Post on 31-May-2020
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Healthy Eating for Busy People
When you are always on the go it can be difficult to find the time to look
after yourself, especially in terms of ensuring that you have a balanced
diet. A combination of poor nutrition and high stress due to a busy
working life can make for a tired and unhealthy person. This can, in turn,
affect your career. A person who fails to take in enough energy and
nutrients will find that they become tired, apathetic and suffer from a lack
of concentration. These effects will only increase the stress of your job as
it will be harder to get through that workload. A poor diet may also lead
to a weaker immune system, meaning that you are more likely to be one
of the first to get the bug that’s going round the office and may end up
having more days off sick.
In 2008 it was found that a quarter of UK adults over the age of 16 were
classified as obese,* a condition which can make sufferers more prone
to heart problems, strokes, diabetes and some types of cancer. Poor
nutrition can also cause conditions such as hypertension, gout, high
cholesterol, diabetes, strokes and some cancers. It may also lead to
vitamin and mineral deficiencies, like anaemia.
This helpsheet aims to give you a guide to making important changes
to your diet to get the most out of your food.
“The belly rules the mind.”
Spanish Proverb
“We are indeed much more than
what we eat, but what we eat can
nevertheless help us to be much
more than what we are.”
Adelle Davis, American nutritionist (1904 –1974)
“There is no sincerer love than the
love of food.”
George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright, critic and essayist (1856 –1950)
Healthy Eating for Busy People 1Workforce Development Specialists ...Increasing Profits, Performance and Reducing Sickness AbsenceW. www.fullyfocusedsolutions.co.uk
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The Basics
Healthy eating is all about getting the right balance of
nutrients from the food that you eat. The body needs a range
of nutrients in order to help it to function properly:
Carbohydrates provide you with energy and are found in
foods such as bread, pasta and potatoes.
Proteins help the body to grow and repair itself and are
contained in meats, fish, eggs and pulses.
Fats provide energy and can be found in red meats and
dairy products.
Fibre aids digestion and can be found in fruits, vegetables
and cereals.
Vitamins and minerals help in a wide range of areas within
the body, for example iron is needed in the blood and
vitamin C aids the immune system. They can be found in
fresh fruits and vegetables.
You also need to drink around 8 glasses of water a day in
order to keep your body properly hydrated.
Ensuring that you consume all these nutrients can be easier
than you think. The basic recommendations for a balanced
diet are:
A third of your food should be made up of fruit or
vegetables. Try to get in at least five portions a day in as
many colours as possible, so as to get a greater variety
of nutrients.
Another third of your diet should be made up of
carbohydrates.
The final third should be split between dairy products
(low-fat if possible), sources of protein and products high
in fat and sugar.
You might like to keep a diary of what you eat in a three-day
period and then compare this to how you should be eating.
Healthy Eating for Busy People 2
This will help you to identify which foodstuffs you may be
eating too much or too little of. If you need to make any
changes bring them in gradually as altering your habits is a
process best achieved over time.
Changing your diet to a more balanced one does not mean
that you need to completely cut out sugary and fatty foods
such as chocolate, cake and chips. People who give up foods
entirely for a diet tend to assume their previous eating habits
once they have achieved their desired weight and undo
all their hard work. It is better to cut down on such foods
instead, so you can still enjoy your favourite indulgences
alongside a healthy diet. Be aware that there is no such thing
as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods so long as you are wise about the
amounts that you eat.
Another aspect of healthy eating is to eat food in moderate
portions, as this helps to prevent weight problems.
Finally, eating meals on a regular basis will make it more
likely that you will include enough nutrients and energy in
your diet to keep you going. Try not to skip meals if you can
possibly help it.
* The NHS Information Centre, Lifestyles Statistics, 2010. Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet: England, 2010.
Healthy Eating for Busy People 3
Healthy Eating at Work
Sometimes at work it may seem as if you are constantly on
the go and therefore unable to spend time on food. It can be
tempting to reach for the instantly satisfying fast-food meal
or vending machine snack. However, there are some quick
and easy ways to ensure that you get a balanced diet.
Hydration
It’s very easy to get dehydrated in an office, particularly on
a hot day. Take a bottle or flask of water with you and try to
keep sipping at it during the day. Also, try to avoid drinking
too much coffee or tea as these are diuretics and will only
dehydrate you further – two cups a day is normally a good
level to aim for. You could also try substituting these drinks
with herbal or fruit teas.
Lunch
Planning a nutritious lunch can seem daunting for someone
Why is breakfast important?
Breakfast is a meal greatly overlooked by British adults,
around one in five of us tend to skip it.2 However, the meal
has a number of very important health benefits:
Contrary to what many people may tell you, breakfast can
help you to maintain a healthy weight as by eating first
thing in the morning you are less likely to snack later on in
the day.
Breakfast will keep you more productive during the day.
In the morning your blood-sugar levels are at their lowest
levels and a good morning meal will help to replenish this.
As breakfast meals tend to be low in fat and high in fibre
they can be very good for keeping blood cholesterol at a
healthy level.
An extra meal in the day means an extra chance to include
the right amount of nutrients, such as fibre, calcium and
iron in your diet.
People who skip breakfast can find themselves suffering
from a short attention span, a lack of alertness and slower
reaction speeds.
If you find that you are not hungry in the morning it could
be that you are eating too late at night. Meals consumed
after around 6.30pm are digested overnight, and at a slower
rate due to sleep, and therefore there is still food left in the
stomach come morning.
For people who have very little time in the morning, or don’t
like eating breakfast, try splitting it into two meals. You could
have a hard-boiled egg at home and then, a few hours later,
some grapes or nuts as a quick snack at work.
Breakfast should ideally include plenty of protein and fibre;
good options include fresh fruit, cereal, toasted whole-grain
bread, or an egg, washed down with fruit juices and cereals.
with a busy schedule, but there are some tricks that you can
try to ensure you get the most out of this meal:
If you prefer to buy a sandwich make sure it is made of
wholegrain bread with a low-fat filling. Check the label for
the saturated fat and salt content before buying.
Make yourself a packed lunch the night before, ready to
grab on your way out of the door.
When cooking tea, make a little extra and put it to one side
so that you can reheat it for lunch the next day.
An important point to remember is avoid falling into the
trap of reaching for the vending machine each time you feel
hungry. Ensure you grab enough food to last throughout the
day and maybe keep some emergency supplies at your desk
in case you forget.
Fight the urge to snack
Getting the right balance in your diet can be hard in an office
where there is vending machine, snacks, a sweet bowl or
cake within easy reach. There’s no harm in indulging every
so often – healthy eating isn’t about denying yourself a treat
– but think how much you consume as all the calories add
up. Try keeping some healthy snacks in your desk drawer
to reach for if you get hungry, such as nuts, granola bars
or dried fruit. When buying snacks chose them in smaller
packages, or buy a larger one to share with a friend or to
save for later.
2 Gibson, S.A., Gunn, P., 2011. What’s for breakfast? Nutritional implications of breakfast habits: insights from the NDNS dietary dietrecords. Nutrition Bulletin, 36, 78-86.
Healthy Eating for Busy People 4
Healthy Eating at Home
Useful websites
For a broad range of recipes, complete with estimated
cooking and preparation times, have a look at
www.allrecipes.co.uk. The site also caters for a range of dietary
requirements including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Alternatively if you want to make the best out of what you
have in your cupboards then www.supercook.com allows
you to search for recipes by ingredients. Type in all the
items that you would like to cook with and a list of possible
recipes will appear. You can also select any foods that you
would like to prioritise in your meal.
Cooking at home can not only be cheaper but also more
nutritious and it doesn’t have to be time consuming. Here are
some tips for making sure you don’t go hungry:
Keep your cupboards stocked with long-lasting foods such
as pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, cooking oil and herbs.
Then all you need to do is shop for perishables each week
and, if you don’t have time, you’ll still be able to throw
something together from your non-perishable items e.g.
pasta sauce.
Plan meals ahead so that you know exactly what to cook
and can be sure you have the ingredients to do it. Not only
does this save on waste, it will also save you time in the
kitchen.
Cook for more than one night or, if you know you have a
busy time ahead, cook and freeze meals to eat at a later
date. Similarly leftovers can be used for the next day’s
lunch or dinner.
Keep it simple – you don’t have to create fabulous
concoctions worthy of Heston Blumenthal. If in doubt
stick to what you know.
One-pot meals such as risottos, casseroles and stews can
be a life-saver as there is less cleaning to do afterwards.
You can also prepare slow-cook meals and leave them in
the oven on a timer so that they’ll be finished for when you
return home.
Share the load with a partner. If they can’t cook, ask them
to clean away afterwards to save you on time.
The internet also has plenty of resources to help you
watch your weight. The Weightwatcher’s website is an
obvious choice for anyone wanting to keep an eye on the
pounds, but you will also find a good calorie counter at
www.caloriecount.about.com .
For further information on healthy eating, including advice
for vegetarians, have a look at the NHS website .
(This helpsheet is intended for informational purposes only and does not represent any form of clinical diagnosis. While every effort has been made to ensure that the content is accurate, relevant and current, Fully Focused Solutions accepts no liability for any errors or omissions contained herein. The list of books is provided for interest only and Fully Focused Solutions is not responsible for their availability, accuracy, or content).
Further help and information on our rangeservices:
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