Sometimes you forget to eat. Maybe you’re so busy you don’t take the time to eat. Possibly you’re on a medication or undergoing some medical treatment that makes your stomach upset or curbs your appetite.
The foods you put in your body serve as fuel. If you’re eating little bits of food, you need to make sure the food you are eating is high in nutrients. Your body can’t function healthfully if you don’t give it essential nutrients.
So, how can you eat healthfully when you don’t have time to, or don’t feel like eating?
- Cut back or eliminate drinking coffee, tea, and alcohol.
- Consider eating four to six snack meals a day instead of two or three big meals.
- Plan what you’re going to eat in advance. Make a shopping list and “power shop” the grocery store weekly so you have ready-to-eat and easy-to-prepare healthful foods in the kitchen.
- Make Saturday or Sunday your food preparation day. Put small portions into containers, and refrigerate or freeze them until needed.
- If you truly forget to eat, set your alarm to go off every three to four hours throughout the day to remind yourself to eat.
- Make an appointment to meet a friend at a local café or salad bar. If you’re financially able, you could meet with different friends on a weekly basis, or several times during the week.
- If you’re not getting any physical activity, you’ll probably find that your appetite will increase when you get up and move at least 30 minutes each day.
- Depression and other medical conditions can take away your appetite. If you suspect that depresion is a possibility for you, contact your healthcare provider.
What’s Easy Food?
- Do not resort to frequent dining at your favorite fast food restaurant. The food you find there is almost always high-calorie, high-fat food. Instead, buy nutrient-rich foods that are easy to prepare or that can be eaten raw.
- Eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast.
- Stock up on fortified, high-fiber cereal.
- Cook wild rice, and then add in peas and tuna fish. Mix berries and toasted oats into plain yogurt. One-dish meals are easier to fix and simple to clean up after.
- Go for raw foods, like a bowl of cherries and some almonds. Besides being easy to prepare, they are healthful and filling.
- Experiment with different combinations. Spread avocado on a piece of toast. Pour salsa on lentils cooked in a slow-cooker. Sprinkle brewers yeast on banana slices. Top a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt with blueberries.
- Ladle up some soups. They are comforting and easy to fix. If you’re using canned soup, buy low-sodium brands.
- Try one new food a week. Some nutritious foods just waiting to be tried include tofu, star fruit, tomatillos, spaghetti squash, and mangoes.
- Buy a few liquid or powdered meal replacements.
- Spice up your food with lemon, basil, curry, mint, thyme, cayenne, and garlic.
- Store snacks, like crackers or granola bars, in your car and/or desk drawer.
- Drink at least eight full glasses of water or fruit juice each day, between meals.
- Slip "power bars" into your coat pocket or purse.
- Keep small quantities of fresh bananas, oranges, apples, kiwi fruit, and red peppers on hand, and eat at least two a day.
- Grab a handful of dried fruit or a container of cottage cheese to munch on during your commute.
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