“I want to eat healthier but I’m just too busy!”.

All around the world, many of us say the same thing to ourselves over and over. The desire to make better eating choices exists, but we find time working against us. We often become so busy that our inability to plan for better choices ends up resulting in fast, much less healthy, eating options.

So, how can we change this? The most important criteria for this kind of change is that it’s ultimately sustainable. If we don’t sustain the change, we won’t benefit from it. Sustainable change is best achieved by taking small, easy to manage, steps in the right direction. Let’s take a look at some of the typical problems you may face and then discuss a few of these small, sustainable changes we are talking about.

Do any of these typical obstacles that get in the way of a better daily diet sound familiar to you?

• Being too busy to have breakfast.

• Not feeling like you have enough time to plan out grocery shops and just winging it. 

• Finding it difficult to learn new cooking recipes for you and your family so just sticking with what is familiar.

These are obviously just a few; the list goes on. But don’t worry, Plus Brand is going to help you solve some of these with some small, sustainable tips and solutions.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

As mentioned, sustainable change often only comes through small, manageable steps. This means that the best tips to kickstart things need to be easy to implement without much planning.

• Drink more water! Yes, it sounds cliché but water helps your body and metabolism function optimally which goes a long way towards maximizing the benefits of other positive changes.

• Begin replacing sugar-filled drinks (yes, this even includes most juices) for unsweetened drinks like black tea or coffee (or add some cream, just avoid the sugar) or fresh juices (with lots of greens). Best of all, as mentioned above, water! Aside from lacking the sugar, drinking more water will also leave you feeling fuller; helping to eliminate random snacking due to feeling hungry at inconvenient times.

• Add as many veggies to your diet as possible. Broccoli and carrots are great options and can be eaten raw (where you also get the best benefits) for convenience on the go. The added fiber is also a benefit for cholesterol, blood sugar, and bowel movements.

• Don’t skip breakfast. You will likely end up eating more low-quality snack food throughout the rest of the day due to hunger. Try a small amount of fruit as a side to your breakfast. If you're low on time, try a hard-boiled egg with a banana and a big bottle of water. All are portable and require very little preparation.

• Pack healthy snacks. You will feel like snacking at some point, let’s just admit that right now. So be prepared! Grab a healthy option like a small bag of carrots and a pack of hummus so that you can fill the craving right away rather than let it explode to the point where you are looking for the nearest fast food restaurant and ordering everything on the menu!

  All of the above require no grocery shopping expertise, very little planning, and just a touch of preparation. Eating healthy when you have little time has never been easier!

BONUS POINTS

If you wish to really commit and have the desire to take a further step, you could also start by going through your pantry and getting rid of all negative temptations like cookies, pastries, ice creams, etc. Then replace them during your next shop with some healthier snack options like granola or low sugar protein bars.

 

The key is to anticipate slip-ups! We’re all human. However, what we can do by anticipating them is prepared for them with better options. Then, little by little, you’ll start noticing that you may even stop craving all those sweets all together!