The first thing to do is figure out what nutritious eating will offer you. The more you feel that nutritious eating helps you today, rather than just preventing a heart attack 30 years down the road, the more interested you’ll be in healthy eating. There are practical as well as healthy reasons for eating nutritiously. Good nutrition can help you:
- Avoid getting sick with colds and flus
- Prevent unnecessary weight gain
- Conquer that constipation problem
- Have more energy
- Have a better workout
- Feel better about your eating
- Prevent health problems in the future
- Add variety to your eating and make eating more interesting
To help you “buy into” eating more nutritiously, observe how you feel with healthier food choices. Try keeping a food journal and see how nutritious foods affect your energy level, for example. Although differences may seem subtle at first, you will be able to notice real changes with time. If you like how healthy eating affects you, you’ll be more likely to follow through with healthier food choices.Good Nutrition on the Run/ Fast Food Nutrition
Don’t leave in the morning without breakfast. At least grab something on the go such as:
- Egg burritos, especially those with vegetables
- Egg and bagel/english muffins sandwiches (avoid biscuits)
- Pancakes (add a cup of milk or an order of eggs for a little more staying power)
- Bagel with lite cream cheese, topped with a slice of turkey or ham, and milk. Even a plain bagel with milk is a nutritious meal.
- Pack a bag of dry cereal and a piece of fruit like a banana.
- If eating fast food for lunch, try to bring part of your meal with you. It’s more nutritious to add food groups that a fast food meal normally wouldn’t provide, such as fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products. For example, you may purchase a sandwich or burger on campus and supply the side dishes yourself. Always ask for lettuce, tomato, and other veggies on your sandwich. Here are some foods to add:
- Baby carrots with dip, instead of a side of fries
- Frozen or regular yogurt instead of onion rings
- Water instead of iced tea or soda (you’ll save money too!!)
- A pear or strawberries instead of apple pie
Fast Food: Better Choices
Choose
- Regular hamburgers, singles
- Grilled or broiled chicken and fish
- Pizza
- Soft tacos or bean burritos
- Salads: all the veggies you want
- Sandwiches: regular or junior size, roast beef, ham, turkey, on whole wheat or regular bread
Go for Flavor With . . .
- Onions, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, pickles
- Cocktail Sauce, lemon juice, mustard, ketchup
- Green pepper, onion, mushrooms, broccoli, ham
- Fat-free sour cream, tomato, extra salsa
- Low-cal or fat-free dressing
- Mustard, barbeque sauce
- Special sauces, mayonnaise, supersizing
- Breading, skin, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, special dressing
- High fat meats, sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese
- Fried items, regular sour cream
- Prepared salads: potato, pasta, macaroni, regular dressing
- Deluxe sizes, mayonnaise, special dressings, bacon, croissants
Fast Food Tips
Keep in mind that little changes in your intake can make big changes in your waistline over time. By skipping 100 calories a day, you can lose 10 pounds in one year.
Limit Protein on Protein Food Choices
- Order a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger and save 50 to 100 calories
- Order a single meat patty sandwich instead of a double or triple meat patty sandwich and save 200 to 300 calories
- Order a cheese pizza instead of a meat lover’s pizza and save 50 to 75 calories per slice
- Order a bean burrito instead of a supreme burrito and save 50 to 100 calories
DRINK WATER!! Water is great to satisfy your thirst, has zero calories, and will also save you money. Or consider ordering milk with your meal- your bones will love the calcium and you will get 130 less calories than a 20 oz. serving of regular soda. If 8 oz. of milk will not satisfy your thirst consider ordering unsweetened iced tea, diet soda, or coffee.
Fix the Fat
Fat may be hidden in unusual places. A taco salad may have the same amount of fat as a double whopper!! Watch the fat content in the salad dressings. All chicken sandwiches are not created equal. The lower fat choices include grilled and unbreaded fillets without the mayonnaise or the salad dressing. In general the plainer the sandwich, the lower the fat content will be. The extra sauces and cheese really add up the extra calories quickly.
Bigger is not Better
McDonalds no longer offers supersize!!! However, even though supersizing a meal at other fast food places may be a good idea for your budget, it is not a good idea for your health. In the long run the extra calories could be very costly. Order a regular sized meal and take time to ENJOY your food.
Fast Nutrition at Home/ Residence Hall/ Apartment
Keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand so you aren’t tempted by the midnight donut run. If you are worried about overeating, consider buying individual size servings of snacks. Here are some ideas:
- Nuts, raisins, dried fruit, trail mix
- Low-fat cheese sticks
- Nutrition bars
- Flavored yogurt
- Baked tortilla chips
- Instant oatmeal
- Fruit and veggies with dips
Smoothies
A smoothie a day keeps the blues away. Buy a blender and enjoy your homemade smoothies!! Combine 1 cup of frozen or fresh fruit with 1 cup of frozen, lowfat, skim, or soy milk. Add 1 scoop of protein powder if desired, and sweeten with your choice of sweetener if needed. Blend and enjoy!!
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| Food Pyramid for good balance diet |
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