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GOOD NUTRITION ON THE GO
adapted from an article in Idea Today by Christine Vega, MPH, RD
Are you:- a professor who teaches two to three classes each day, squeezes
in advising sessions, and tries to grade papers in a timely fashion?
- an administrator on the road several times a month, with 12 hour
days in the office when on campus?
- a full-time support employee with a spouse and children who need
your attention?
Whatever your schedule, chances are it's power-packed, and that can
lead to poor
dietary intake. While you may be helping your students, employees,
co-workers, or family on the road to better health, there is a possibility
that you are jeopardizing your own nutritional status.
It doesn't have to be that way! Eating on the run and eating well
can go hand in
hand. You need adequate nutrition and energy to meet the heavy demand
of your
day, and to help you deal with daily stress. Healthy eating just takes
a little planning
and some basic knowledge.
You need to watch for (and prevent) these common nutrition problems
in your
diet:
- Inadequate intake of carbohydrates
- Inadequate dietary iron intake (especially females)
- Inadequate or excessive calorie intake
- An unbalanced diet
Four Questions
Before planning your own program for good nutrition "on the go,"
ask yourself
these four questions:
1. Am I eating a variety of foods?
This is achieved by choosing two servings from the milk and milk products
group, two servings from the meats and meat alternatives group, at
least five servings from the fruits and vegetables group and at least
six servings from the breads and cereals group. If you are extremely
active or have a great deal of muscle mass or high metabolism, you
will need to increase your daily servings of fruits, vegetables, breads
and cereals.
2. How are nutrients distributed in my diet?
Approximately 55-60 percent of the calories should come from carbohydrates-even
more if you are extremely active. This translates into eating lots
of fruits, vegetables, breads and cereals. Adequate carbohydrate intake
is extremely important to replace the muscle and liver glycogen stores
that are burned during rigorous workouts.
3. Am I including meat or meat alternatives in my diet?
This food group is important not only for protein, but because it
is the group that provides the most significant amount of iron. Iron
deficiency anemia can cause a tired, worn-out feeling, in addition
to adversely affecting performance.
4. Am I getting enough calories or too many calories?
Being busy all day does not often afford the time to stop and eat.
Some people may even try not to eat in order to keep their weight
down (in many cases, too far down). Remember, even if you eat a diet
that is relatively high in carbohydrates, you will not have enough
available energy if you do not eat enough to fuel your daily activities.
Others eat too many calories, especially from fast food which is generally
high fat, because their schedules are too full.
Now, how do you translate these principles into practice? Planning
is the key.
Breakfast
Breakfast is a relatively easy meal to prepare. Try the following
nutritious
alternatives.
- A bowl of healthy whole-grain cereal, topped with fresh fruit and
nonfat milk is an excellent choice.
- If you are really in a hurry, blend eight to twelve ounces of nonfat
milk and a piece of fresh fruit or 2/3 cup of frozen fruit, along
with a few ice cubes, in a blender. You can also add a few tablespoons
of commercially sold protein powder (it should be soy based) or a
two-inch cube of tofu.
- If you don't have time to eat breakfast at home, consider packing
a bran muffin (prepared with only a small amount of oil) or a whole-wheat
bagel. You can spread ricotta cheese made with part-skim milk on the
bagel instead of cream cheese. Pack a carton of milk or juice and
a piece of fresh fruit. Eat when you get to your first appointment
or class, or in the car if you can manage it safely.
Lunch
This is probably the meal that allows you the most time to eat. Although
eating
out is expensive, in many cases you can find healthy lunch specials.
- There are restaurants that serve tasty, lower-fat options.
- Recently, fast-food restaurants have made great strides in offering
some healthy food choices. Most fast-food restaurants, such as Burger
King and McDonald's, are now serving broiled chicken breasts, as well
as various salad options. Just be sure to use low-fat salad dressings,
avoid french fries, ask for the sandwich with little or no mayonnaise,
and choose juice over soft drinks.
Bring Your Own
Frankly, the best thing you can do is pack a lunch. I would suggest
buying a
medium-sized cooler that you can carry. This way you are assured of
a
healthy lunch and lots of nutritious snacks. In fact, a cooler is
the perfect idea if you are
really busy. Or you can simply stock a small office refrigerator each
day. This way you can snack or 'graze' throughout the day.
- Sandwiches are always a good idea. Pack a turkey, tuna or chicken
sandwich. Of course, use whole-wheat bread, pita bread or bagels and
a small amount of mayonnaise. In fact, if you put lots of lettuce
and tomatoes in a sandwich, you won't need mayonnaise. It is advisable
to pack the meat separately so the bread does not get soggy.
- Believe it or not, you can pack your own luncheon salad. Wash and
tear up red leaf or romaine lettuce or spinach. Place it in a good-sized
plastic bowl with a tight-fitting top. Fill the bowl until it is 2/3
to 3/4 full of the greens. Wash and peel a medium-sized carrot and
place it on top of the lettuce without cutting it. Also, place a whole,
washed tomato, celery sticks and three or four broccoli or cauliflower
florets on top of the greens. (Do not slice the vegetables until lunch.)
- For protein, you can pack ¾ cup of kidney or garbanzo beans,
two to three ounces of turkey, or ½ cup of water-packed tuna.
The protein can be added to the salad after you have cut all the vegetables
and tossed the salad at lunchtime.
- You can carry your own low-calorie salad dressing. Or place two
to three tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl, along
with some chopped onions. Then add the lettuce as described above.
Pack a lemon so when you are ready to eat, you only have to squeeze
the lemon over the salad and toss so that the oil is brought up from
the bottom.
Snacks
Your cooler (or the refrigerator at work) can also be packed with
lots of healthy snacks. Some excellent suggestions are fresh fruits,
carrot sticks, celery sticks, juice, low-fat yogurt, whole-wheat bagels
and whole-wheat, low-calorie crackers, such as zwieback.
Snack on nuts, raisins and other dried fruits in addition to the suggestions
above if you have trouble maintaining or gaining weight. Peanut butter
is also a good, nutritious calorie source; although it is high in
fat, the fat is considered "good" fat.
Dinner
This can be the hardest meal to plan. You get home late in the evening
and may be so famished from your day that you simply open up the refrigerator
and eat whatever you find! The trick is to make healthy dinners that
can be prepared in a matter of minutes, such as taco salad fixed with
corn tortillas instead of tostada shells because they are deep-fat
fried, baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese, spaghetti using whole-wheat
pasta, barbecued chicken breast served with boiled corn, garden salad
or spinach salad, or mini pizzas made with pita bread and part-skim
mozzarella cheese.
Good luck with your healthy eating to fuel your extremely busy lifestyle!
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