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).

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