We’re all prone to letting healthy eating habits slip when we’re busy. You don’t want to be bothered with nutrition labels and calorie counts when you’re creating an empire and generally being a boss! The problem is that if you don’t worry about those things now, then once your empire is fully up and running, and your cup runneth over with success, your jeans may also runneth over with love handles. Then you’ll be busy hitting the gym extra hard. See, it’s all about balance. Pay a little attention to your eating habits every day, and you don’t need to dedicate all of your attention to them thirty pounds from now. And remember, it’s much easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. With that in mind, here are eating pitfalls of busy people that you should avoid.
Eating processed foods
If it comes in packaging, you probably shouldn’t eat it. Packaged foods mascaraed as the busy person’s best friend. Microwavable meals, pre-made trail mix…These brands tend to make money by loading their food with empty calories.
Eating calorie-sorted snacks
Little bags of pretzels and cookies that boast their 100-calorie content are easy to carry in your bag, but they forget to mention one thing; they have no nutrition. In other words, they do not fill you up at all and leave you reaching for more.
Failing to invest in Tupperware
How are you supposed to make lunch at home if you don’t have the proper Tupperware to put it in? When you realize all you have is one, flimsy little piece, you’ll give up and order delivery. Invest in good Tupperware that can go in the microwave, has different compartments, features venting lids and all.
Forgetting to make time to eat
You’ve planned your morning yoga, your time to open emails, your 10 am conference call, your 11 am conference call, your 12:30 presentation, your 1:30 meeting and…oops, you forgot to make time to eat! That means you scarf down something that can be scarfed down (like a burrito or burger) between meetings. Treat eating like a meeting: give it at least a 30-minute window.
Eating at the restaurant/bar/meeting place
If you take a lot of meetings at restaurants, hotel lobbies, bars and the like, it’s easy to think, “I’ll just save time by eating there.” But you won’t always find the healthiest options here. If this is how you make time to eat, then choose healthy spots for your meetings.
Forgetting to make time to grocery shop
This, like eating, should be on your calendar—it should get its own time slot. Your good intentions to make lunch at home go out the window when you don’t have food with which to make that lunch. Pick a time—maybe Sunday afternoon—and say that’s when you grocery shop. Don’t let anything get in the way.
Failing to keep healthy snacks in the car
If you find yourself stuck in traffic or driving between meetings and starving, what do you do? You go through a drive-through. That’s all you have time for! How about you save even more time by keeping some protein-rich nuts in your center divider.
Failing to keep healthy snacks in your bag
You never know when a meeting will run an hour over, leaving your stomach grumbling in your chair. There are, of course, cookies and donuts on the conference table. If you’re smart, there will be healthy snacks in your purse.
Buying coffee at a coffee shop
First off, this is expensive. But second, when you buy coffee at a coffee shop, you end up adding the muffin or the bagel. Make coffee in your own kitchen where you aren’t surrounded by pastries.
Eating too quickly
This one’s pretty obvious, but in case it must be stated: busy people eat too quickly! When you eat too quickly, you tend to overeat because your brain doesn’t get the time it needs to register that you are full.
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