Being "busy" is a modern-day but very real epidemic - many of us barely have time to do a weekly supermarket shop.

But the good news is that you do not have to dedicate hours in the kitchen each week in order to build a strong nutritional platform. It's a matter of knowing a few tricks and tips to get you eating well, in a jiffy.

1. Power planning

Plan, plan, plan. People who eat really well don't necessarily have private chefs or superior genes or exceptional knowledge - they just know how to plan ahead.

Picture this: it's a Wednesday night, you're home late from work and you're starving. We know we "should" be making a healthy meal with plenty of vegies. Then hunger takes over - and the temptation to just put on a pot of plain pasta and wolf it down, smothered in cheese.

It is therefore crucial to take control of your nutrition by dedicating a little time each week to planning meals and snacks.

Try: spending 20 minutes each Sunday night making a meal plan on a whiteboard in the kitchen. (An advantage for families is that you can avoid the daily "What's for dinner?" questioning from the kids.) There is also a number of free meal-planning apps that can be used on your smartphone, including Menu Planner.

2. Schedule cooking nights

Many people don't have the time to prepare a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal every day. And it can be difficult to feel inspired if you are cooking only for yourself. But there is no need to feel guilty; rather, the trick is to keep a supply of back-up options in the fridge or freezer so you don't cave in and dial a pizza.

Set a goal of cooking three times a week or, if you are super busy, just once. Go for favourites such as spag bol, stir-fries and soups, which freeze and reheat well.

Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is to use a meal delivery service. There are many in the marketplace now and, in general,

the higher the price, the better the quality. Ordering individual meals occasionally can be a more cost-effective option than ordering an entire week of meals if you are unlikely to eat them.

Try: Dietlicious, Eat Fit Food, Hello Fresh or Dineamic for a range of healthy meal options at different price points.

3. Bump up the vegetables

Our intake of vegetables suffers when we're busy: the foods we often grab on the run tend to be low in vegetable content but rich in carbohydrates and fat.

Vegetables and salad are low in kilojoules, they bulk up meals so we eat fewer kilojoules overall, and they are excellent sources of vitamins, fibre and essential nutrients. Eating fewer than two or three cups of salad or vegies a day can lead to bloating and, over time, weight gain. So make veg your focus, even when you're in a hurry.

Try: keeping a vegetable-rich packet soup handy to add to meals when your vegetable intake has been low.

4. Eat well at work

While we may not be at home often enough to need a full supermarket shop or to order groceries regularly online, it can still be useful to have some supplies delivered to work.

A weekly delivery of fresh vegies to snack on, tins of fish for lunches and nut or protein bars for quick and easy nutritious snacks can help to prevent the daily trip to the vending machine or coffee shop for high-kilojoule treats. Once you know that you will have a supply of your favourite yoghurt, nuts, cheese and crackers on hand to serve as nutritious snacks throughout the day, your daily food intake starts to have a firm and sustainable platform.

Try: keeping tuna or salmon tins handy at work to add to supermarket pre-made salads. Kilojoule-controlled, nutrient-rich frozen meals can also make a relatively healthy and cheap lunch choice, as can a bread roll, some lean ham, or turkey and cut-up salad vegetables. Keep carrots, cucumbers and celery on hand to snack on through the day.

5. Two-for-one meals

One of the easiest time-management strategies is to use your dinner leftovers for lunch. Not only does this mean you are cooking or preparing food fewer times each week, but you can enjoy a filling, nutritionally balanced meal minus exorbitant lunch prices.

Try: making pasta bakes, stir-fries, soups, homemade pies and other meals that reheat well and lend themselves to supersized portions so you can have enough for lunch and dinner.