The Single Person's Guide to Eating Healthy

When you are single, it can be a frustrating task to eat healthy. Cooking healthy meals for "just you" can feel like a waste of time. There is very little joy in cooking when there is no one around to share the fruits of your labor. Why bother dirtying up a bunch of pots and pans to make a meal only you will enjoy? In addition, most fresh meats and vegetables at the grocery store are packaged in family-size servings, and the cost of such serving sizes can be exorbitant to a single person.

Not to mention, with only one person to eat the meals, some of the food will invariably go bad before it can be used. Still, as a single person, your health is important - probably even more so because you are single. There is no one around to gently nag you to eat healthier, and the motivation to do it for yourself often times just isn't there. While it seems far easier to just grab some fast food for the evening's meal, your single status should not be used as an excuse to not eat healthy.

So how does a single person go about eating healthy meals? Here are some quick tips.

Even though it may appear easier to hit up your favorite fast food joint, try taking a stroll around your local grocery store instead. There are plenty of healthy grab-and-go options to be found if you take the time to look for them. For example, fresh bagged salads have made a big impression in the produce section and the selection is quite varied.

Your local grocer is likely to carry a variety of salads all pre-made and you need only select which kind of salad that suits your fancy. Some of the bagged salads even come complete with packages of dressing, although making your own salad dressing of olive oil and red wine vinaigrette would be a healthier option. In addition, olive oil and vinaigrette are two items that will not go bad if you do not use it all up at once.

While you are at the grocery store, take a look down the international foods aisle. Pick up some fajita wraps. These make a great sandwich alternative. Simply take some of your bagged salad, a couple of cans of tuna fish or your favorite lunch meat, add some low-fat mayo, and you have a quick, easy-to-make, healthy sandwich.

Speaking of canned tuna fish, there are tons of other canned meats that have recently come on the market. In addition to regular tuna fish, there is now a plethora of tuna fish with added spices to give you a new twist on an old standby. Chicken and ham can also be found in the canned foods aisle. So can crab, shrimp and lobster. By stocking up on some different canned meats you can vary your sandwich fixings to keep them fresh and exciting.

In the deli section, you may find fresh sushi. Sushi is a great healthy meal and it often comes in single-serving sized packages, making it an ideal dinner for one. Also in the deli section you can find fresh ground beef and turkey. Ground beef sometimes comes in a tube form, making it easy to store in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Ground turkey is a great low-fat alternative to use in simple dishes.

Just about any kind of Mexican dish imaginable is a simple dish. Simply heat up the ground turkey, add a package of taco seasoning, and throw it onto a fajita wrap or into a crunchy taco shell. Top it off with some salsa, low-fat shredded cheese and low-fat sour cream. Salsa, low-fat shredded cheese and low-fat sour cream all have quite a long shelf life and often come in small containers so there is little waste.

Maybe Mexican food, sandwich wraps and salad just aren't going to cut it. You want some meat. Real meat. The Hamilton-Beach grill is a single person's best friend. In less than ten minutes, you can have a real meal with real steak, or grilled chicken, pork, fish or whatever kind of meat you favor. Just heat up the little grill and throw on the meat. When you're done, the grill parts pop out for easy cleaning in the dishwasher.

Now it's time to stock up on side items. Frozen veggies are another grocery item that has evolved. Not only can you find real seasoned potatoes (vs. the frozen French fry), you can find single serving sizes of veggies that get steamed right in the microwave.

Some of them don't even require a dish and can be steamed in their own packaging, making them ideal for those days when you don't feel like dealing with dirty dishes. Pick up some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray to add some flavor but not the calories and you can make a healthy side dish to go along with your grilled meat.

Instead of grabbing a carton of soda, replace it instead with bottled water. You can find all kinds of flavored water, or you can pick up a box of Crystal Lite single serve water flavorings. They are designed to add flavor to a single bottle of water. Again, no dishes are required to make this healthy beverage.

By taking a short trip to the grocery store and bypassing the fast food chains, you will discover that you can enjoy cooking healthy meals for yourself with little time and effort.