Everyone who’s ever had the pleasure of relocating will tell you: moving is complicated. As someone who’s already started the process, you know this! The to-do list seems endless. Between buying a new home, packing up the old one, hiring the right movers Lake Worth FL and transferring utilities, there’s a lot to keep track of. With so much on your mind, no one can blame you for not really giving serious thought to what you eat during the process. But maybe it’s time that you do! Following a healthy diet could make your moving experience healthier and more enjoyable. That’s why we’re bringing you some tips on what not to eat before moving day and suggestions for a healthy meal plan!
Why follow a healthy diet and worry about what not to eat before moving day?
Moving is stressful. And everyone already knows – stress takes a toll on your body. You may forget to eat or eat too much when you’re under stress, neither of which is healthy for your body. You don’t want to start your new life with a doctor’s visit, do you?
And let’s not forget that moving is both physically and mentally exhausting. You will need a lot of energy to do everything you need to. And the way we give our bodies energy is through food. But not all food is equal in that regard. Food that is low in energy value may make you less hungry, but it won’t make it easier for you to get your work done. And pacing your meals is important too! If you eat too much at once, you will feel lethargic, lazy and sleepy instead of energized and ready to work. If you don’t eat often enough, you’ll get tired faster. This is where a healthy meal plan comes handy.
Things not to eat before moving day
You probably already know that most movers won’t move food. This may tempt you to clean out your fridge and pantry by eating everything in it. That’s not really a solid strategy when downsizing your pantry and it certainly isn’t one when you’re moving. Not everything is suitable food during a move.
Beans, rice, bread, and other stodgy foods
We call foods that are super filling super quickly stodgy or simply heavy. As the name implies, these foods feel heavy in your stomach. Too much stodgy food and you’ll think you had rocks for lunch! There’s certainly a time and a place for most of these in our diet, but they are definitely something not to eat before moving day. Instead of giving you energy, they will just make you feel too full to really do anything. Avoid these in the days leading up to your relocation. Beans, rice, bread, pasta and similar foods rich in carbohydrates can all be stodgy depending on the amount and mode of preparation.
Over salty and greasy food
While salty and greasy food may sound delicious, it is not the best thing to eat while you’re moving. Fats are the slowest food components to break down in the digestive system so eating a lot of them puts a strain on your body. This can cause bloating, discomfort and even nausea. None of these are things you want to be feeling while packing your clothes for storage or carrying your sofa down the stairs!
Fruits not to eat before moving day
The fruit is, generally speaking, good for you. It’s healthy, it’s tasty, and it makes for a great snack to give you that boost of energy without filling you up too much. But in the chaos of packing up, loading up and moving, you’ll hardly have the time to prepare a proper fruit salad. So stick to fruits that are naturally protected from bacteria with their own hard outer peel and don’t require any special preparation (such as oranges and bananas). Avoid berries, grapes, and even apples – anything you need to wash thoroughly or prepare properly before eating.
Snacks not to eat before moving day
Unless you plan on hiring movers for packing as well, you will be working a lot on last-minute packing, preparations and furniture removal in the days leading up to moving day. Snacks are a great way to keep your energy up during those exhausting days. But stay away from chips, popcorn, nachos, and other typical snacks. They’re not very filling and won’t give you much energy!
Food that goes off fast and doesn’t travel well
There’s a good reason why interstate movers Florida don’t move food – it spoils. For the same reason, you should not rely on perishables on moving day and immediately after. Leafy greens, soft vegetables, dairy, and meats can all go bad surprisingly fast and they won’t travel well. Don’t count on those alone as your moving day meals or post-move nutrition.
Leftover food?
You will almost certainly have some leftover food you can’t eat or bring with you. Don’t let it go to waste! Feeding America has food banks all over the country. So visit their website to find the local food banks and donate your excess to the less fortunate! You’ll leave no waste and help those in need at once.
What to eat instead?
Eating healthy on the days surrounding your move will require a bit of planning. So take the time to plan out your meals and leave enough room in your schedule to prepare them! Oatmeal, eggs (thoroughly cooked of course), fruit smoothies, fresh salads and sandwiches prepared and eaten on the day of are all good ideas for light, filling and energizing meals that don’t take too long to prepare. And when you get hungry between the meals, snack on something healthy! Try some nuts, dried fruits, homemade fruit and vegetable chips, celery or apple sticks with peanut butter, protein and granola bars. These are all easy to prepare, grab on the go, keep on you and snack on in the chaos of moving.
