7 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Diet While Busy at Work

A busy schedule does not mean you can get away with being unhealthy. On the contrary, people under a lot of stress at work need to be very careful about what they put in their bodies, if they plan on progressing with ther career. Here are some tips on eating healthy for even the busiest CEOs.

1. Prioritize Breakfast

A busy schedule makes it easy for most people to skip breakfast. But, a healthy breakfast first thing in the morning was proven to be beneficial for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, controlling blood sugar levels and balancing hormones. Going hungry also impedes proper cognitive functioning.

So, you see why it is crucial for you to have a well-balanced breakfast. If you are strapped for time, you can make yourself a quick smoothie in the morning, or even the night before, and drink it on the way to work.

2. Prep Healthy Snacks

Sometimes we can be so busy at work that we forget to eat all day long. The problem is, once your blood sugar levels drop, your body will instinctively crave sugary snacks, and you risk repeating the process all over again.

To avoid the temptation, pre-pack healthy snacking options, like chopped fruit, nuts, cottage cheese and whole-grain crackers, for a smarter pick-me-up. Avoid eating too much nuts and dried fruits in particular, since they are packed with calories and sugar, and you can find yourself wondering why your pants do not fit anymore.

3. Drink a Lot of Water

Another thing to note is that working in a stressful environment, like an office, can take a toll on your body. Anyone with a jam-packed planner will often forget to stay hydrated. Thirst is something that can easily be mixed up with hunger, so your body could be sending you signals that it requires water, but you might feel it as hunger.

Always keep a filled hydroflask, or a water bottle at your desk and drink at least two litres during your working hours, especially if you spend more than eight ours at the office. Drinking a lot of water is not only beneficial to your brain, skin, internal organs and mood, but it will make you stand up more and move (since you will be having a lot more bathroom breaks).

4. Order a Healthy Meal

If you are so busy that by the time you come home mealtime is the last thing on your mind, do not worry. You too can still eat a healthy, home-made meal. There are a lot of restaurant delivery services at your disposal, and I am not talking about fast-food.

You can order  a portion of freshly-baked boscaiola from your favourite gourmet restaurant, delivered to your work or home, all a click away. Pamper yourself from time to time and take a well-deserved break from cooking on particularly busy nights.

5. Cook and Freeze Batches

When you do find the time to cook a home-made meal, in the weekend or after work, make sure that you make a bigger batch, while you are at it. Double up your ingredients, and divide the meal into portions. You can freeze batches and defrost them during the week, whenever you need a quick healthy meal. Stews are your best friends, since you can cook a large amount at once, all in a big pot.

You can even invest in a slow cooker – just put in all the ingredients at once and cook overnight in low heat. You will have lunch ready in the morning. Make the effort to cook two different meals when you have time, and have a bit of variety in the following days.

6. Set a Reminder

If you are someone who tends to forget to eat while working, think about setting a reminder to make a break and have a quick snack. As a result of skipping meals, your body will eventually go into starvation mode, and your metabolism may slow down eventually, resulting in tiredness, loss of muscle mass, weightgain, feeling cold, and moodyness and brain fog.

Most people tend to binge and overeat at the end of the day, when the hunger kicks in again, but some could end up malnourished. It is always better to at least have one healthy meal at work than none.

7. Prep Ingredients

Cut up all your veggies and store them in tupperware, or freeze them, and have the ingredients ready for use. It is often the chopping, peeling, slicing that takes up most of our cooking time, but this way you can speed up the process significantly.

Just grab the veggies that you chopped in advance, throw them in a pan, add some chicken and spices – et voila, you have yourself a meal. You can even prep fruit in advance, slice apples, peel oranges, bananas, or mangoes or any other fruit and store them in tupperware. You will have a snack ready for work tomorrow. All it takes is a bit of time and effort.

Even though your planner may be full, that does not mean your belly should be empty. Follow these simple tips for maintaining a healthy diet while working a busy schedule. With a bit of planning, and choosing smarter options, eating a well-balanced diet at work is not so difficult.