Are you a busy entrepreneur or creative who has a hard time eating healthy, especially when you’re always on the go? We can relate! 

Today’s show is all about healthy eating habits for busy entrepreneurs.  Our special guest, Kelsey Johnson, is a Registered Dietitian and founder of 605 Dietitian! Kelsey’s passion for food started at a very young age when she competed in her first cooking contest at age 8.  She struggled with her weight at a young age, but during her junior year of high school, she knew she needed to make a healthy change.  Overcoming many obstacles, Kelsey lost 80+ pounds and have kept it off for almost seven years.  After high school, Kelsey attended SDSU in Brookings, South Dakota to pursue a healthcare degree. She received valuable training in community nutrition, rural health, hospital, LTC consulting, sports performance nutrition, weight loss, medical nutrition therapy,  and foodservice management.

What is Your Trigger?

A trigger is when you get the “munchies” or a craving for unhealthy foods.  A trigger could be driving in the car for long periods of time or going to the grocery store when you haven’t eaten.  Once you can determine your trigger, then you can dive into Kelsey’s 5 tactical tools to healthy eating for busy entrepreneurs!

5 Tactical Tools to Healthy Eating for Busy Entrepreneurs

1. The Balanced Plate Method

Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like lettuce, carrots, broccoli, or anything else that is from the garden! Next, you want some source of protein like beans, peas, chicken, beef,  pork, or fish. The other quarter of your plate should be something whole-grain or a piece of fruit. Lastly, add some sort of heart-healthy fat like avocadoes or nuts and seeds.  This is fairly easy when eating at home, but keep these in mind when you’re going out to dinner! Think: Do I have the components of my plate?

2. Water!

Water is one of the biggest things that you can do for yourself, your health, and your overall well-being! A good rule of thumb is to try and drink 8 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

3. Menu and Meal Planning

Every week, set aside 10-15 minutes to plan ahead what you are eating for the week.  Go through your pantry and see what groceries you already have, then stick to the list at the grocery store! We would never go a week without sitting down and planning out our work calendar. You should treat your nutrition and your menu planning the same. 

4. Prep Fresh Produce

As soon as you get home from the grocery store, try to prep all of your produce right then and there. Wash them, cut them, and place them into containers.  This step is going to save you so much time and set you up for success during the week when you’re cooking your meals!

5. Don’t sweat the small stuff

If you are going to a lot of business events and they don’t provide healthy options, don’t sweat it! Eat a small amount of that food & bring some healthy options with you. Or if you want a little dessert, don’t sweat it! 

Crash Mode

If you are a busy person, make sure you are fueling your body every 3-4 hours so that you don’t go into “crash” mode! Your body needs three balanced meals and 1-2 snacks depending on how busy or active your lifestyle is. Most of Kelsey’s clients actually find that they eat more than they ever did before because they are filling their bodies with nutritious foods. 

Fun Meals

Like the famous 80/20 rule, we want to have those fun foods! We just have to work them into our everyday lifestyle. There is something very valuable about queuing into our bodies and listening to what it needs for nutrition.  Sometimes, that’s a craving! And that is perfectly okay! Kelsey wants people to be able to find that freedom of enjoying what they love and also nourishing their bodies at the same time. 

A few last tips:

Try to include physical activity in your life!  If you can, every 30 minutes trying to just stand up from your desk will help tremendously. This will also help your productivity! 

Eating healthy can be a treat & tremendously help your overall well-being. If you would like to know more, you can find Kelsey on all social media platforms at @605dietitian. Lastly, make sure to download Kelsey’s Grocery Shopping Guide and Menu Planner!

Joyfully,

Brooke Hicks | Render Co.