Eating Healthy for a Busy Life

The fast pace of life for many means that creating a nourishing meal is becoming a "lost art" and a cultural health crisis. Convenience and eating whole foods are not opposites! But, getting back into the kitchen to create healthy, yummy options is the number one barrier. Drive through, take-out, eating out, or microwaved meals all appear faster and... good enough for the moment. Take another look at what is lost by living and eating in a hurried life:

• relationship stress
• indigestion
• trouble sleeping
• irritability
• food no longer "tastes" good
• illnesses (more frequent or severe)
• expense
• increased cravings (sugar, salt, caffeine)
• weight gain

Is a meal away from home really faster? easier? better? healthier?

Cooking and eating healthy at home is simple, but you will need to begin at the grocery store; if it is not in your kitchen, you cannot possibly prepare it. Convenience at home includes the fresh food you keep on hand, simple recipes, and a few tools for cooking.

Tip #1: Buy ready-to-use, washed and chopped, fresh vegetables in the produce isle. Making a soup, salad or stir-fry is both quick and easy when the veggies are ready to cook. Using fresh, not frozen, adds amazing flavor, texture and more nutritional value.

Tip #2: Simple cooking is about using real food; if it looks like it grew on or in the ground or ocean then it is genuine food. If it comes in a package with a label that includes additives, preservatives or added nutritional elements then it is a compromised food to the body that needs to be limited as a food source.

Tip #3:  Menu variety in a meal is easier to achieve when you remember colors: include a minimum of one or more colorful vegetables or fruits, one or more green vegetable or leafy greens, one whole grain (brown rice, quinoa, oats, etc.), and protein from beans, nuts, fish or meat.

Tip #4: Success in making cooking at home easy and convenient is to remember the wisdom of "cook once, eat twice". Make more food than is needed for your meal to be able to use leftovers for your next meal. A large stir-fry of vegetables for dinner becomes lunch in the form of a sandwich wrap or add to broth to make a soup. Leftover rice becomes the base for a casserole, or reheat with a little water and combine with chopped, fresh parsley for a tasty side dish. When you put the effort and time into a larger meal, leftovers become the "fast" part of whole-food convenience.

Tip #5: Have a few useful tools on hand: measuring cups and spoons, a sharp knife, wooden cutting board (never glass, hard plastic or marble), stainless steel cookware (not non-stick), and mixing bowls.

Tip #6: Find an easy to use cookbook that keeps both ingredients and directions simple, and one that includes helpful information for buying and using whole foods. There are a couple that I recommend:

Food to Live By - Myra Goodman 
Great Food Fast - Martha Stewart Living

Enjoy feeding yourself and those you love with fresh, whole-food prepared at home... you will change your corner of the world with better health, energy and satisfaction. And you will probably save in the areas of time, money and unnecessary stress. Time invested in cooking at home is about loving your life and those who share the journey with you.