Tips for healthy eating during the week

When you arrive late from work, you will probably end up resorting to whatever is in the fridge or freezer (pizzas, ready meals, etc.) above all if you have to prepare food for one. Therefore, we are going to establish healthy and sustainable routines over time.

First of all, we must be aware of the time we can spend on doing the shop and cook. It is not about making sophisticated elaborations, or sacrificing our leisure time. Fortunately, today we can buy healthy products and ready to consume or prepare in five minutes. Also, you should look for the food that adapts to your needs (lose weight, maintain optimal physical performance, etc.) that is healthy, feasible and palatable.

Plan your weekly menus

It is very important to know in advance how many days you will eat and dine at home or if you have planned any outings away from home. With all this, you can create a weekly calendar or dietary (preferably Monday to Sunday) with every lunch and dinner. If you go to, rice, pasta, salads and legumes can be a good resource for noon, while you save the fish for dinner. Remember that your dishes should always include greens or vegetables along with protein (animal or vegetable) and a side with carbohydrates (rice, pasta or potato) which may be optional.

Manage the shopping list

One time planned weekly menu, you have to take charge of restocking the fridge with the necessary food for that week, avoiding overselling and trying. Perishable foods like fruits and vegetables can end up as waste if we don't buy them in the right amount.

In addition, we can buy three or four servings of fresh products such as meat and fish since, once at home, they can be frozen in individual servings (wrapped in plastic wrap or freezer bags). Likewise, it is interesting to include in the shopping list those foods considered “” that can solve a meal when we have little time to cook. Between these products are included:

• Boiled legumes jars
• Cooked rice cups
• Cans of canned fish
• Yogurts (unsweetened)
• Precooked vegetables that are heated in the microwave
• Ready-to-eat lettuce bags
• Canned vegetables (peppers, asparagus, etc.)
• Vegetable creams in jar or tetrabrik (that do not contain hydrogenated fats)

"Batchooking" or how to optimize the time you spend cooking

The increasingly popular "" method is simply another form of save time preparing menus since it establishes one day a week to cook different food groups in various servings and keep them cooked in tuppers so that later, during the week, you combine them so that you only have to heat us in the microwave and obtain a balanced dish on a daily basis. Another option is to turn to those that offer healthy and balanced menu options.

• It is very important to know in advance how many days you will eat / dine at home or if you plan to make a lunch or dinner menu away from home.
• Once the weekly menu is planned, we must take care of restocking the fridge / freezer and the pantry with the food we need for each week.
• The increasingly popular "batchcooking" method is just another way to save time when making menus.

Judith Torrell Diploma in Human Nutrition Clinical Nutrition Specialist