FoxyBody Articles
Healthy Eating on the Go
Christie Dombrowski, AFPA
It seems that my best laid out
plans for the day never seem to go as scheduled. Something inevitably
comes up leaving me running from one thing to the next with very little
time in between. Days like this are just a part of life, but what can
you do to take care of yourself and plan for the unexpected rushed day?
It takes some preparation up front but it will pay off in the long run.
My favorite on-the-go plan of attack is to pack a day's worth of food in
a cooler. It's great to have access to healthy choices at your
fingertips. An example of its contents may include fresh vegetables,
fruit, non-fat Greek yogurt and a few water bottles. Also, keeping
non-perishables like nuts and dried fruit in the car at all times will
help tide you over if needed.
Plan ahead for the days that you don't have time to pack a lunch or
maybe you haven't been to the grocery store in awhile. Take inventory of
what places are around you that serve food. Next time you are driving
by, give yourself a few extra minutes to run in and grab a carryout
menu. Ask if they have nutrition information as well. If that
information is not available at the store, many have it posted on their
website. Highlight the choices that are the most nutritious for quick
and easy decisions on the go.
Once you have menus from all the places around you, sort them in a small
check size accordion folder. Mine is sorted by location, but you could
also sort it by type of food. This way, when driving through your most
traveled areas of town you can grab a menu from your folder and place an
order in advance. It is just as quick and easy as waiting in the
drive-thru at a fast food chain. Best of all because of your earlier
research you know that your choices are good ones.
Keep a separate tab for fast food chains that are in multiple locations
and list the best choices at each place. Fast food doesn't have to be
the enemy as long as you know what to order and what to avoid. Generally
heavy sauces, dressings or anything fried should be avoided. If you can,
get extra lettuce and tomatoes and eat your sandwich open faced so you
can discard one part of the bun. Anything that does not go into your
mouth can be subtracted from the total calories.
Nothing comes easy, but I have found that taking a few minutes to
prepare a safe haven of places to stop in a jam has relieved a lot of
stress for those non-stop, on-the-go days. Just because you have a busy
lifestyle does not mean your health has to suffer for it.
