As an online business owner, you have many challenges to deal with that can cause headaches. Something else that can cause headaches is a lack of proper nutrition. Of course, for somebody working almost 24/7, you need to be eating the right foods that will fuel both your body and mind.
As somebody with a million challenges to deal with, you need every last ounce of vitamins and healthy nutrients that your body can handle. Unfortunately, as an online business owner working long hours from home, eating the proper foods is something that you probably forget to do regularly – that is, if you remember to eat at all.
Yes, eating healthy can be considered a challenge all on its own, particularly if you are always pressed for time. That being said, eating healthy doesn't have to be hard when you have the right tips to follow. This is what we are here for right now, to talk about the most important healthy eating tips for online business owners, so you can be happy, healthy, energetic, confident, and more.
Healthy Eating Tips
Eating Good Carbs
There's a debate about whether eating carbohydrates is good. However, carbohydrates are one of the primary sources of energy that your body needs.
However, there are good and bad carbs. When it comes to bad carbs, stay away from any high-in sugars foods, as well as white rice and white pasta. If you want to eat healthy carbohydrates, stick with whole wheat and whole grains.
These are much healthier sources of carbohydrates, and they have fewer calories and comparatively higher levels of vitamins and minerals when compared to bad carbs.
Limit Your Sugar Intake
Anything with sugar tends to taste better than without it. Yet sugar is not healthy, and you should limit your intake as much as possible. Your body really doesn't need much sugar at all.
Stay away from gummy candies, chocolate bars, and other such things. Instead, most of your sugar should come from natural sources such as fruit, a healthier form of sugar.
The bottom line is that you should cut out unhealthy snacks. However, limiting your sugar intake is one of the most important steps to increase your overall health. Too much sugar leads to diabetes and other health problems.
While it might seem that sugar gives you an energy rush, there's always a crash a few hours later. Consuming too much sugar will actually sap your energy and make you feel sluggish. So, not only is eating too much sugar bad for your health, but it's also bad for you as an online business owner because if you don't have enough energy to work, you're not going to be successful. Instead of fruit juice or soda, opt for water.
Replacing Foods with Healthier Alternatives
There is no doubt that eating junk food is very addictive, particularly when it comes to sugar. We aren’t going to tell you to totally cut out all unhealthy foods because let’s face it, that’s a big challenge most of us don’t want to undertake. However, we recommend replacing up to 90% of your bad snacks with good snacks. You usually snack because you feel hungry, have a craving, or give yourself an emotional boost, but this doesn't mean that you need to snack on junk.
- Replace deep-fried potato chips with baked oven chips
- Replace chocolate bars with dried fruits
- Replace soda with water
- Replace beef jerky with chicken jerky
As you can see, eating healthy doesn't mean that you can't eat or snack at all. It just means that you can replace unhealthy snacks with slightly more nutritious options.
We aren't telling you to eat lettuce and celery for every meal and snack. You don't have to replace every single last piece of junk food with healthy food, but trying to replace most of it is a good idea. Just be a little mindful of what you eat. A lot of it really all just comes down to common sense.
Colorful Veggies are Best
If you don't particularly like vegetables, you aren't alone. However, even if you don't like them, you do need them; most minerals and vitamins your body needs are contained in those veggies.
If you don't like eating vegetables, eating the recommended servings per day will not be enjoyable. So, we have a little trick that will allow you to get the most nutritional benefits out of the fewest vegetables – stick to vegetables that are dark green, yellow, orange, and red.
Dark green vegetables contain most vitamins and minerals, followed by the three other colors. So to get the most nutritional benefit with the least amount of emotional pain, eat the healthiest veggies.
For instance, spinach has more nutrition than any type of lettuce; instead of eating four cups of lettuce, eat a single cup of spinach (one cup of spinach will provide you with more healthy nutritional value than all four cups of lettuce). The bottom line is that you don't have to eat many healthy foods, just the right ones.
Stick to a Routine and Limit Snack Times
Humans are creatures of routine, and we don't like change. This is true both with our conscious and our subconscious minds. For example, your body is used to eating at certain times of the day. If you train yourself to only eat once a day, it's going to be difficult for the first week, but after that, your body will accustom itself to that schedule.
One of the worst things, when you work from home, is that if you get bored or frustrated, you walk to the fridge and snack, which means weight gain. When working from home as an online business owner, maintain a solid eating schedule or routine.
Realistically, you should have three meals per day, as well as two or three snacks. Ideally, they should all be at the same time every day. Maintaining a regular eating schedule will prevent you from snacking out of boredom and frustration.
Moreover, many of us eat quick meals like microwave dinners because we don’t have time to cook or are unorganized to make time. But, maintaining a sound eating routine will allow you to plan ahead for several days, thus relieving some of the pressure associated with deciding what to eat and cook at the last minute. Routines are healthy; they make life easier, allow you to stay better organized, and they allow you to better deal with unforeseen challenges. As an online business owner, maintaining a strict daily routine is crucial in eating and all facets of business life.
Always Cook – Never Eat Processed Foods
One of the absolute worst things for your body is to eat processed foods like candy, chips, processed cheese, deli meats, and worse.
These foods are loaded with preservatives and chemicals (often cancer-causing chemicals found in industrial applications), as well as insane amounts of fats, sugars, calories, and more – all with comparatively little nutritional value.
The bottom line is that it is always healthier if you cook your meals with fresh ingredients because you know what you are putting in your body, and it's always going to be much more beneficial.
If you’re worried about not having enough time to cook, which is a fair concern, you might want to try meal prepping. If you prepare your meals a few days in advance, you won't have any stress or pressure when it does come time to eat. Simply take one of your prepared meals out of the fridge and heat it up in the oven.
And More!
- Stick to healthy fats and eliminate saturated fats
- Remember to get enough calcium, but that milk is not the only source of it
- Remember to stay hydrated. You should drink at least 8 cups of water per day
- For a bit of an extra energy and nutrient boost, try taking a multivitamin
- Keep in mind that males should eat up to 2,500 calories per day and females up to 2,000 per day
FAQ
What Do I Eat to Get a Flat Stomach?
Some of the best foods for getting a flat stomach include quinoa, yogurt, beans, eggs, salmon, nuts, and more.
What are Some of the Best Foods to Eat Every Day?
Some of the best foods to eat daily include leafy greens, citrus fruits, beans and legumes, nuts, berries, and plain yogurt.
What are the Worst Foods to Eat?
Foods to stay away from include processed foods, pizza, sugary drinks, chips, sweetened cereals, fried food, and junk food in general.
Conclusion
If you follow the tips that we have provided, you should have no problem getting the calories and nutrients you need for a long day of running your online business. Of course, eating healthy is essential for various reasons, and your mental and physical health depends on it. In addition, as an online business owner, you need to be in peak condition, as it’s quite a challenging job.