in every meal is important as it prevents you from stress eating and indulging in junk food. So, instead of deciding on what to order when you are hungry, you could subscribe to organic meals delivered to your doorstep every day. That way, you won’t have to waste time browsing recipes looking for something you’ll love.
Carry Fruits
It is easy to skip meals when you are overwhelmed by work. We have all been guilty of saying that taking a break from work to grab a quick bite is impossible. So, here’s what you could do. No matter where you are headed, carry some fresh fruits in your bag. This could be a box full of grapes, a banana, kiwi, or an apple, and use it as a snack when you are hungry but cannot take a break. This way, you would get into the habit of eating more fruits and also not starving yourself.
Set Reminders
This one might sound silly, but it is effective. You could set reminders on your phone or download many wellness apps to remind you about your meal. These apps could also help you calculate the number of calories your body needs, the need to stay hydrated, and so on. While it might be difficult initially, your mind would eventually get conditioned to feeling hungry around when the buzzer goes off. And soon enough, you would have a healthy and working mealtime routine!
Lunch Meetings
Work has been taking a toll on your eating habits, so it’s time to use the same work to bring your eating back on schedule. Research suggests that socializing promotes healthy eating habits, which is why we are more likely to eat junk food while watching TV than while out with our friends at a restaurant.
Make sure you have lunch meetings more often and use these meal times to finish workplace discussions. That way, you are also getting two things done simultaneously, thus saving your rest of the workday to complete tasks rather than sitting around in meetings that eat up your productivity.
These are a few realistic ways to make sure you would eat healthily and eat on time. And the best part is, these are minor changes to your lifestyle which would not require you to make compromises at work. Therefore, you are more likely to follow them and develop a healthy eating routine in the long run! We hope the tips come in handy. Do let us know if they worked for you!
Featured image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/LxC1Qx1qulc
