A balanced diet means filling your day with natural, colorful foods that give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy, feel energized, and put your best self forward. Unfortunately, achieving that perfectly balanced diet is easier said than done—especially if your busy lifestyle always keeps you on the go. Between school, work, taking care of your family, running errands, and squeezing in the things you love, who has the time to prepare and enjoy a truly healthy meal? The good news is that health doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Check out these quick and easytips for maintaining a healthy diet in your busy life.

Keep Water Within Reach

Hydration is the foundation of a healthy diet, routine, and overall lifestyle. No matter where your busy day takes you, make sure you have a good water bottle at your side. Carry a large, insulated bottle that will keep your water cool and fresh all day long. You can also make hydration more enjoyable by adding lemon, mint, or other ingredients to your water for a little extra flavor.

Make Breakfast the Night Before

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, mornings are often the busiest part of your routine. The rush of preparing for the day, getting the rest of the family ready, and making it out of the house on time makes it tempting to skip breakfast. Alternatively, you might reach for something fast and sugary, like toaster pastries or drive-through donuts.

Break these unhealthy habits by preparing a healthy breakfast ahead of time. You can prepare smoothies, breakfast wraps, oats, yogurt, and other simple but nutritious breakfasts the night before. This makes it easy to grab what you need in the morning so that you can feast on a healthy and delicious breakfast without the rush.

Find On-the-Go Alternatives

Breakfast isn’t the only meal you can prepare in advance. One of the besttips for maintaining a healthy diet in your busy life is to find—or make—options that are easy to take with you wherever you go. Prepare meals at the beginning of the week, and put your leftovers in containers that you can grab and reheat easily whenever you need to. Packages of nuts and trail mix, sliced fruit or vegetables, and healthy granola bars are fantastic snack ideas you can prepare in advance and eat throughout the day to get the nutrients you need. Another healthy option is tostart juicing fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh juice is an easy way to add a colorful variety of produce to your diet without having to worry about chopping, cooking, and other tedious prep work.

Your busy schedule doesn’t have to ruin your health. With a little forethought and creativity, you can fill your day with delicious foods that are as healthy as they are convenient.