When it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, do you find yourself saying “I’ll start tomorrow” all because you have the mentality that it’s just too much. Well if that’s the case, this blog is definitely for you! Unfortunately, the general conception around healthy eating is that it can be time consuming and costly, however that is not the case at all! A little organisation and preparation is all it takes to set yourself up for a good healthy week.

I’ve created the ultimate ‘lazy’ guide to healthy eating that combines a list of helpful hacks and clever tips to guarantee you a healthy week ahead.

Written by Sahar Signoriello B.NutrFoodSc Morlife Nutritionist

MEAL PREP IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
Meal prepping is the ultimate healthy eating hack (and even helps cut down your spending with not having to buy lunch at work!). All you’ll need is a good two hours to prep all your meals for the week. It involves preparing lunches and snacks such as healthy muffins, protein balls and mini quiches.

To avoid overwhelming yourself and hitting a wall with creativity, stick to your favourite recipes but with a healthier twist. For instance, if you love spaghetti bolognaise, it’s a great opportunity to pack more vegies in the sauce by adding mushroom, carrot and celery, you can also swap the pasta for zucchini noodles. I also like to make my own healthier version of banana bread by replacing the flour to oat flour, using apple puree or greek yoghurt instead of butter, brown rice syrup instead of white sugar and adding in walnuts and chia seeds.

3 WORDS: CLICK AND COLLECT
We live in a wonderful time where someone else can do your shopping for you! Click and collect is one of the easiest time saving tips when it comes to grocery shopping. It’s also a fantastic way to stay on track for the week food wise as you won’t be side tracked into walking down the ol’ chocolate or chips isle. Click and collect allows you to order all your groceries online, the supermarket will pack it for you and then you choose your time to pick it up. The great part is, it’s 100% free (with a minimum spend of $30). Alternatively, you can do delivery but there is a small fee involved.

BREAKFAST ON THE GO
Breakfast is your prime opportunity to provide your body with a nutritiously dense meal to break that night long fast. Often we can find ourselves rushed in the mornings and have little time to eat a decent breakfast. Sorry to break it to you but those muesli bars are packing a lot more sugar than we like to think. Creating frozen smoothie packs are an excellent way to ensure you give your body the right start it deserves. I like to place a mix of berries, banana, leafy greens, chia seeds, protein powder and inulin in zip lock bags in the freezer. Then in the morning, I simply add it to the blender along with almond milk, blend and it’s good to go! Overnight oats are another great breakfast option; one of my favourite delicious tips is never throw away your nut butter jars when you have that little bit left in the jar. Place 1/3 cup oats or quinoa flakes into the jar along with some fruit, chia seeds and almond milk. You can also add protein powder as well. Place the lid on and give it a good shake. Come morning time you’ll have the most delicious and gooey breakfast- just don’t forget the spoon!

JUNK FOOD PROOF YOUR PANTRY
Junk food is classified as any prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value- in other words you definitely don’t want these guys hanging around your kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind is the best approach to have with junk food, if it’s not around you, then you won’t be tempted to eat it. We could go on about the endless artificial colours, preservatives and flavours are lurking within those packets but we’d prefer to give you the solution! Having your own healthy standby of snacks is your best option here. Think nuts, fresh fruit and chopped veggies like carrots and celery, they taste delicious dipped with our SuperDip range. If you find yourself to be a serial snacker, schedule in some extra baking during your meal prep sessions.

DON’T CUT IT, JUST SWAP IT

As nutritionists, we believe in the saying ‘everything in moderation’, this also includes consuming a variety of food groups. If there’s a food you really enjoy, rather than cut it out completely you can also replace it with a healthier or lower kilojoule or more wholesome food so you don’t feel like you’re completely missing out.