Time? Or nutrition? Strategies for finding balance

In today's fast-paced world, many of us struggle to find time to prepare healthy meals. Between juggling work, family and personal commitments, it’s easy to resort to fast food or convenience meals, which are often highly processed and loaded with salt, sugar or fat.

But good nutrition is essential for our health and Real Wellbeing—and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated.

We spoke with Louise Polzella, a Health Coach and Dietitian with Australian Unity to get her top healthy eating tips to help us balance time and nutrition when life gets busy.

1. Preparation is key

When it comes to eating well without spending hours in the kitchen, Louise points out that preparation is crucial.

Some of her quick meal-prep ideas include:

• Batch cooking: Prepare large batches of freezer-friendly meals like soups, casseroles or curries, which can make for quick dinners when you’re short on time.
• Convenience items: Stock your pantry with healthy, ready-to-use ingredients. “Tinned beans and vegetables, frozen vegetables, and small tubs of yoghurt are great ways to save time without compromising on nutrition,” says Louise.
• Healthy snacks: While you’re already in the kitchen making other meals, prep extra snacks like veggie sticks, hummus or nut mixes. Having these ready means you’re less tempted to reach for processed options when hunger strikes.

By incorporating these tips into your routine, you can ensure that fast and easy dinners and nutritious snacks are always within reach.

2. Lean into healthy carbs

“People often think carbs are the enemy, but they’re actually our body’s preferred energy source,” says Louise. “Without them, it’s like trying to run a car without petrol.”

Unrefined complex carbohydrates like whole grains, brown rice and sweet potatoes can form the backbone of so many balanced meals. They provide sustained energy and are packed with essential nutrients.

And best of all, “carbs are easy to prepare,” says Louise. “A slice of wholegrain toast tossed into a salad as croutons or a quick cup of microwave rice with your stir-fry are simple ways to incorporate carbs without much extra effort.”

3. Balance convenience and nutrition

When life gets busy, convenience often trumps nutrition. But the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

“The key to balancing convenience with nutrition is keeping things simple,” says Louise.

A few of her favourite quick meal ideas include:

• Tuna salad: “A tin of fish, bagged lettuce and a few salad veggies, and some toast cut into croutons is a fast, healthy meal.”
• Mexican rice bowl: “Add tinned beans, microwave rice and a few veggies for an easy, balanced dinner.”
• Healthy takeaway options: When you need to grab a meal on the go, look for lighter takeaway options like sashimi, grilled fish and salad, or salad sandwiches.

You could also consider getting your groceries delivered—it saves time, limits impulse purchasing and ensures you always have healthy ingredients on hand.

4. Keep it simple to avoid decision fatigue

A common challenge that Louise encounters a lot is “decision fatigue”—that is, feeling too drained from making choices all day to put much thought into what to have for lunch or dinner.

To combat it, Louise suggests creating a list of your family’s favourite healthy meals and rotating through them each week.

“Having a go-to recipe list can reduce stress around meal planning and grocery shopping, and makes it easier to stick to a nutritious diet,” she says.

5. Use the healthy plate model as a formula

Similarly, the healthy plate model provides structure but leaves a lot of room for variation, making it easier to eat a balanced diet after an exhausting day.

“Imagine your plate like a clock,” says Louise. “Between 12 and six o’clock, so 50 percent of plate, should be vegetables; between six and nine, so a quarter of your plate, should be lean protein choices; and then between nine and 12 are your low-GI carbohydrate or grain choices.”

6. Don’t ignore your hunger cues

When we’re busy, it’s easy to miss or ignore the signs of hunger until we’re ravenous, which can result in poorer food choices.

“Responding to your hunger cues early helps prevent that 10-out-of-10 hunger where you’ll grab the quickest, and often least healthy, option available,” explains Louise.

Having those healthy snacks around—a tub of yoghurt, hummus and veggie sticks or crackers, a handful of nuts, or a piece of fruit—can help curb your hunger before it gets out of control.

The link between nutrition and wellbeing

Even with these strategies, there may be days where cooking dinner feels like an impossible task on a never-ending to-do list—but, just like going to the gym when you’d rather lie on the couch, the benefits can make the effort worthwhile.

“Eating a high-quality diet has been associated with better cognition and mental health outcomes,” says Louise. “Processed foods may give you a quick pleasure boost, but it’s often short-lived.”

She warns against all-or-nothing thinking when it comes to eating well, however. “Labelling foods [as good or bad] can create a negative relationship with food, leading to guilt or stress, which isn’t going to do your mental health any favours,” she notes.

It’s a valuable reminder that eating well is all about balance. Whether it’s convenience and healthy eating, or nutritious foods and a favourite indulgence, finding the balance that works for you can make all the difference to your wellbeing.