Eating On the go: How to Make the Right Choices?

One day or another, our fast-paced lifestyle makes us all skip a meal for lack of time. Also, according to a Canadian report published in 2010¹, people work more hours than before and have less and less cooking skills, which makes processed products all the more attractive. You should know, however, that it is much better to snack on a little something between two meetings than to eat nothing at all! So here is how you can eat on the go without compromising on your healthy habits.

“Ongoing” meals

I have to admit that I also have a busy schedule from time to time, which leaves me with little time to eat. Yes, even a nutritionist sometimes has to eat on the go! So I make sure to always be prepared by bringing several small snacks that create a balanced menu once mixed together. I simply make sure to include foods from each nutritional group. This is what I call an “ongoing meal”, because it is spread over time.

Here are a few examples of foods that require little to no preparation time, and can be wolfed down in the blink of an eye. To help you make better nutritional choices, I invite you to read my article on nutritional labels.

· Vegetables and fruit: small low sodium vegetable or tomato juice can, raw vegetables, Tetra Pak© fruit juice, fruit compote with no added sugar, dried fruits, fruits that can be eaten along with their peel (apples, pears, peaches, plums, grapes), small fruit containers (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries), bananas;

· Grain products: plain popcorn, crackers, biscuits, granola bars, dry breakfast cereals, small bread loaf, English muffin, homemade muffin;

· Milk products: small milk or chocolate milk carton, Tetra Pak© soy beverage, Ficello®, P’tit Québec cheese snacks, yogurt drink;

· Meat and alternatives: hard-boiled eggs, low fat deli meat cuts, cold shrimps, small seasoned tuna can, nuts or seeds.

Thermos© type food containers are also very useful when there are no microwaves available. Choose a model made of stainless steel, because they retain more heat than those made of plastic. These containers are good at keeping liquid meals warm, such as sauces, pottages, soups, pasta with sauce, stews, chili, and shepherd’s pie, and will add variety to your lunches!

I will finish by reminding you that traffic regulation prohibits driving a vehicle when an object is obstructing the driver’s hands. So, if you have the habit of eating while driving, choose foods that require no utensil and can be eaten with only one hand, or pull over for a few moments… just to be safe!

By Vanessa Martin

References

1. Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada. 2010. Tendances de la consommation : La commodité. En ligne. <http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/statistics/food/consumer_trends_convenience_fr.pdf>. Consulté le 2 novembre 2012.

2. Lalonde Patrice, policier. Consulté le 4 novembre 2012.

Eating On the go: How to Make the Right Choices? is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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