A healthy lifestyle takes some time, effort and dedication. However, the modern world requires us to life fast and have extremely busy schedules, often leaving us little to no time to build healthy habits, one of which is eating healthy. This is where you have to tune up the effort and dedication to maintain a healthy diet. Here are some ways to eat healthier, even when your time is really tight.

1. Never Skip Breakfast

As soon as you wake up, you should jumpstart your metabolism for a normal body function throughout the day. Having breakfast every morning is what makes this possible. Finding time for breakfast is actually easier than finding time for other meals, since you can always wake up 15 minutes earlier, knowing that it’s good for you. If you don’t have time to prepare eggs or fresh oatmeal, it only takes a minute or two to prepare a healthy smoothie with fresh fruit and vegetables, such as bananas, spinach or berries, along with some nuts or seeds. You can even take your smoothie with you and have it on your way to the office. In case even that takes too much time, prepare some overnight oats the evening before, or keep some Greek yogurt in your fridge so that you can add a spoon of chia seeds or some berries and honey to it for a quick morning meal.

2. Plan Your Meals

If you know how hectic your weekdays are, make the best of your weekends when it comes to meal planning. Create a menu for the whole week ahead of you and then go through the recipes so that you can make a shopping list. Be thorough and buy all the ingredients on time, since you know you may not manage to go shopping again until next weekend. When you have all that you need for your meals, it’s easier to make them, whether in the morning or the evening before. Also, store the fresh ingredients properly in your fridge or freezer, so that they don’t go bad before you can turn them into a delicious meal. If you want to make things even easier on yourself, you can even buy pre-chopped ingredients or chop the vegetables, fruit or meat you’ll use for meals throughout the week yourself, place them in plastic containers and refrigerate or freeze them so that they’re ready once you get to the cooking part.

3. Save Time on Cooking

Yes, not cooking at all would save more time, but that wouldn’t really be healthy, would it? So, be smart about preparing your meals. For example, you can save a lot of time if you cook in batches and make meals for several days on Sunday. Make one base meal and then add different side dishes to it for variation. Another great thing for saving your time are one-pot meals, especially when you took the advice on pre-chopping the ingredients. If you don’t already have your ingredients prepared, opt for those that require minimal time for preparation, such as baby carrots, new potatoes or washed spinach leaves. On days when you don’t have a pre-cooked meal and can’t possibly find the time to make anything, it’s always a good idea to choose nutritious meal replacement shakes which are loaded with protein, but with moderate carbohydrate content. These aren’t only healthy, but also slowly absorbed, meaning that you’ll feel full longer.

4. Don’t Forget Some Snacks

Regular meals are important, but so is what you eat between them. It’s normal that you sometimes get hungry during the day, with hours left till you can have your next meal. That’s when it’s essential for you to have a healthy snack option at hand so that you don’t reach for vending machine snacks, which can only feed your sugar addiction. Not only will a healthy snack keep you focused on your work, but it can also prevent sudden blood sugar fluctuation and enable constant nutrient intake, which is crucial for good metabolism and your overall wellbeing. Snacks will also stop you from over-eating due to being hungry for too long. Some low-fat dairy products, nuts or fresh fruit will do the trick. A whole-grain cracker with some hummus or a low-calorie energy bar are also something to consider as a healthy snack, so make sure you always have a smart snack available to keep hunger at bay.

5. Hydrate Wisely

You can’t stay healthy if you don’t stay hydrated. Water regulates your body temperature, improves your overall body function and helps your organism dispose of waste. It can also promote good cardiovascular health, improve the condition of your skin and allow for a better muscle and joint function. Basically, you should drink when you’re thirsty, although drinking about eight glasses of water a day is recommended. It’s important that you don’t replace water with sugary drinks or alcohol since they aren’t healthy and they’re often very high in calories. If the flavor of water is too plain for you, infuse it with some berries, fresh mint leaves or some citruses, or boil some tea, especially green tea, since it can help you detoxify.

As busy as you may be, your wellbeing should always be your priority. Following these tips is a good way to maintain a healthy diet even when you don’t think you have time for it.