How I learned to eat healthy without cooking anything: personal experience from a reader of THE VOICEMAG

It seemed to me that I was keeping my balance perfectly, until it turned out that in six months I had gained 5 kilos, or almost 10% of my weight. Despite the activity, the random snacks and big dinners weren’t in vain. That’s why I decided that I needed to change something in my diet: a little more, and the extra pounds would affect my well-being and self-esteem.

I chose two principles: calculate the KBJU and exclude ultra-processed products. I found a calculator and decided on the norm: it turned out to be about 1900 calories. I threw out all the processed foods, biscuits and sauces and instead bought simple “one ingredient” foods: fermented milk, cereal, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit . I also have the simplest kitchen scale. It seemed to me that everything was ready for a new life, but it turned out that there was one exception: myself.

It quickly became clear that I didn’t have enough time to cook, especially when it came to counting calories. It was now necessary not only to cut and simmer everything, but to weigh each ingredient, then the finished dish, in order to calculate the percentage of “doneness”.

I was panicking, breaking down either for delivery or for the usual sausages. The budget was bursting at the seams – the buns, which at the same time, but fit into a healthy lifestyle, were expensive, and I threw away the half-eaten sausage so as not to provoke myself into violating the rules again rules.

One night, because I was tired, I didn’t feel like cooking, and because I was so hungry, I didn’t want to wait for delivery. So I ran to the store near my house – mine is called Pyaterochka – and immediately started looking for ready-made meals. The assortment turned out to be varied: breakfast dishes, soups, salads, hot dishes – a little bit of everything. I chose the Bolognese pasta: I was surprised by the low cost and decent portion size. The dish turned out to be delicious, and when I began to transfer the data from the label to the food diary, it turned out that there were even fewer calories than in what I cooked myself , and the composition was transparent and understandable: spaghetti, tomatoes, beef, onions, cheese, etc.

The next day, for lunch, also in the store, I chose from the point of view of a healthy lifestyle “spherical sous vide”, turkey meatballs with buckwheat porridge – here you have both protein and a side of whole grains. To accompany it, cut up a tomato and cucumber salad from the nearby aisle and drizzle it with olive oil – it only takes a minute.

Over time, I developed favorites: for breakfast I most often had millet porridge with milk, cheesecakes or kutabs with cheese and herbs (I also bought them when I needed to have a snack with me). Lunch and dinner usually consisted of the same meatball, pilaf with chicken, meatballs with fusilli or the same chicken fricassee with buckwheat. Sometimes I added soup to them – my favorite was pea soup with smoked meats. I always supplemented my morning meals with fruit, lunch and dinner with salad: sometimes I cut it myself, if I was lazy, I threw it into the ready-made basket with fresh vegetables or a vinaigrette.

Of course, I haven’t completely switched to ready-made meals, but I have practically stopped doing something complicated at home – for example, I can mix cottage cheese and yogurt, make an omelet or cook a pack of beans. In the evening, just add a little green onion and olive oil – and week-long dinners with vegetable protein and almost daily need for fiber are ready.

I continue to plan my diet according to the established system: on the one hand, thanks to a balanced diet, my weight returned to normal, and on the other hand, I began to feel better and less tired. Now I really found a balance – my diet consists of varied and optimally composed dishes, and organizing meals takes a minimum of time – “Pyaterochka” is located near the house. So healthy eating rules – five stars out of five, I recommend it to everyone!