Travel Days and Late Nights

 

 Today is Tuesday, May 6^th

The topic or question of the day is:

Travel days and late nights

      There are days when you may be traveling a distance and will be in and out of an automobile.  Dinner will be late due to this travel schedule and often times fairly large once your reach your destination. Even though you are very busy, you ought to have a plan. Here are a couple ideas for busy travel days and late night schedules. When you are on the run, it is good to know places you can pick up some healthy food. Quick Trips and Walgreens are two places I would send my clients. You can find individual Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar cheese squares, cheese sticks, Greek yogurt, nut mixtures, bananas, clementine oranges, apples, zone protein bars, balance bars, peanut butter, whole grain crackers, beef jerky, hardboiled eggs, milk, and chopped, prepared vegetables.

     I suggest bringing along a smaller cooler with ice and stock it with your QT or Walgreens goodies. Make a decision to eat 150 -200 calories every 2-2.5 hours for 8 hours for a total of 600-800 calories and drink unsweetened beverages. Dinner will probably contain 800-1000 calories, and that is quite a nice meal once you get to your destination.

     This is also a plan that can work for golfers, and works nicely in hot weather. Your breakfast should be light, only 200 calories. During your golf game you can eat nuts, a protein bar, and dried fruit in your 200 calorie increments throughout the 18 holes along with water. Once you get to the clubhouse, you have 800-1000 kcal left for the day! Try to eat a low fat, balanced dinner. Of course, a taller, larger person would need more daily calories, and shorter, slight persons would need less. 1400-1800 daily calories are the average calories needed for the average person.

The quote or tip of the day is:

For intelligent eating remember that coolers work and will promote healthier eating. Try it, your body will like it!

Take Action Today:

Next time you play a game of golf or have a travel trip, try this method of eating.

 

 

How then shall we eat?

Today is Tuesday, January 7th

 

The topic or question of the day is:

 How then shall we eat?

 We shall tackle this question throughout the year.  Today we will concentrate on timing of food and some problems with schedules.

 The human body does not require particular hours for eating says Sarah Hale.  Considerations are:

1. If your daily schedule is regular, adopt fixed hours of eating.
2. When your schedule is irregular, be guided by your appetite.
3. If you engage in hard, physical labor, you will require more food (some of us with desk jobs are eating in this category).

 Regular work schedules = regular mealtimes and easier planned eating.

 Irregular work schedules (shift work or 12hr. shifts) = grab what you can, when you can for most people.  Appetite should be considered, but often  food is plentiful on late night shifts and our eyes, noses and ‘work’ routines can lead to over-eating.

 Some problems I see in today’s society in regard to food intake:

1.  Many people have broken  “cut off” or “I am full” levers and are over- consuming food and left unsatisfied. 

2.  Many people are eating the wrong kinds of foods that are not satisfying or nutritious so they go searching for something else to suit their fancy. 

3.  The dopamine cycle problem.  Seeking foods to raise our “feel good” level (dopamine) that often leads to addiction.  More and more people want to taste “a party in their mouths” and love all the “purple cows” of the food industry with high “bliss points”.  We will talk about purple cows and bliss points tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

 Tip of the day

 “If you want to enjoy life, pay attention to what you are doing “  – Descartes

 Take action today: 

Pay attention to your appetite.  See if you can avoid a craving today by setting a timer for 1 hour and then drink a glass of water.  If you can’t stop thinking about food after the hour, eat a honey stick (15 calories) or a glucose tablet (15 calories found at any drugstore) and drink a glass of water. 

* If you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, you will need to check your values throughout the day.