I have worked in the weight loss industry for 25 years, I’ve also battled being overweight my entire life. What I’m about to tell you are years of collective tips and tricks that come directly from the body building industry.
I started working for Golds Gym (Venice, CA) in the early 1990s in their Nutrition Analysis Division. I was fortunate enough to work with, and for, some of the biggest names in the business. For decades, bodybuilders have been on the cutting edge of how to eat healthy, quickly and easily, even on a tight budget.
Allow me to give you some insight into some of the key components.
First, let’s start with the single most important part of the overall process — planning. The old adage is: fail to plan, and plan to fail. In addition, nothing could be truer about eating healthy. So I will try to make this short, direct and to the point, and I invite you to contact me if you would like more detail on any of the points mentioned in this article.
Planning is essential to eating healthy, I can guarantee you’re not going to find many choices of healthy eating in a convenience store. Ideally, plan each meal, and plan your shopping list. Easy computer software can will help you do this. Here are some tips for planning:
- Shop at grocery stores, like Whole Foods, that focus on providing their customers with fresh, quality food.
- Keep a running shopping list, shop at the same place at the same time, and stick to the outside aisles. Stick to your list, stick to your budget and practice getting in and out quickly.
- If you are uncertain what foods are healthy, follow this rule of thumb: “If it didn’t come from the ground or a mother, don’t eat it!”
- I highly recommend that you get used to eating many of the same foods, especially if you’re just learning to eat healthier. You can slowly add to the list and over a short period of time, and you’ll be surprised at how many things you add. Eating the same foods will make your grocery shopping, preparing and food storage faster and easier, because you’ve gotten faster with more experience.
- Stock up on healthy foods that don’t perish so you will not be tempted to order out.
- Figure out what portable foods you really like and carry them with you at all times. Seriously. Get yourself an awesome bag to carry your lunch, and in the process you will eat better, you’ll eat less, and you’ll save money.
- Train yourself to stay away from impulse foods; it’s easier knowing that you have an apple or banana nearby.
- Whenever you prepare a meal, make four: one to eat, one to refrigerate and two individually wrapped meals for the freezer.
- Some conveniences are worth paying for. For example, I buy my egg whites by the quart, bread and cheese by the slice, and salads already prepared. Seattle Sutton is a good example of paying more for convenience, You decide.
- Fill up on fruits, vegetables, and other low-calorie and high-volume foods like popcorn.
- Get a rice cooker; it comes out perfect every time.
- Shop at farmer’s markets, because you’ll find fresh and nutritious foods that will be less expensive than it would cost to grow them yourself.
- Get a water bottle with a loop on its neck and carry it with one finger.
Nothing should take longer to 20 minutes to make in your own kitchen, you’ve got to keep it simple, and learn to multitask. For example, you can cook a turkey burger, boil noodles and prepare sauces at the same time.
Become familiar with new restaurants that are serving healthier foods. A couple of my favorites are Chipotle and Subway. There are many new restaurants popping up everywhere that are becoming supportive of healthy eating lifestyles. When on the road, I like sandwiches. I can stop at a grocery store, buy good bread, sandwich meat, cheese, and (sometimes) butter. Nuts, veggies and fruit round out the lunch and are great to snack on.
I hope these tips and tricks to eating healthy quickly fit into your life.
