It’s not really the KNOWING what you should be eating, it’s the DOING it in the heat of the moment, right?! And it’s figuring out how to make the right choice in those spontaneous moments, when you normally would be too exhausted or overwhelmed to pick the healthy thing. Well, grab a pen and paper and strap in, because I’m about to give you a few really simple tips that you can put into practice today that will help you make healthy, split-second food decisions all day long.

Why is nutrition and making healthy food choices so stinkin’ hard?! I know you know what to do, you KNOW what foods you should be eating, but making those decisions in the heat of the moment can seem nearly impossible. You’ve got decision fatigue, you’re exhausted, and your choice is less than awesome.

My friend, a working mom - a nurse::

• She was too busy in the mornings and would grab a granola bar at the last moment as she headed out the door
• Became overly hungry by lunch
• Ate a late lunch
• Overate and felt full
• Tried to not eat until dinner, which was fairly healthy
• Then ended up snacking on popcorn and ice cream later at night
• Repeated the same thing the next day

Today, you're going to learn: 

• How to make healthy, split-second food decisions throughout the day.
• You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t know how to put it into action while making a split-second decision, you’ll never follow through.

Two scenarios: If you Can plan; If you Can’t plan.

If you CAN plan - Planning ahead is key when it comes to eating healthfully on a consistent basis. Incorporating these strategies into your day will help to keep you on track:

Vulnerable story: Quick story about not planning at all and having a busy day. We just finished our patio, setting up patio furniture, it was after 7:00 before we even started thinking about dinner. Standing at the fridge with the doors open. No protein thawed. Ended up having breakfast for dinner (waffles, bacon, eggs), which was fine, but we could have done better.

Implement the 3-3-3-7 rule for effortless meal planning.

• Choose 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 snacks and 7 dinners
• Rotate through these

For each meal, make sure your 3 options will fit each of these scenarios:

• Something hot and requires some cooking
• Something cold and easy
• Something on the go

Examples:

Breakfast:

• Hot: veggie scramble
• Cold: Yogurt berry bowl
• On the go: Smoothie

Lunch

• Hot: Leftovers from dinner
• Cold: canned chicken with bagged salad
• On the go: protein drink with banana, string cheese, baggie of carrots, mixed raw nuts

Snack

• Hot:
• Cold: hard boiled egg, veggie sticks, hummus
• On the go: mixed raw nuts, apple

Dinner

• Bring in the variety
• PRO’s based meals

Do a little bit of food prep:

When healthy food is prepared and easily available, you will be far more likely to eat it - especially when you’re busy and would otherwise grab a granola bar or skip a meal altogether.

In my GSX program, I include a complete food prepping guide. And I walk you through some really easy & practical ways to prep some proteins, produce, fats, and even grains ahead of time so they’re easy to grab.

If you CAN’T plan -

Even if you don’t have anything planned ahead of time, you can still make healthy choices whenever you’re facing any food situations

Story about Joel’s burritos. Spontaneously going out to lunch. I had something planned, but on a whim, abandoned that plan. Looked for the items on the menu that had the most lean protein and fresh produce. (Fish tacos + water)

• If it’s a mealtime eat. If it’s not a mealtime, don’t eat. (This is not rocket science, doesn’t need to be perfectly accurate.)
• Prevents becoming overhungry.
• Keeps your mindless munching in check.
• Hunt down the PRO’s
• Practice saying “not yet” (Find some PRO’s first)
• Eat slowly and mindfully, paying attention to your fullness cues

The big idea here is that you need to have the tools to be able to make healthy, split-second food decisions throughout the day.

Your action steps now are to:

Plan what you can:

• 3-3-3-7 rule
• Prep some food

Follow the strategy when you can’t plan:

• If it’s a mealtime, eat.
• Hunt down the PRO’s.
• Practice saying “Not Yet”
• Eat slowly and mindfully

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