How to Eat Healthy When You're on the Go

One of the biggest challenges of eating healthy is finding the time to buy and prepare nutritious meals and snacks. If you're a frequent traveler, you may lack the necessary time to buy and make healthy dishes. This, of course, is why many Americans eat fast food. The convenience of picking up a burger and fries outweighs its potential health effects -- at least that's the mentality shared by millions of people. Fast food and other convenience foods will take a toll on your body, increasing your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and more. However, you can eat healthy while on the go by following some simple tips.

Invest in Containers

Assuming you don't already own them, purchase some plastic food storage containers in a variety of sizes. Using them, you can store freshly prepared snacks and meals. And unlike fast food packaging, these containers are 100 percent reusable. When you are finished using them, just wash and dry them, after which you can use them again.

Bottled Water

It's also a good idea to drink bottled water if you're always on the go. Picking up a 20-ounce bottle of soda may sound tempting, but this isn't a good idea because of its high sugary content. A typical 20-ounce soda contains up to 70 grams of sugar -- sometimes even more. That's more than twice the daily recommended limit for most adults. Stick with water to improve your health and lower your risk of diabetes.

Create Healthy Snacks

So, what kind of healthy snacks can you prepare? The possibilities are endless, though a simple and fun idea is to make a trail mix consisting of nuts -- peanuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, etc. -- along with dried fruit. It contains vitamins, protein and fiber with little or no added sugar. And since it doesn't contain dairy or meat, you can store it at room temperature without ill effect.

Make Enough for Leftovers

When cooking dinner at night, make enough so that you'll have leftovers for the following day. If you normally cook a single chicken breast for yourself, go ahead and make two. You can then eat the other chicken breast the following day. Some people even use their leftovers to make new dishes. With chicken, for instance, you can make chicken salad, fajitas or a chicken sandwich.

Work, traveling or other responsibilities shouldn't affect your diet. By following some basic tips, you can eat healthy while on the go.