Tax Accountant Solution
Asking for help with nutrition is not a sign of weakness.
Life’s two certainties: Death & Taxes
Chances are you didn’t hesitate to hire an accountant to go through your crumpled pile of receipts. It sure beats giving up a weekend to navigate the often confusing ins and outs of remitting your taxes to the government.
It probably didn’t feel even remotely lavish or self-self-indulgent to turn to a tax professional: It probably smart, right? After all, the government doesn’t care whether you did your own taxes and filed via Turbo Tax, or whether you hired a professional firm to take care of them for you. As long as you meet the deadline, the government is happy. Pass go, and collect another Adulting Badge for the win!
But for whatever reason, when it comes to making our lives easier via nutrition, many of us are hesitant to seek outside help.
A meal service? A personal chef? That feels indulgent and over-the-top?
What if, however, hiring a chef or using a meal service saved you a considerable amount of time, all the while reducing stress and keeping you healthier?
Sidenote: So many of us fall under the trap of thinking we need to do it all. Often this leads to unrealistic expectations of what we are capable of accomplishing. For more on the value of choosing the best doable option over the best theoretical option, check out this article.
I digress: Like the government and taxes, your stomach doesn’t care who chopped the vegetables or cooked the soup. As long as it’s getting the proper nutrients, it’s happy.
Hire a chef
As a Registered Dietitian, and someone who enjoys meal prep and cooking in general, there are times in my life where I have turned to private chef services, because the tradeoff was well worth it.
A couple years ago, I sliced my hand open and needed stitches in my thumb. At the same time, my husband and I were in the process of moving our gym to a larger facility. We were working our butts off, with very little time or energy to think about meal prep.
So, I paid a chef the cost of groceries, plus $30 an hour, to prepare healthy frozen meals, which she put into individual containers. Two days later, I had a month’s worth of healthy lunches in my freezer. Boom – paid for done!
Meal Service
Though I usually prepare my own lunches, for a few years now my husband and I, who both work full-time have been using a healthy meal kit for dinners four to five times a week. There are lots of options out there, but we like GoodFood because the food quality is very high (and although I hate the diet culture name “Clean 15”, it ensures we get a 100% whole foods meal on the table), and they offer a ton of variety.
What’s great about these meal services is they still get us cooking, but the meals are designed to be prepared in 20 minutes or less. If both of us are cooking together, we can often have a healthy meal ready for dinner in just 10 minutes. Best of all, they feature seasonal ingredients from Canadian farmers, as well as big flavours, so dinners never get boring. (And if you’re an inexperienced cook, each meal comes with an instruction guide that anyone can follow, seriously).
One more time saving tip
Shortcuts aren’t always bad. Sure, you might want to cut your own fresh vegetables or fruit, but if the option is not bothering to eat vegetables at all versus buying a ready made vegetable or fruit tray, consider the shortcut.
Recently, for example, I was planning on making a homemade butternut squash soup after a long day of work. While shopping, I came across pre-cut squash. If you have ever tried to chop a raw butternut squash, you know how time-consuming, and even physically challenging, it can be. You better believe I went for the only slightly more expensive pre-cut squash!
The take home: During especially stressful or busy times, consider freeing up time and reducing stress—i.e. avoiding grocery shopping, meal prepping, cleaning up—for the sake of both your mental and physical health. Because when it comes down to it, your stomach doesn’t care who chopped or cooked the food.
When you’re finding yourself highly overwhelmed, give yourself permission to use the Tax Accountant Solution to help keep you on track with your healthy eating goals.
Wishing you health & happiness,
♡ Jen
Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD
Registered Dietitian
NutritionRx: happy, healthy living with our team of Registered Dietitians
Prosper Nutrition Coaching: a world-class nutrition coaching certification
+
+
+
Want to work with a NutritionRx Registered Dietitian?
Learn more here: Nutrition Packages & Rates
+
+
+
Want to become a Certified Nutrition Coach?
Learn more about our habits-based Prosper Nutrition Certification
