How to Eat Healthy While Staying at Home (and Stay on Track!)

With so many healthy and unhealthy food options out there, choosing nutritious snacks and meals while you’re staying at home can feel like a chore. Everyone should learn how to eat healthy at home because as we’re now seeing, you never know when you might need to hunker down!

Whether you're a work-from-home freelancer, a stay-at-home parent or a full-time caregiver, sometimes eating out (or just getting out!) isn’t practical. Learning how to eat healthy at home helps you and your family stay happy and healthy all year long.

Even if you’re able to leave the house, keeping a stockpile of shelf-stable, healthy sweet snacks on hand just makes life easier. After all, you never know when a craving for healthy or unhealthy food might strike! Follow these simple shopping and preparation tips to make your at-home diet both delicious and nutritious.

1. Try to Stick to a Schedule

When you’re staying at home, it’s so easy to enjoy a nibble here and there, even if you’re not actually hungry; but those calories can really add up, and fast. Try not to eat out of boredom by keeping it to two or three meals per day, with light snacking in-between if needed. Working away from your kitchen if you work from home, or pursuing new and old hobbies in between meals is a great way to keep your mind off the munchies and away from mindless snacking!

2. Stock Up on Pantry Staples

There are plenty of healthy and unhealthy food options for long-term storage out there. Try not to take the easy route with TV dinners, bagged chips and canned pasta. Keeping shelf-stable foods like canned veggies, dried beans, frozen fruits and healthy paleo granola on hand ensures that you can prepare a real, nutritious meal anytime, which is so important for both your physical and mental health.

3. Embrace Variety

As you learn how to eat healthy at home, it’s all too easy to fall into a rut. Sure, you can get your complete protein by eating rice and beans, but do you really want to eat rice and beans every single day?

As you choose between healthy and unhealthy food items, be practical and health-minded, but don’t be overly strict with yourself or you might get burnt out on your diet. Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy sweet snacks to choose made from quality, all-natural ingredients.

For example, a cup of yogurt sprinkled with Within/Without granola will satiate your dessert cravings while also nourishing your body, mind and soul. Of course, sometimes you’re going to crave bad-for-you treats -- we’re only human after all! Even the most health-conscious folks indulge from time-to-time. A treat here and there can break up the monotony of a healthy diet, which can actually help to keep you on track in the long run! It’s all about moderation.

When considering your healthy and unhealthy food options, remember that you can make mouthwatering snacks while sticking to your health goals. Ever tried these delicious keto snacks? They’re amazing. Seek out the healthy option first and you might be surprised by how scrumptious clean eating can be!

4. Plan for Leftovers

Even if you’re just cooking for yourself, try to prepare meals in large quantities. That way you have a quick-and-easy meal or snack option on hand when you’re just not in the chef mood. If you like to keep your meals varied throughout the week, you can always freeze the leftovers for later in the month!

5. Don’t Deprive Yourself

While you’re staying at home, planning ahead is prudent. A big part of learning how to eat healthy at home is also recognizing your body’s dietary needs. Being too restrictive with your diet can actually have negative consequences. Depriving yourself of necessary calories can lead to binging and other unhealthy habits. Be aware of your caloric intake, and don’t deny yourself when you’re truly hungry. It’s all about finding a balance. Be mindful about portion control, and again, stick to a schedule.

6. Don’t Forget Fruits and Veggies

As you stock up on healthy and unhealthy food, it’s easy to become so focused on shelf-stable items that you forget how important fruits and veggies are. While fresh produce isn’t always practical or available, canned and frozen fruits and veggies will keep you healthy while also adding much-needed diversity to your diet. Not sure what to do with almost-expired produce? There’s never been a better time to learn how to pickle!

7. Get Creative

Staying at home isn’t always ideal, but you can make the best of it by working on your kitchen skills! This is a great time to try out some new recipes, play around with delicious, healthy sweet snack ideas and get those Master Chef knife skills up to par! For example, instead of making rice for dinner, why not try your hand at risotto? Stock up on a variety of dried herbs and spices so you can get crafty in the kitchen whenever you want!

8. Drink Plenty of Water

As you focus on healthy and unhealthy food options, don’t forget to stay hydrated! Besides keeping you healthy, drinking plenty of water can actually prevent overeating. In addition to affecting you physically, dehydration can make you feel stressed and lethargic. Experts recommend drinking eight-ounce glasses of water daily.

9. Burn Off Calories

If you’re indulging in healthy sweet snacks, it’s easy to gain weight while you’re staying at home — especially if you’re used to a more active lifestyle. Fitness and eating well go hand-in-hand. Working out boosts your metabolism so you can burn calories, and a solid exercise session can actually suppress your appetite and help you feel better about staying at home.

10. Stick with Foods You Love

These days, there’s no shortage of healthy and unhealthy food options to choose from. While you’re hunkered down at home, there’s nothing wrong with adjusting your eating habits according to your situation, but drastically altering your diet can actually be problematic.

Try not to fall into the trap of eating foods just because they’re shelf-stable or just because they’re easy to make. Sure, a bag of rice might last for decades, but is that really what you want to eat? Eating good-for-you meals that also taste good doesn’t just feed your body — it feeds your mind, heart and soul.

Shop Within/Without Granola

Granola is a shelf-stable superfood. Of all of the healthy and unhealthy food options out there, few others are so tasty, filling, nutritious and versatile. Our delectable gluten-free, low sugar, keto and paleo granola makes a wonderful snack by the handful, a fast meal or a great addition to your favorite baking recipes. For further information on how to eat healthy at home, please feel free to contact us. Stay happy and healthy while you’re housebound with Within/Without granola!