How eat healthy on a busy schedule

[bettyboo11]

Hi everyone,

I'm decided to take Steve's advice and "start with the physical".. this has been more valuable to me than I can explain. I am going to the gym every day now and already feel a lot more energy.. and I'm more reluctant to put toxic things into my body. However, as a result I'm not eating as much because I'm completely new at planning my diet and stuff like that (previously whenever I was hungry, I just ordered take-out or something)..standard college diet.

I don't have a car so getting to the supermarket is a hassle.. I can go maybe twice a week at most but I can't go every day.

I know vegetables and fruits are good, but how do you get protein and eat enough to feel full?

I can't cook that well, and often lack the time to between classes etc.. and especially things with many ingredients..I always find myself missing something and don't want to go all the way to the grocery store to get it..so I stick with simple recipes.

What are some good staples that I should stock up on when I go shopping..things that are healthy and filling..what kind of meats should I eat (Im not a vegetarian yet.. for now I should just cut down meat).

Please help me with some simple healthy diet tips that you use.. I don't know what to eat every day! Thanks in advance!

[Uplift]

Gidday Bettyboo, a good way to get enough good good food when in a busy environment, is to make up a thermos full of 'mix' in the morning, (about a pint) and have sips of it whenever you get a chance through the day. The mix (kind of a smoothie I guess) could be, milk, a couple of raw eggs, protein powder, flax, almond, sunflower meal, good honey, banana. that way you are getting a constant trickle of protein, fat and carbs. Keeps you anabolic (growth or healing state), and keeps metabolism up, growth sugar stable. You can use whatever, soy milk, whey powder, calcium caseinate, berries, green mixes (you know, spirulina, wheat grass, chlorella, barley, and the other similar powdered super green mixes readily available) brans, paw paw, mango, oils, cream, the list is only limited by your imagination, and the amount of calories you need. Because you are sipping throughout the day, (every hour or two) the speed of protein digestion isn't really an issue. Whey digests quickly, calcium caseinate and eggs slowly, so they keep a more constant supply of protein and boost metabolism. Using 'slow' proteins would still be beneficial, especially if for some reason you cuoldn't get to your mix for a while. It is like a mega quality protein, carb, fat and nutrient bomb all day long, and really easy on your stomach and digestion. Important tips are add some ice cubes to keep it really cold all day. Sip the mix. Each sip should stay in your mouth for a while, letting saliva do its work, and setting up the digestive process to work properly. 4 or 5 sips more often is ideal, rather than irregular (a couple of times a day) gulps. You'll figure out the best way for you to stretch it out throughout the day. Of course in your mealtimes, breaks add solid fruits, veg, meats, whatever if you can, other wise if it's not possible, the mix is plenty. Also get a thermos with a wide mouth, and screw in lid, they are so easy to wash out, the ones with the little opening, tight neck are a pain to clean. By the end of each day you have consumed a pint of superfood. Hope this helps.

[Namaste]

Bettyboo11, being a full time student and employee myself, I can totally relate to the absence of time needed for cooking. However, there are plenty of things that take under half an hour to prepare and do not need to include lots of ingredients. Here are some suggestions (I usually make two portions - one for dinner, and one for lunch the next day):
- spaghetti bolognaise or any other pasta, especially if you use a supermarket sauce;
- baked fish fillets + steamed vegetables;
- a simple sandwich;
- salads - use hard-boiled eggs, tuna, nuts for protein;
- fried rice;
- stir fries - using supermarket sauces again if you want to save time + boiled rice;
- vegetable and fish soups...

[escapee]

IMO, fried rice is not really an ideal health food because

1) It's mostly fried with vege oil (unless lard/palm/virgin coconut is used ) and vege oil (unsaturated fatty acid) goes bad easily on heat.

2) I dont know what kind of rice you're using for frying , but i guess it's probably polished white rice. Then this is an issue because the milling process that strip off the bran layer has also partially removed many of the key nutrients (minerals, vitamin and Fiber ).

For ppl who consume fried white rice regularly, I can only foresee potential weight problem sooner or later.

My preferred choice is Brown rice (steam)

[escapee]

BTW, Steve on how to cook brown rice

[Namaste]

Originally Posted by escapee

For ppl who consume fried white rice regularly, I can only foresee potential weight problem sooner or later.

For people who only eat fried rice, maybe. I was talking about it as one of the many options of quick home made meals.
In today's non-stick-pan world, only a little oil needs to be used, plus you'd get the nutritional benefits of all the vegetables you add to it. And yes, you could also use brown rice.
While steamed rice is good, it's not really a meal on it's own, is it?
Also, a shift from eating take-away food to steamed brown rice and such on a daily basis could be a bit extreme, in my opinion. So it could be a temporary "I miss takeout" option
[My campaign for partially healthy tasty fried rice ends here]

[Gerald]

Try making shakes - I make one and drink it on the go - saves me a bunch of time

Also, try cooking all your meals on a Sunday for the week as well.

[bettyboo11]

Thanks for your help, everyone. =) Please add if you have any more valuable tips!

To answer my own question I guess, I found this blog today and it looks really informative and helpful.

It's from SELF magazine online.. a blog of what a dietician eats (with pictures) and Q+As. Very interesting, I definitely have been overeating for the past couple years.

[bettyboo11]

PS. Gerald.. MMM shakes and smoothies..sounds great. yeah I need a blender!

[Keith]

I second pre-preparing food. Things like pasta and soups are great to make in bulk. Make 6 servings at a time and throw 5 of them in a freezer. Then when you can't make it to the supermarket or just couldn't be buggered cooking, you can reheat them.

I don't know that I'd advocate cooking just once a week, but certainly keep a decent amount of prepared food available as fallback.

If you're after protein, bean salad is pretty good. Personally I like the following:

Combine 1 (440g) tin canneloni beans and 1 (440g) tin red kidney beans (rinse the beans in a strainer under the tap first). Add juice from 1/2 a lemon. Slice up some red onion (to taste - personally I put in about 1/2 a medium onion). Add some salt if you're that way inclined (I am ). That makes 2 full meals. There's about 25g protein per serve.

It takes 5 minutes to throw together, and requires no perishable ingredients.

[escapee]

If you are crazy(health freak) enough like me . You can use Himalayan salt for cooking . It's a more expensive than the table salt but the benefit is it's loaded with 84+ trace minerals.

Facts About Organic Himalayan Crystal Salt

The result of consuming common table salt is the formation of overly acidic edema, or excess fluid in the body tissue, which is also the cause of cellulite. That's why doctors tell us to avoid salt. For every .035 ounces of sodium chloride that cannot be eliminated, the body uses 23 times (23x) the amount of its own cell water to neutralize the salt. If the sodium chloride is still too high, re-crystallization of the table salt occurs as the body uses available non-degradable animal proteins (as those found in milk), which also have no value and cannot be broken down and eliminated. The body uses these proteins to produce uric acid in order to get rid of the excess salt as the body cannot dispose of uric acid, it binds itself with the sodium chloride to form new crystals that are deposited directly in the bones and joints. This is the cause of different kinds of rheumatism such as arthritis, gout, and kidney and gall bladder stones. This re-crystallization is the body's band-aid solution for the cells and organs in order to protect the body from irreparable damage of irresponsible food intake. But in the long run. it poisons the system because those substances cannot be disposed of.

Mercola also sells Himalayan salt on his website