It can be very difficult to attempt to keep a healthy diet when you are away from home for extended periods of time. When it comes to making daily meal choices, you are so pressed for time that you usually end up buying fast food or unhealthy snacks. After that, you find yourself in a never-ending cycle of making unhealthy lunch choices at work, in college, and even at school.
I experienced something similar during my time in college, and before I realized it, I was gaining weight and wasting a lot of money on unhealthful food. I realized then that trying to make my own lunch at home was not an option, so I had to make a shift and start making better decisions when it came to buying lunch food. It worked!
So allow me to share all the advice and knowledge I’ve gained with you that has enabled me to eat healthily on a budget both at work and during my time in college.
1. First of all, plan how many meals you will need. Do you need to order breakfast and lunch? Just lunch? Lunch and a snack? Know how many meals you need according to how many hours you’ll be spending at university/work.
2. It’s best if you eat a small meal every 3 to 4 hours, and one large meal in the day, so plan your meals accordingly.
3. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal, so you really should not skip eating it at home before you leave for the day.
4. Try to make lunch the large meal you have and rely on smaller meals through the rest of the day until dinner time.
5. Another way to make sure you don’t spend too much money on food and still eat healthy is to always bring your snacks in your bag for the smaller meals instead of buying them. Take a fruit, along with a small box of nuts or oats or even cucumber or carrot slices or even these delicious homemade baked chips.
6. Look for all the near restaurants and know what types of dishes they serve to find out your options of healthier meals instead of fast food.
7. For the large meal, avoid ordering fried food and go for grilled instead, such as grilled chicken or kofta. You can also eat pasta with red sauce or a some chicken panee pieces.
8. Don’t make the mistake of drinking lots of sugary fluids like boxed juice or sodas instead of eating healthy snacks. They guarantee you fast weight gain and loss of pocket money. Replace them with fresh natural juice or infused detox water.
9. One of the worst diet habits you can make and will cause you to put on lots of weight is munching on store bought snacks like chips or puffs that are full of oils and preservatives.
10. Finally, if you do have time to prepare your own lunch at home here is a list of easy, non-boring lunch box recipes to save you time and energy all week.
