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Our busy schedules can leave us feeling like jugglers, frantically trying to
keep all the balls in the air. Here are some suggestions to build a healthy diet
into your working day – without adding to your workload!
Breakfast
Lunch
Dining out
Dinner
Snacks
Breakfast:
Tempted to skip breakfast? With a little advance planning, you can make
breakfast in less time than it takes to blow dry your hair! Hard boil two eggs
the evening before and refrigerate. Just peel and go in the morning!
Set the table with bowls, glasses and cutlery the night before. Then all you
have to do is put cereal in the bowls and juice in the glasses and voila –
instant breakfast!
Take a bottle of fruit juice along in the car for some extra nutrients to start
your day.
Breakfast cereal makes a great snack to eat at work – and adds an extra serving
of grains and fibre to your daily meal routine.
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Lunch:
When you find yourself struggling with a daily ‘lunch crunch’, try some of these
healthy strategies. They’ll help you balance the needs of your body against the
demands of your busy schedule.
Luncheon meats are high in sodium and fat. Switch to lower fat, lower sodium
choices, such as roast turkey or chicken, lean ham or lean sliced beef.
For a fast, easy lunch, take along some lightly steamed vegetables topped with
salsa; add some garbonzo beans or chick peas to your salad; or make a 3 bean
salad for an extra punch of fibre and protein.
Add a handful of baby spinach to your sandwich for a flavourful boost of
nutrition. Better yet, make your sandwiches out of whole-grain breads or
multi-grain rolls.
To increase your daily calcium quotient, add some milk to your soups or puddings
or make a fruit dip with low-fat yogurt.
If you’re spending your lunch hour driving around on errands or changing work
locations, don’t use that as an excuse to skip lunch – pack a cooler with finger
foods, such as fruit, cut up carrots, sliced chicken and whole grain crackers –
a great meal on the go!
Want more healthy strategies to beat the lunch crunch?
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Dining out:
Going out for a fast food lunch or dinner? Keep portions small – no mega-sizing!
At restaurants, order a lean roast beef or grilled chicken sandwich instead of
that high-fat pizza or burger and fries.
Go easy on the cheese and fixings at a fast-food restaurant – they’re loaded
with extra fat, sodium and calories.
Not all salads are created equal – some are unexpectedly high in fat. Order your
salads with dressing on the side and only use a small amount.
Take a balanced approach to your restaurant meal choices – if you order mashed
potatoes, avoid snacking from the bread basket; if you love dessert, balance the
higher fat dish with a lean entrée, like fish or chicken – or, better yet,
choose fresh fruit for a light flavourful finish to your meal!
Don’t assume that fish is automatically a low-fat choice – a breaded and fried
fish fillet can contain more fat than a regular hamburger!
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Dinner:
Adopt a ‘cook once, eat twice’ philosophy to your meal planning. Plan meals that
can be based around key foods prepared in larger amounts. Use some of the food
in one recipe the first night, then use the rest in an entirely different recipe
over the next night or two. (This is quite different from making large batches
and eating leftovers!) Here are some tasty
suggestions to get you started.
For a fast, nutritious dinner, stir-fry fresh or frozen vegetables, like squash,
peppers, and mushrooms, with lean meat or poultry. Try adding bean sprouts,
miniature corn, and water chestnuts and spice it up for Asian flair!
Too tired to cook? Create a healthy sandwich with lots of sliced tomatoes and
bell peppers, different kinds of lettuce, sprouts, and sliced cucumbers - add
sliced meat or turkey and one to two slices of whole grain bread.
Or stuff a pita pocket with veggie chunks, alfalfa sprouts and light ranch
dressing for a quick dinner-on-the-run.
Don’t forget the nutritious benefits of soup for dinner – a hearty soup,
brimming with chunky vegetables and served with multi-grain bread, is a
delicious meal - and it can be made ahead for even greater convenience.
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Snacks:
We all love the crunchy texture of snack foods – so give yourself a ‘crunch’
break and keep a container of celery sticks, cucumber wedges and cherry tomatoes
to satisfy those mid-day cravings.
For meetings and workplace gatherings, why not order a fruit plate or pick up a
platter of cheese and crackers, instead of the regular donuts, muffins and
cookies?
For a quick pick-me-up at break time, keep small packs of applesauce or a
healthy mix of dried fruit, raisins, pretzels and nuts at your desk.
Try to cut back on coffee or caffeinated drinks – switch to de-caffeinated
herbal green tea and get the benefit of a soothing drink with high antioxidant
levels.
Drink lots of water throughout the day – your craving for snacks may really be a
sign of dehydration, not hunger.
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