Mindful Eating: Spend Less Time and Money to Feel Better

Food fuels your body, but as an independent worker, you may find yourself eating on the run between gigs. Sure, you have a busy life, but it’s important to eat well because the right foods boost your energy, focus, creativity, and productivity. Follow these three tips for mindful eating so you can eat better, save time and watch your budget as you succeed in the gig economy.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating happens when you focus on what and when you eat and on how you feel after your snacks or meals. With mindfulness, you take time to think through your food options, select only the foods that fuel your body properly, and enjoy the foods you do choose to eat.  

When you’re busy running from gig to gig, you might look for shortcuts (snacking instead of eating a meal, or eating something unhealthy). It’s important that you don’t just think of eating as a daily chore. You should be mindful of what you eat, how you feel after, and even what habits you practice around meal times.

Mindful eating also encourages you to think before you eat (or order). If you dedicate a little bit of time to planning ahead, you save time (no more wondering what your next meal is) and money (keep impulse buying and snacking away by keeping to your plan).

Mindful Eating When Ordering Out

Sometimes, your busy life prevents you from cooking even a quick meal, so order out with mindfulness. To implement mindful eating when you eat out, follow these steps.

– Look for healthy fast food options like salads or plain chicken when you visit a local restaurant. 
– Browse available menus on Doordash and note a few selections you can order from a food delivery service on busy days. 
– Research the available restaurants and meal options along your route before it’s time to order.

You invest in your health, wellness and work when you choose to eat out mindfully. Being crunched on time doesn’t mean you have to be careless with what you choose to fuel yourself with.

Use Grocery Lists and Recipe Cards

Grocery lists and recipe cards simplify shopping and meal prep as you balance your busy life and gig work. Every week, set aside time to plan a menu, shop for groceries and prep meals. Pre-planning saves you time and reduces your grocery budget. Planning also gives you a moment to reflect on your shopping list and ask yourself if you’re making healthy choices. Remember, mindful eating is about both eating well and feeling good about the decision.

You could simplify meal prep and grocery shopping even further by preparing your favorite meals in a regular rotation and even planning for leftovers. If you need inspiration, food blogs like Seasoned and Salted provide shopping lists and clear cooking instructions for any home chef to follow. 

After you buy the groceries you need, organize all the ingredients by meal. Chop vegetables, brown meats and do as much prep as possible, too, so you can work more and cook less during your busy week. This trick also allows your partner, roommate or teens to prepare meals while you travel for work, meet with clients or complete projects.    

Try a Meal Kit Delivery Service

If making healthy meals is difficult, consider using a service like GreenChef or FreshlyFit to do most of the meal prep work for you. With a meal kit delivery service, you order the types and quantity of meals you want from a selection that fits your preferences and dietary goals or restrictions. A box arrives at your door and includes ingredients and clear instructions that enable you to create portioned, nutritious and delicious meals. 

A meal kit delivery service helps you eat well and save time. Many feature chef-created, nutritious meals that very from comfort food favorites to unique, exotic flavors. You won’t have to decide what to cook, shop for food or make meals. You can also eat better since the service can reduce your reliance on snacks, junk food or fast food.

Practicing mindful eating can seem overwhelming, but a little bit of planning goes a long way. Don’t just eat to feel full. Eat to feel fulfilled.

About the Author: Jennifer Turner writes web content for a variety of clients. As a gig worker, she understands the benefits and challenges of the industry, which is why she prioritizes daily self-care. Find her at WriterAccess.