Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in daily chores and forget about the importance of eating healthy and nutritious meals – especially since a consistent, healthy diet can be time-consuming. Between family activities and jobs, providing everyone with a healthy, balanced meal every night of the week can be far too overwhelming for many people. For those of us who are caregivers for our loved ones, taking the time to prepare and eat healthy meals can sometimes feel impossible. But it is important to make sure that you do take care of yourself! Letting your own healthy habits slide negatively affects your health and may mean that you will have a harder time caring for your loved one.
Here are a few tips to make eating nutritious foods easier, without adding too much extra to your already long to-do list.
Start tracking what you eat
No – this is not another way of saying you need to count calories. What this exercise is about is finding out what your food habits are and what you are eating throughout the day.
To help track your eating habits, you should start a journal where you would make notes on what you ate after every meal or snack. In a no judgment way, be honest about your meals and eating habits. Do this for a week or two, and then review it – either on your own or with your family if this is something everyone is doing together – and see where you are struggling the most. Do you eat late at night? Are you bingeing when you are a little stressed out? Maybe you are on the go all the time and do not have time to sit down and eat? A food journal is a great tool to help you figure out issues in your diet and ways to improve it.
Make it easy to eat healthy
One of the hardest parts of eating balanced and nutritious foods is that they are not always convenient or ready to eat – they often require planning and preparation.
When life is busy just reaching for the quickest thing to eat is the easiest option – unfortunately, it is usually not the best. Taking a couple of hours on the weekend (or whatever day of the week that works best for you) to prepare healthy snacks ahead of time can save you from eating the things that you do not want to during the week. Make a snack bucket for your fridge, and fill it with chopped vegetables or fruits that are ready to eat.
When you have snacks and meals that are ready to eat and easy to get to – without too much preparation – then it makes it more convenient to eat them and you will be less tempted to just go through a drive-thru on your way home or reach for a microwave.
Progress, not perfection
Many people get obsessed with the idea that their eating habits have to be perfect otherwise it is not worth trying at all. Making small changes over time will really add up when it comes to your health.
Simple things like replacing sugary sodas with water or tea may have profound impacts on your diet and your health. So try making these few small changes instead of dramatically changing your diet and you will definitely notice how much better you feel.
Contact VERA Home Care today
Even the most devoted of family caregivers experience stress and burnout. Having a professional home care worker come in regularly or a few times a week is not only good for your loved one, but it can also give you a much-needed rest and help you look after your own health as well.
For more information, call VERA Home Care today!