You Can Eat Right While On-the-Go??

February 26, 2015

Perhaps the hardest part of any diet is trying to eat right when you have a busy life. It’s so much easier to go through a drive through than to set time aside to cook each day. Or at least that’s what we have in our heads! There are some easy ways to make on-the-go eating healthier!

I’m a college freshman involved in a service organization that requires volunteer hours, has mandatory meetings, and social events. I also play intramural softball and go to the gym 6 days each week, and have to stay on top of my 5 classes, all while living on campus WITHOUT a kitchen. I understand busy. I don’t recall a time in my life where I wasn’t busy! One thing I do when I’m on the go is have a smoothie for dinner. Smoothie King offers some really great flavors that are sugar and dairy free. It’s one of my favorite things to get after a workout or just a stressful day. I also hate waking up in the morning, so I generally am rolling out of bed about 10 minutes before class begins. In these cases, I grab some cold fruit from my refrigerator. Some days it’ll be a handful of grapes, other days it’s a banana. It just depends on what I bought at the grocery store that week! Which brings me to another tip. PLAN AHEAD. Before you go to the grocery store, write down everything you will need for the week ahead. On Sundays, I always buy 3 bananas to eat on my way to West Campus on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That way I won’t be tempted to walk to the Chick-fil-a across the street. Also, it is really fun to ride a bike and eat a banana at the same time. 

Meal prep!!!! I can’t stress this enough. If you know that Mondays and Tuesdays are extremely busy and you won’t have time to cook, make the meals on Sunday afternoon! Then put them in a container and refrigerate until those days. Another thing that I do is order food to go from a sit down restaurant. Last Sunday, I called Fish Daddy’s and ordered grilled tilapia, shrimp, and vegetables. They had it ready in 10 minutes, and it is only a few dollars more expensive than a Whataburger meal. Then I camped out on my futon and watched Netflix for two hours, but didn’t even have to feel guilty. What a win-win. 

Take food to go! If you get a giant plate at a restaurant, I promise that the food will still be good tomorrow (not responsible for cases where it isn’t). Get a to go box, put it in the fridge, and bring it to work for lunch the next day. Bringing your own food is guaranteed to be more healthy than swinging through McDonald’s on a lunch break. 

If you’re like me and you love to eat out, find out what places have a healthy option for you. Unfortunately, I have had to give up going to Cane’s (or Layne’s if you’re an Aggie), but I have found that I can still go to Smash Burger and get the Avocado Grilled Chicken Club which is life changing. Most of your favorite places will have healthier options, you just have to look into it. 

Yes, all of these things take a little planning and time, but anything worth pursuing should take effort!