Eating in a Busy Season
Hello all!
It’s Abbey here and today I want to share a bit of a different perspective than I normally do, specifically on fueling ourselves in a busy season of life. At the time of writing this, I am getting married in about 10 days, which means between everything else, I am feeling this issue in a more pressing way!
How do we find time to eat well, or at least not do too much damage, in the parts of life where we feel like we just don’t have quite enough time? Here’s some tips from my current strategy, and you can let me know what you think!
Tip #1:
Stock up on protein. I’m talking quality proteins, like uncured lunch meat, Chomps beef sticks, nuts, & eggs. Your body still needs fuel, and it doesn’t need it in the form of lots and lots of carbs. Coincidentally, these items usually have some good fat too, and that’s a winning combo.
Tip #2:
Utilize pre-made meals that are high quality. Recently at Trader Joe’s I found some pre-cooked sous vide chicken I could just warm up to go with a side, chicken meatballs, & frozen tikka masala that was very tasty. There are options, & knowing how to read a label (which I’ll review in a moment) is your friend. At Albertsons & Walmart, there’s a brand of refrigerated meals called Kevin’s Paleo Kitchen, and those are also fantastic.
Do I want to eat pre-made meals all the time? Of course not! I’m not advocating that you should, either. But this is a way to get better quality food into yourself during a season when fast food would be the easiest option. Let’s set ourselves up for a little better success than that!
Tip #3:
Don’t stop eating just because the meal isn’t perfect. For me at least, if I feel discouraged because I’m not “eating as well as I should,” I’ll avoid eating. That is NOT the answer. Find something that’s in the middle, give yourself some grace, and know that this is not a long term issue nor does it say anything about your worth!
Tip #4:
Practice good label reading. Okay, so you’re buying something that’s premade. Let’s look at the back. How much sugar does it have (particularly added sugar)? How much protein? Can you tell what that protein is from (meat vs soy vs dairy)? Is there any fiber in it? How many ingredients are listed? Can you tell what they are, or is it mostly chemical names? (This doesn’t count if you remember your organic chemistry!) Try to stick to things that have more protein, fiber, and fat, than anything else. Avoid things with long lists of ingredients that you don’t recognize. If it’s mostly whole foods that you recognize, that’s a good start! Again, our goal for these times is not perfection, but “better than…” options!
Tip #5:
Keep taking your vitamins! Are they a replacement for good food? Nope! But do they fill in some gaps where we might be missing things? Absolutely! This is especially a good time to keep getting them in regularly!
Friends, we are all going to have seasons of our life where we feel like we just don’t have enough time in the day. Take a deep breath, plan ahead, & set yourself up for success. Eating perfectly is not an achievable goal, and it adds unneeded stress. Make the best decision you can, & let the rest go!
Cheers to simple decisions for the season you are in!
Abbey Swaim
BS, CNC, CTWFN
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay