Beating Busy Day Syndrome

It’s a common story that I hear time after time again; despite the best of intentions to eat healthier, life has just gotten in the way. Run out of time, don’t know what to cook, don’t have the right ingredients, too stressed or tired after work – these are all common reasons I’m given as to why people avoid cooking healthy meals in the evening.

Eating well doesn’t have to be difficult – with a few little changes you can make the healthy choice the easy choice. What that means is organising yourself ahead of time to prevent the weeknight meal time rush. So instead of reaching for Uber Eats delivery, here’s some ways you can get ahead:

• Have a look at the upcoming week and work out what the busy nights might be. These are great nights to have 5 minute meals planned, or leftovers that simply need to be reheated. A little planning goes a long way!
• Meal prep when you have time. 5 minutes worth of chopping vegetables on a Sunday afternoon means all your fruit and veggies are ready to go the next day.
• Plan to over cater – don’t cook a different meal every night if you don’t have to! Leftovers make great meals and lunches, and save you time cooking later.
• Used pre-prepared salads from the supermarket – these can boost your veggies for the day and all you have to add is some roast chicken and instant brown rice to make a complete meal. Too easy!
• Have a few go-to recipes and ingredients to pull together an emergency meal when you have to. A can of tuna, some pasta, pasta sauce and frozen veg from the freezer is quick and healthy.
• Keep some frozen veggies in the freezer to add nutrition value to any meal really quickly

These simple ideas can save a lot of time and help you stay on track with your nutrition goals. Healthy eating doesn’t need to be hard!

Louise Cato- APD and Accredited Sports Dietitian