Shortcuts to Boost Your Nutrition
March is National Nutrition Month and offers up a good time to think of tweaking your diet.
Nurses are especially prone to falling into an eating-on-the-run trap. With long shifts that barely offer time to sit, nurses rarely have the luxury of taking the time to eat a relaxing meal when they are on the job. No one recommends eating quickly, but, let’s face it, most nurses have to eat quickly or they won’t eat at all.
During National Nutrition Month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics helps people focus on making nutritious choices. Knowing that nurses have short bursts of time in which to get the most nutrition possible, they have to plan ahead to map out what is the best eating plan for them. Leaving it all to chance means fast food that might be higher in fat and salt and lower in things like fiber.
What makes sense for nurses? Figure out what and how you eat throughout the day and try to find foods that can fit that pattern but that offer a nutrition boost. Do you make a coffee run and add in a danish or a roll? Is lunch whatever is left in the vending machine and that you can eat in the few minutes you have?
Packing your food at home and bringing it with you is an easy option. Once you get into the habit of prepping your food at home (beware – it can feel like a chore until you get into a groove) you’ll have an instant fallback of food you like to eat, that gives you energy, and that provides you with the most nutrition possible.
Salads are an excellent way to pack in vegetables, fruits, and some great protein, but they take a lot of time to eat. You can keep the focus on the nutrition a salad provides and bring other foods that are healthy but take less time to eat. One of the easiest ways to pack in all those veggies and fruits is with a smoothie. Throw all the ingredients into a blender, add some protein powder or high-protein Greek yogurt, and you have an easy-to-digest and quick-to-eat option.
Lots of granola bars in the supermarket offer wholesome ingredients without extra sugar or added binders. With pure ingredients like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, these bars are easy to tuck into a bag, don’t take a lot of time to eat, and offer energy-boosting nutrition. You can also make your own trail mix to bring. Customize it to include the ingredients you like and you’ll get an even more pure (and less sugary) small meal. Pair it with a yogurt drink, a hard boiled egg, or a few slices of rolled deli meat and you’ll feel more energized for a longer time.
If you think it will fit into your day, pack smaller portions, but eat more frequently. A small bowl of brown rice or quinoa, lentils, beans, or chicken, and some finely chopped veggies takes less time to eat than a bagel with cream cheese and offers a powerhouse of hunger-fighting fiber, protein, and nutrients.
And one of the best ways to keep yourself energized is to stay hydrated. Instead of fueling with caffeine all day, add in some other beverages. Try to swap out soda with flavored seltzers (add in some juice if you need more flavor) or throw a couple of fruit-flavored herbal tea bags into your water bottle with a little lemon. Being even slightly dehydrated quickly saps your energy and makes your body work harder at everything.
With a few small changes, you can give your body the energy and nutrition to have a more productive day and better overall health.
