In part I, I discussed all of the technical mumbo jumbo of basic nutrition. Here’s something a bit easier to digest:
If you have to eat fast food for breakfast or for lunch, which I highly do not recommend, but I realize that there are times that it is unavoidable, avoid the breads and the fried potatoes. Here are some tips when eating out at fast food restaurants:
– Substitute! Some restaurants will let you substitute a salad for french-fries. Some will also let you substitute a bottle of water for a soda in their value meals.
– Try eating your hamburger without the bun! Most fast food places are prepared today to serve up your burger minus the bun, they’ll even give you a fork and knife.
– This doesn’t mean that every time you eat out you will have to avoid the fries, but more often than not if you choose the salad, your body will think more kindly of you. When you get the fries, get the regular or small size, do not super size any thing.
Breakfast tips:
1. As you’ve no doubt heard, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you are working hard, you need nourishment, no matter what you are working on! Eating a good breakfast will provide you with the sustained energy you need to last the morning with good mental and physical acuity.
2. Have some source of protein in the morning. You need more than a bowl of cereal and milk or some toast. These things will burn off fast and will not last you over 1-2 hours. Having some eggs with whole grain bread or muffin or even some breakfast meat (not bacon) should get you off to a good start.
3. Here’s something easy for those mornings you are running out the door. The next time you buy a dozen eggs, hard boil them all and leave them in the fridge. Hard-boiled eggs are easy to grab and take with you when you’re in a hurry.
Lunch time tips:
Lunch is hard because sandwiches and hamburgers are very easy to take with you . The best thing to do is to eat left overs from last nights dinner. If you make a sandwich, use whole or sprouted grain breads, and use and abundance of vegetables on them.
Dinner time:
–If you haven’t already throughout the day looked at your food in the 30-30-40 paradigm, it is very important to do so now. Have a portion of meat, a serving size of meat is about 4oz or about the size of a deck of cards. Have some raw vegetables like a green salad, eat some slightly steamed veggies too. On the veggies and salad you can have some fat, like a tablespoon of butter or some salad dressing. Stick close to the serving size portion on the labels or just under that amount.
What to drink?:
1. Any good nutritionist is going to tell you to drink plenty of water. I’m really not going to defer from that rule of thumb, but I’ll give you a few choices:
— 1st choice Water.
— 2nd choice….water.
— 3rd choice……..water.
2 It is imperative that your body is provided water. Drink filtered water, because it’s filtered and because it tastes better than tap water. Try and avoid bottled water as much as you can, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Take a look at http://www.wellnessfilter.com/index.asp
3 Here is an easy formula to follow for daily water consumption: take your body weight and divide it in half, this is the amount in ounces your should consume each day. Example: 160/2 = 80 oz. Which is 10 cups or 5 pints or 2.5 32oz-water bottles. However you need to measure it out, just do it. Your body will get used to the liquid after a few days and you will crave the water!
4. Soda’s and pop deplete your system of all the nutrients that you are trying to gain from eating a good diet, only let yourself have them on special occasions.
Snacks:
1. Do you snack? It is okay to snack, especially if you have a strenuous job, you’ll need to keep up your energy. If you aren’t burning the calories with your job, you may think about having smaller meals so that you can includes snacks in your day without worrying about the extra calories.
2. What are some good snacks? Nuts and seeds, raw and unsalted are the best, try not to eat too many salted nuts. Raw veggies or some yogurt (avoid the aspartame).
3. Beware of energy snack bars, they usually contain a high amount of sugar or refined carbs. They may also give you a quick burst of energy, but it doesn’t last long. Try instead, making your own trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, putting it into a baggie to bring with you.
4. Carry fresh fruit in your bag or car. When I was pregnant, I never left home without a bottle of water or a snack like a banana in the car with me.
5. If you are eating smaller meals because you are trying to lose some weight, it’s imperative that you eat small snacks between meals to keep your metabolism moving so that you burn fat and not muscle.
6. Meal replacement shakes, I’ve found, are not for everyone. They usually don’t replace the meal, but they can be good snacks. Look at the labels carefully, some meal replacement shakes have a ton of sugar in them, and not enough protein.
Stephanie Meyer is a Certified Nutritional Therapist. She has been working from home and helping people find hope through good nutrition since 1997 after struggling with her own health issues and finding out that she could be healthy again. Visit her home on the web at http://www.CrossOverToHealth.com
