We all see them – people wolfing down a donut or a bagel with a cup of coffee as they run to catch a train or while they are driving through traffic. We all do it too! It’s hard to fit in everything that you need to do in the morning. Many people are trying to get up early to exercise, get the kids fed breakfast and off to school, and then get to work on time. The morning is a literal “rat-race” for many people!
Do you need to slow down?
A recent survey by Harris Interactive® found that nine out of ten American adults eat meals or snacks on the go, 60% on a daily basis; and about 26% two to three times per day!
We realize that everyone does not always have time to make food from scratch. We aim to teach you ways to incorporate healthy eating habits into your everyday lives, so you are not tempted to run down to the vending machines or local take-out place. It takes some planning, but it can definitely be done!
The busier we get, the more stressed our bodies become. It becomes even more important that we fuel our bodies optimally. We all want to have the most energy that we can, as well as feel good about ourselves. At the same time, we will help provide you with simple snack and meal-time solutions that fit your modern-day, multi-tasking lives. Meals should not only taste great, but be readily available or prepared in a matter of minutes.
Here are just a few tips that you can easily incorporate into your day:
• Pack foods nutrient-rich foods such as cut vegetables, a scoop of cottage cheese, a couple of slices of fresh meat, fresh fruit, cheese, or nuts.
• Sweet tooth? Many people tell us that the reason that they stop following a good diet is because they need a sweet treat! The options available to most people are things like candy bars, donuts, cookies, and the like. Try bringing fresh strawberries or other berries mixed with yogurt or apple slices with a tablespoon of peanut butter to get in your fix.
• Cool drink? Reaching for a soda? Try making some herbal tea, adding a little fruit juice for sweetener, chilling, and then pouring it into your water bottle.
• Bring foods that travel and don’t take up a lot of space with you. Bars, nuts, trail mix, or protein powder in a plastic baggie usually work well. Even carry a little cooler with you.
• If you have to grab something from a convenience store there is no need to go down the candy or chip aisle. Most stores carry very similar products. Sandwiches, jerky, nuts, and wheat crackers, are usual products that would be some of our better choices. When getting something to drink go right to the water, don’t even look over the other beverage selections.
• Going through the fast food drive-through is quick and can sometimes not be avoided. We all know what fast food restaurants offer, there is no need to study the menu, have it in your head what you are going to order so you are not tempted to splurge. The grilled chicken sandwich or salad, and the regular hamburger are usually the best options. Don’t order the value meals or the triple stackers! Have you ever seen Super Size Me?
• At a sit-down restaurant skim the menu looking for choices that have the words grilled, baked, or sautéed in them, and avoid thoroughly reading the options that include the word fried in them. When there are more options available it is too tempting to make the wrong decision, especially when we’re famished. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you go to eat, if you eat everything on your plate you have eaten too much. Order half orders, appetizer portions, or take leftovers home. This way you can enjoy the pleasure of eating out, but don’t have to suffer the consequences of taking in double the amount of calories that you should.