As an entrepreneur, you have people counting on you. Employees, customers, investors, and your friends and family need you to be healthy and high functioning. This won’t happen if your diet is full of fast foods, coffee drinks, and pastries.
Check out the following six nutrition tips perfect for the busy entrepreneur.
Make Eating Fresh Fruits And Vegetables Convenient
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables each day is important for maintaining health and energy levels. They recommend keeping fruit on hand in a visible place so that you are more likely to choose it than junk food when you want a snack. As far as vegetables go, take some time each week to peel carrots, slice cucumbers, and prepare other vegetables so that they are ready to eat. Then, portion them out into containers with salsa, hummus, or other dip. Pull a container out each morning and afternoon for snacking.
Don’t be Fooled by So-Called Healthy Foods
Are you making so-called healthy food choices such as choosing granola bars instead of candy bars or eschewing soda for fruit juice? If so, we have some bad news for you. The supposedly healthy foods you are eating aren’t very healthy at all. In fact, they may not be any healthier than the foods they replace.
Check out this list of 15 health foods that are actually quite bad for you. The list includes fruit juice, sports drinks, and even some organic foods.
Don’t Drink Your Calories
Don’t make the mistake of consuming too many calories in liquid form. Sugary sodas, sports drinks, even chocolate milk can result in your taking in many more calories than you burn. Worse, these drinks aren’t filling or satisfying. Stick with zero calorie options such as water, and unsweetened coffee and tea. If you drink lots of water, that’s great. However, you may want to ditch your disposable water bottles for a healthier option. Here is some important but disturbing information about the environmental impact of water bottles.
Pick Healthy Options at Restaurants
When you go out to eat, the standard entree and side dishes on the menu aren’t usually the healthiest things. This is because restaurants want to show diners the most decadent options, not the healthiest. This means that in order to be healthy, you must do a bit of exploring, and ask for substitutions. In some instances, restaurants will gladly serve you a half portion of a meal. This is an instant calorie savings. Here are a few other tips.
- Substitute steamed or grilled vegetables instead of getting a baked potato.
- Go for a salad instead of an entree, but lay off on the fatty dressings and bacon bits.
- Ask if you can order from the children’s menu.
- Choose grilled, baked, or steamed or fried.
- Choose a brothy soup over a creamy soup.
Keep Filling, Nutrient-Dense Snack Foods on Hand
While fruits and vegetables should be your number one choice when snacking, they aren’t always filling enough. To stave off hunger, eat nuts, seeds, hard boiled eggs, and other nutrient dense snack foods. String cheese and avocados are two more options. Just be sure to control your portions. These foods all contain a fair amount of fat. This is important for good health, but you must also consider that these are higher calorie foods.
Prepare Healthy “Grab and Go” Breakfasts
You don’t need to be told that skipping breakfast is bad for you. The real problem with breakfast is that busy entrepreneurs don’t always have time to stop and eat something healthy. Be prepared for busy mornings by preparing healthy and filling grab and go breakfasts ahead of time. Popsugar Fitness has a great list of healthy breakfasts that you can make the night before.
Don’t use a busy lifestyle as an excuse to let your health become an issue for you. Eating right isn’t as hard as it seems. Use the tips above to guarantee that the food you eat contributes to your energy and well being.