If you are not a fan of cooking, you don’t need to sacrifice good nutrition. Samaria Grandberry, MS, RDN, LDN, shares her expert tips on how to maintain a nutritious diet without having to cook.
Hate to cook? You’re in good company. Even dietitians who devote their professional lives to studying food and nutrition don’t always feel motivated to spend extended periods of time cooking.
In other words, you do not have to resort to take-out food or pre-packaged meals as an alternative to cooking, as these may contain high levels of salt, unhealthy fats, and preservatives.
We consulted Samaria Grandberry, MS, RDN, LDN—an accredited dietitian from HUM Nutrition—for her best advice on eating healthily without having to cook. Find out how she manages to stay healthy without much effort by using straightforward recipes and meals that don’t require cooking.
What Is a Healthy Diet?
It is not necessary to limit what you eat, stay excessively thin, or deny yourself of your favorite foods in order to have a well-balanced diet. It is about feeling fantastic, having more vigor, bettering your wellbeing, and raising your spirits.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated. You’re not the only one who is perplexed by all the different nutrition and diet advice available. It appears that for every specialist who claims a particular food is beneficial for you, there is another asserting the exact opposite. It is important to consider the overall pattern of your diet rather than focusing on individual foods or nutrients, as these have been proven to have an effect on your mood. Whenever possible, it is important to switch out processed foods for more natural, unprocessed alternatives in order to maintain a nutritious diet. Consuming food in its most natural state can significantly improve how you perceive yourself, your appearance, and your wellbeing.
By following these easy steps, you can make sense of it all and discover how to come up with—and stay with—a delicious, diverse, and healthy eating plan that is beneficial for your physical and mental health.
The Formula for a Balanced Meal
1. Protein
Grandberry looks in her freezer for items that have a good amount of protein, which will help keep her feeling satisfied. She states that since she does not do a lot of cooking, she usually buys large amounts of fresh meat, divides it into smaller amounts, and stores it in the freezer. Grandberry advises obtaining grass-fed, organic meat from a nearby farmer if the option is available. If you are not consuming any forms of meat, she recommends that you get your protein from sources such as beans, eggs (if you are not vegan), and whole grains including quinoa and millet.
Grandberry affirms that high-protein sources of nutrition such as meat can provide hard-to-come-by nutrients like B vitamins. Vitamin B12 aids in the production of DNA, and is necessary for the maintenance of blood and nerve cells, as the NIH has noted. This nutrient is present in fish, meat, eggs, milk, and cereals that have been enriched with vitamins. Vitamin B12 is only found in animal-based products, so people who are vegan or vegetarian may not obtain enough of this nutrient through their diet alone. Taking supplements, such as HUM Nutrition’s B12 Turbo, can assist in making up for any nutritional deficiencies.
2. Fiber
Vegetables and whole grains which are high in fiber are critical for the wellbeing of the digestive system and the body as a whole. Grandberry utilizes frozen veggies such as broccoli, corn, peas, and green beans to provide fiber.
The Mayo Clinic states that eating foods with a lot of dietary fiber can help promote regular digestion, regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, and possibly reduce the risk of heart disease-related death.
Despite the positive benefits that dietary fiber provides, the majority of Americans do not consume a sufficient amount. Studies published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine have found that only a small amount of Americans, five percent, consume the suggested 19 to 38 grams of fiber daily. Constructing your meals with high-fibre ingredients can improve your chances of meeting your daily nutritional requirements.
3. Grains
Carbohydrates are essential for supplying our bodies with energy, and therefore should be included in all meals. Additionally, lots of grains have a lot of dietary fiber.
Grandberry attempts to make sure that a type of grain is present at both lunch and dinner by selecting options such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, and bulgur. She occasionally adds whole grains to her morning meal, such as whole-grain bagels, granola, or oatmeal.
Grandberry achieves a filling and healthy meal by combining grains, fiber, and protein. Grandberry explains that she goes with whatever she is in the mood for, and then constructs a meal that is both nutritious, vibrant and can be prepared quickly, while keeping in mind the rules of healthy eating. When it comes to hues, she has another rule to adhere to: Make sure to include 2 to 3 distinct shades on your plate at each meal.
Making the Switch to a Healthy Diet
It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation when it comes to transitioning to a healthier diet. You don’t have to be flawless, you don’t have to fully avoid foods you like, and you don’t have to switch up everything simultaneously–usually, this only contributes to straying from or quitting your new diet.
A more effective strategy is to implement a few minor adjustments gradually. Making smaller objectives can assist you to realize more in the long haul without feeling deprived or confused by a major dietary alteration. View eating healthy as a succession of small, manageable steps—for instance, incorporating a salad into your eating habits on a daily basis. As you get used to the little modifications you make, you can go on to incorporate additional healthy options.
Setting Yourself Up for Success
Make sure to keep things uncomplicated in order to be successful. Eating a healthier diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Rather than focusing too much on the number of calories you consume, consider the colors, variety, and freshness of your diet. Strive to stay away from pre-packaged and treated foods, and pick fresh components as much as possible.
- Make the right changes. When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it’s important to replace them with healthy alternatives. Replacing dangerous trans fats with healthy fats (such as switching fried chicken for grilled salmon) will make a positive difference to your health. Switching animal fats for refined carbohydrates, though (such as switching your breakfast bacon for a donut), won’t lower your risk for heart disease or improve your mood.
- Read the labels. It’s important to be aware of what’s in your food as manufacturers often hide large amounts of sugar or unhealthy fats in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy.
- Focus on how you feel after eating. This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The healthier the food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.
- Drink plenty of water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many of us go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.
Moderation: Important to Any Healthy Diet
What is moderation? Essentially, it implies consuming only the amount of food that your body requires. At the end of a meal, you should feel content, not overly full. For a lot of us, it implies consuming fewer amounts of food than what we currently do. But it doesn’t mean eliminating the foods you love. If you have bacon for breakfast one day a week, it can be considered as moderate consumption if you have a nutritious lunch and dinner after, however this would not be considered moderate if you follow it up with a box of donuts and a sausage pizza.
- Try not to think of certain foods as “off-limits.” When you ban certain foods, it’s natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. Start by reducing portion sizes of unhealthy foods and not eating them as often. As you reduce your intake of unhealthy foods, you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
- Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entree, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, visual cues can help with portion sizes. Your serving of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of a traditional light bulb. By serving your meals on smaller plates or in bowls, you can trick your brain into thinking it’s a larger portion. If you don’t feel satisfied at the end of a meal, add more leafy greens or round off the meal with fruit.
- Take your time. It’s important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full.
- Eat with others whenever possible. Eating alone, especially in front of the TV or computer, often leads to mindless overeating.
- Limit snack foods in the home. Be careful about the foods you keep at hand. It’s more challenging to eat in moderation if you have unhealthy snacks and treats at the ready. Instead, surround yourself with healthy choices and when you’re ready to reward yourself with a special treat, go out and get it then.
- Control emotional eating. We don’t always eat just to satisfy hunger. Many of us also turn to food to relieve stress or cope with unpleasant emotions such as sadness, loneliness, or boredom. But by learning healthier ways to manage stress and emotions, you can regain control over the food you eat and your feelings.
Tips for Hitting the Grocery Store
Healthy, easy meals often start with grocery store trips. Here are Grandberry’s must-dos when shopping for food.
- Stock up on frozen produce. Frozen fruits and vegetables last longer than their fresh counterparts but still offer nutritional value, Grandberry says. Plus, they don’t typically require washing or cutting, which speeds things up when preparing meals.
- Go plain. Pick frozen fruits and vegetables that haven’t been seasoned or mixed with sauce. This way, you’ll get vitamins and minerals without any added sodium, sugar, or calories. She also loves veggie mixes—like bell pepper and onion combo—because they make it easy to add a variety of vegetables to one dish.
- Spice things up. One of the best ways to upgrade your meals with minimal effort is to season your food. Spices and dried herbs can make a big impact on the overall taste of your food. Plus, there are some serious health benefits to using spices and herbs while cooking. A study found that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. Additionally, they can lower glucose and cholesterol levels and have properties that can affect cognition and mood. Pick up some popular seasonings like chili pepper, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, turmeric, fenugreek, rosemary, and garlic.
- Get some fresh stuff. While the bulk of Grandberry’s fruits and vegetables come from the freezer section, she still gets a few fresh items like a bag of pre-cut salad greens, apples, onions, and any seasonal produce she might be craving. “Seasonal produce tends to be cheaper and always tastes better,” Grandberry says.
- Opt for frozen meat. Frozen meat is easy to store and cook, which means it usually makes its way into Grandberry’s shopping cart. Great options include seasoned salmon and tilapia filets, shrimp, ground chicken, and turkey. You can also pick up plain chicken or lean beef from the meat counter and do some prep work at home: Season the meat, cut it into chunks, and store it in the freezer.
- Buy foods that require minimal prep. Pre-sliced bread and bagels, snack nuts, eggs, yogurt cups, and plain popcorn are great grab-and-go foods.
Tips for Eating Out
Certain days can become so chaotic that it is simpler to get breakfast from a drive-through or order food to go from a preferred lunch spot. Be certain, you can still get a healthy meal when dining out. Just keep these tips from Grandberry in mind.
- Look for options with fiber. Salads, whole-grain sandwich bread, steamed vegetables and oatmeal are all high-fiber foods that fill you up with fewer calories per serving than low-fiber options.
- Go for grilled. When you have the option, choose foods that have been grilled instead of fried. Fried foods tend to be higher in calories and saturated fat.
- Get it in a wrap. Some restaurants offer their standard sandwiches as a wrap. If that’s the case, consider swapping out your bread for a whole-grain tortilla. You’ll still get fiber but cut down on calories.
It’s Not Just What You Eat, but When You Eat
- Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, while eating small, healthy meals keeps your energy up all day.
- Avoid eating late at night. Try to eat dinner earlier and fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Studies suggest that eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day may help to regulate weight.
Bottom Line
You don’t need to be a chef to maintain a healthy diet. Having quick-to-prepare foods on hand in your kitchen and basing your meals around proteins and fiber can help you eat healthily despite minimal cooking time.