Healthy Eating On-the-Go
April 1, 2008
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This is a Guest Blogger Post by Suzanne Monroe, Food Coach, Real Life Food.
Do you anyone who is not busy these days? It’s literally impossible to find someone who says they have extra time on their hands anymore. While your life might be in high-gear, don’t let your food keep up the same pace.
Many people try to eat healthy at home, but when they’re on the road, any thoughts about making a healthy choice are thrown out the passenger seat window. Avoid these common pitfalls when you’re living and dining on-the-go:
Mistake #1 - Failing to Plan
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not planning ahead. You know the old adage “failing to plan is planning to fail.” When it comes to eating on-the-go, the same rule applies. Knowing what you are going to eat at least 24 hours in advance will keep you from entering an “emergency hunger” state. You’ve been there before: you’ve gone hours without eating and suddenly you need food fast - so you reach for fast food.
When an “emergency hunger” state hits, most anything goes, and food becomes an object of your obsession. In these moments, you are more likely to choose the quickest option to cure your starvation, which can equal highly processed food full of unwanted ingredients.
Make time to plan ahead each week.
I like to dedicate 30 minutes on a Saturday afternoon to planning what I will eat during the week ahead. I may plan in certain days for eating out and others for eating in, but I always know where my next meals are coming from.
Mistake #2 - Calorie counting
Most of us think calorie counting is the best way to limit our food intake. Don’t get me wrong, reading labels is a good idea, but solely choosing a snack based on its calorie content is an outdated method of eating. Calorie counting leads us to choose low-fat products full of sugar or worse yet, artificial sweeteners. Keep in mind, the longer the label, the worse it usually is.
Instead of nutritional number crunching, focus on eating for energy. Ask yourself, will this satisfy me for more than an hour? How much energy will I get from this snack or meal? Clearly a handful of almonds will give you more energy than a bag of fat free pretzels.
Mistake #3 - Confusing a snack as a meal
Eating on-the-go may mean eating smaller meals, more frequently. It’s important to differentiate between a snack and a meal substitute. A snack is usually one item, something that will tide you over in between meals. A meal substitute is more like a mini meal.
It is larger than a snack and may substitute as a meal on-the-go until you arrive at your next destination. Eating many snacks may not satisfy you, as you can easily skip some important nutrients. Mini meals can provide energy and satiate you, but should be chosen wisely.
You want to make sure you are getting in essential energy boosters like protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. These are the foods that will give make your mini meal go much farther than your taste buds. Try these mini meals for long-lasting energy: a fruit smoothie made with nut butter and yogurt, healthy food bars without added sugar, a hardboiled egg, veggie sticks with hummus, whole grain crackers with cheese, or yogurt with granola and nuts.
Mistake #4 - Leaving Veggies Out
We’re supposed to get in nine servings of fruits and veggies per day. Most Americans are hovering at about 2.5. Fruits and vegetables are antioxidant powerhouses, so make sure to include them as often as possible. Eating fruits and vegetables on-the-go are actually the fastest of fast foods.
There’s not much to crunching into an apple, peeling an orange or even tossing a salad with your favorite dressing. There’s no cooking involved, yet on-the-goers tend to skimp on the fruits and veggies. Bring some veggies sticks along for the ride or find stores that carry grab ‘n go salads.
Learning the tricks of the trade of eating on-the-go is essential for staying healthy.
With a little planning and prep, you’ll be eating healthy in no time.
About The Guest Blogger: Suzanne Monroe is a Food Coach and certified holistic health counselor. Her company, Real Life Food, helps busy women finally answer the question, What do I eat? For a free report on Eating for Energy, visit Real Life Food.
To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk eBook’s Freezing It & Loving It!
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Thanks for giving me a reminder of things that I should be doing and that are so EASY to do!!
Suzanne,
Great Tips.
A couple of years ago we moved from the suburbs to the outskirts and planning my grocery shopping really improved.
I discovered cooking healthy really doesn’t tkae any longer than running thru the drive thru. One thing that really helps me is planning grocery day. I have a huge list, but I also have time scheduled in when I get home to clean all the produce, chop it in serving size etc. Then when it’s time to cook everything is ready and meals are easy and fun.
Great tips thanks. I have found that I often plan the weeks meals and snacks however often tend to wonder off of it. I am rarely on the go so snacks are here and I bring hardly any ‘junk’ food in to the house. its mostly fruits and veggies so that does help in that area.
I agree Andrea For us its faster to cook then hit a drive thru. Plus I like to turn meal planning and creating in to a family event, so the kids can learn to cook, prep and all. I want them to be set when they go out in to the world
ITA about the veggies. I sneak some Kale and carrots into my morning smoothie every day. I also roast parsnips, yams, and carrots and rub on a teeny bit of pure maple syrup and voila…yum. My kids like all of the above too.
Great tips! I do find it hard to plan ahead though when it comes to meals. We usually are the ones that think of our meals the day of.
Always good to have a refresher! Between a family with 2 kids (the oldest is always on the go for sports, scouts etc) and juggling 2 busy businesses - Tupperware and Avon - any tips come in handy. A little bit of planning and prep work can save a lot of time and money - fast food “value” meals can hurt your health and pocketbook.
Often I will cook in bulk and then put into portion sized microwave containers for my husband to take to work. When chopping veggies or fruit I will do up lots of extra to put into a divided dish so can simply grab the dish from the fridge for next meal or quick snack. More seem to always get eaten when they are always “ready”.
Just wanted to put my two cents on taking the time to plan your meals. I plan my menus monthly and do grocery shopping each week. I find if I’m organized we tend to eat better and I include more vegetable side dishes.
Great tips! I have to plan before I go to the store. I am just as prone to grab the wrong things there as I am at home if I don’t plan a healthier eating mindset.
Great tips!
Hubby and I were just talking the other day and we couldn’t believe how long it had been since we had last eaten out. I have been making his lunches and we have fun putting together healthy dinners plus the money we are saving is crazy LOL
As for getting enough veggies, I don’t but we are trying harder every day to add something new to our meals. I would’ve never guessed that I would like eggplant and yellow squash so much.
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I agree with your veggies tip! It is easy to throw some baby carrots into a ziplock bag and take them with you when you head out the door. They don’t need to be refrigerated so you don’t have to worry about spoilage, they satisfy your need to crunch, and they are sweet!
I was going to say that while I know many fruits and veggies don’t “have” to be refrigerated and many that won’t spoil in the amount of time we’re out of the house, but I hate them warm. Then I remembered…except for apples, oranges, bananas and kiwis - so I guess those are a few foods that I’ll have to remember to grab on the way out the door just in case I can’t get home in time to eat.
Thanks for the tips. I was calorie counting for awhile and it did help me watch what I ate and helped me to eat healthier. I wouldn’t say it is easy though because I got burned out on it. However, it is one of the more effective and healthy ways to lose weight. In addition to exercise
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