10 Tips For Eating Healthy On The Go

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Let’s face it; it doesn’t matter if you’re at work, on vacation or studying to be a Dog Breath Sniffer (yes, it’s a thing. Google it) if you’re a woman, you’re probably too busy. Period. So is it any wonder that we struggle with our eating?

Your day looks like a giant bag of M&M’s when only the ugly green ones are left. You have the child school pick-ups, office meetings, laundry and grocery shopping. We obsessively check our Facebook page five billion times per day, but God forbid you should actually try and squeeze a yoga class into your own life…ooooh nooo! No time for that!

As an ex-fad dieter, I can tell you from experience that if I skipped a meal or was forced to eat “on the run”, there was no way I was subjecting my taste buds to a boring green salad.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

I was diving face first into the nearest greasy, salty, cheesy thing I could find!

Of course, as soon as the last deep fried morsel was wiped from my lips, eaters remorse kicked in and I instantly regretted my decision.

So in an effort to dial down the food anxiety, I’m sharing my Top 10 Tips For Eating Healthy On The Go (Hot Tip… the last point is the best!)

1. Prep yo self

Remember when your mother told you never to leave the house without a clean hankie? (or was it without brushing your teeth? Either way…) I’m going to tell you that if you think all the stars will align and you will magically find healthy food choices wherever you go, gurl… you be foolin yourself. I take a stash of portables with me whenever I’m flouncing about the place so that I never get caught with my smoothie pants down. Some of my portables include the obvious, such as fruit, nuts and goji berries, but I have been known to throw in a slice of Banana Bread, Chewy Cranberry & Oat Cookie and No Bake Apricot Delight on the odd occasion as well.

2. The Food Court is not a Carnival

If you’ve been a hard core dieter in the past, you’ll know the adrenaline rush that comes when you decide to break your diet. You think that if you can’t eat your regular “safe food”, then you better eat all the junk in isle 3 of the supermarket because, after all, you’ve ‘broken’ your diet. But, here’s the facts… when you reeeally Ditch the Diet, you ditch the rules. There are plenty of other suckers who are prepared to live by an impossible set of rules that always, always, ALWAYS end in a binge. Eat what you want when you’re eating out. Just because the food isn’t part of your regular rotation doesn’t mean you should go on a week long binge-fest.

3. Act as if you actually give a #*@% about your body

Shocker… Eating is about more than just filling a cavernous hole in your stomach. Actually paying attention to your food choices, WHY you’re making them and what you’re eating will (surprise, surprise) allow you to enjoy the food (even if it’s a whole tray of brownies) instead of scoffing it down like a rabid dog. If you’re going to eat the brownies, give yourself permission to enjoy the flavour, texture and taste of the food you eat. Absorb it. Get lost in it. And when it’s over, ask be honest with yourself about why you made the choice you did. And then? Move on.

4. Delete the Drama

If I feel like I’m getting a little (eer, ok… a lot) stressed out about all the things on my to do list, I whip out my fancy diary and start re-organizing the shiz outta list. Why? Because if I’m feeling super anxious and like there is just nooo waaaay I’m ever going to wipe out even half of that list, I used to do one of two things… I would eat from terror of realising I could never accomplish the dissolution of said list or, I would eat to procrastinate from even having to look at said list. Nuff said. Reschedule and revive. Your eating sanity may very well depend on it.

5. Order In

So the boss wants to go over the sales reports during your lunch break? Firstly… ARRGGHHHH! And secondly, don’t smile sweetly, work through your lunch break and then devour the entire menu of Macca’s on the way home. Refer to Point 1. and if you haven’t got that under control yet, get the local salad bar to whip up a superfood salad and order.it.in (at the bosses expense, of course.)

6. Stop lying to yourself

Warning. Life changing information ahead. When you tell yourself you won’t eat the pasta carbonara with extra cream for the fourth night in a row and then you do, you are breaking your own trust. What does this mean? It means that each time you do this, you trust yourself less and less around food. Pretty soon you’re reciting mantras in your head like “I just can’t trust myself around food” or “there’s no way I can stop at one bite”. If there’s one person in the world you should be able to trust, it’s you. Next time you say “I’ll only have one chocolate cookie”, do it.

7. Find your food-spiration

Tread lightly here. If looking at pics of food on your Instagram feed is a trigger, then skip this point and move on. But, if you follow some super healthy and fun accounts like mine, you will never run short of super healthy and super delicious meal ideas.

8. Rock your Routine

Take the ‘R’ out of “rush” and put it back into “routine”. Light bulb moment… there are no awards for pushing yourself to the limit and it will not help you dial down the emotional eating gig. It will, in fact, make it much, much worse. Create a regular routine and stick to it. Carve out time in your day for you. Take snacks with you to work to beat the afternoon sugar cravings. Do the stuff you would tell a friend to do… you know, the kind of advice we all love to give but never actually do it ourselves?

9. Don’t eat food that makes you sad

If you know that as soon as you finish that lemon curd tart you’ll regret it, then why even go there? Make food choices you will feel good about five minutes after you eat it. And if you’re choices are limited, then do the very best that you can, given the circumstances you’re in. Whatever you do, choose food that will make you happy long after the memory of it has passed from your lips.

10. If you’re going to eat it, then eat it and ENJOY it

So you’ve weighed it up. You could choose a salad but you just don’t want to. I hear you. I have those days frequently. Here’s my advice, eat anything you like on one condition… eat it and enjoy it. Don’t feel guilty. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t say “I know I shouldn’t be eating this, but…”. No. If you’ve made the choice to eat the creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet thing, then eat it with pride. Enjoy every mouthful and don’t look back. Your journey is about progress, not perfection.

What’s your top tip for eating healthy on the run? Join the conversation below and remember, people come here for inspiration and direction, so let’s support each other!