Eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Choose whole-grain, nonfat or low-fat foods. Be physically active. Watch calories. Limit fat. Get enough calcium.

We live in a world with a dizzying amount of scientific research pointing to foods and habits that make for good health. In an ideal universe, that’s good news. If we exercise and eat right, we give our bodies essential nourishment and movement to work at their best.

Yet our world is far from ideal. The demands of work, family and community can keep people from preparing healthy meals. And lack of time often forces us to turn to quick-fix foods that are high in fat, sugar, sodium, or calories, and low in essential nutrients.

The solution isn’t to find more time, but to work with the schedule you do have.

Here are some healthy tips for busy bees:

• Cook a bigger batch of food on the weekends, and refrigerate or freeze for weekday consumption.
• Set an alarm for planned mealtimes. Even if you’re buried in a project, don’t skip meals.
• Try not to do anything else while eating. Mindless consumption prevents the enjoyment of food. When that happens, people tend to eat more and eat unhealthy alternatives.
• Put fresh or dried fruit where you can see it to remind yourself of your goal to eat healthy. Bananas, grapes and apples make handy, nutritious snacks.
• If at a restaurant, turn down the supersize option and choose baked or broiled instead of fried.
• Order the lunch portion at dinnertime and hold off on fatty condiments.
• Keep handy snacks around, such as fruits, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, trail mix, carrot or celery sticks, wraps and sandwiches.

In addition, use those minutes spent perusing fast-food or vending machine options to visit the grocery store, where you can pick up prepared salads, sandwiches, and meats; pre-washed and cut fruits and vegetables; canned soups; low-calorie and low-fat frozen meals; yogurt; string cheese; and cereals. There may be a bit more effort involved in shopping at the supermarket, but consider this: wasteful hours of worry about extra pounds and low energy tend to go away with healthy eating. With well-balanced meals, we usually feel more positive about ourselves and our surroundings – and you may actually find time to add more healthy minutes to your daily routine.

Source: WebMD®