Are you a woman at age 40? Is losing weight a challenge for you? Very likely you’re living a very busy life- so there is not much time for meal preparation. Buying fresh produce every couple of days, cutting it in pieces, cooking it properly… it all takes time. On the other hand, packaged and pre-prepared foods or restaurant food is often not healthy. So what can you do to live healthy on the small time budget of a woman at 40? Here are 10 Tips.

1. For any kind of vegetables or fruit, freshness is the most important quality. Your local farmer’s market is probably a good place to get really fresh food- or look for a store where a lot of fruits and vegetables are sold so they have a big turnover. If your food has spent several days in transport and on store shelves it’s nutritional value has diminished. So get your food as fresh as possible and store it cool- don’t have it sit around in room temperature.

2. Another option for fresh food is to buy it frozen. It’s usually freezed immediately after harvesting, so the vitamins, minerals etc. are preserved. Just make sure that it doesn’t thaw on its way to your fridge.

3. Frozen food tends to need less time to cook too- the freezing process softens the structure of the food, so you save time cooking.

4. Warming up food reduces the nutritional value, so this might save time but is not the best option. In western culture we are not used to eat vegetables raw, but once you get used to it raw veggies can be tasty. Raw vegetables are definitely healthier than warmed up food. In addition, they tend to contain fewer calories than prepared food helping you to lose weight.

5. Mediterranean cooking is not only tasty, but an excellent option for health-conscious nutrition too. Most of these dishes do not need much preparation time and get their taste from using fresh, high-quality ingredients. People from Mediterranean countries do not only live long, they have fewer problems with obesity and losing weight too.

6. If you haven’t got a kitchen appliance helping you to cut vegetables, then it’s probably a good idea to buy one. Make sure it’s easy to clean so you do not lose time cleaning it. Chopping vegetables takes a lot of time and the machine will do it in seconds, helping you being a busy woman at 40.

7. Reduce your expectations on home-cooked food. You do not have to prepare a 3-star gourmet menu- simple recipes can save you a lot of time. The time spent in the kitchen and the quality and taste of the food prepared is independent- it is possible to cook healthy, quickly without affecting the taste.

8. Don’t steam or cook vegetables until they are totally soft. The longer they are heated, the more nutritional value is lost. Have them “al dente”: If you still need to chew them, then they are exactly right. This will save you time in the cooking process too- very important for busy women at age 40.

9. Another time-saver is a pressure-cooker. A pressure cooker helps preserving the vitamins, minerals etc. too by reducing cooking time.

10. Most importantly: Eating tasty, healthy food high in nutritional value will reduce your appetite for high-calorie, unhealthy food. If you like your healthy food, you won’t need anything else- especially not food that is not good for you. This might help you to lose weight more than anything.

Are you a woman over 40? Do you want to lose weight permanently? Signup for your free, personalized “Lose Weight Permanently” program. I answer your questions individually. Click here now.

Recommended reading:

• And The Secret To Eat Healthy Foods Is…
• Snacking Health
• Diet Foods And Weight Loss
• How Fresh Is What You’re Eating?

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