Posts Tagged ‘Choosing healthy meals’

Remember that there is a difference between a snack and a meal.  A meal is fully BALANCED meaning that it contains all three macro-nutrient ratio’s (Carbs, protein, fat) in the correct ratio.  For example putting together a snack would mean nothing more than slamming a few crackers and calling it good, whereas if you want to make it a meal you would have to put some protein in there as well such as a protein shake, yogurt, cottage cheese…you get the point.  You may be asking yourself, “well what about the fat?”  Remember a simple little saying, “the fat will follow”.  What this means is that if you are actively trying to get a low glycemic carbohydrate and a quality low-fat protein, then you DON’T have to worry about adding the fat in…it will naturally occur in about a 20% ratio if you are choosing healthy choices.

 Below are some simple suggestions to spark your mind.  Following the food list, you will find suggestions for quick, balanced, on the run suggestions.

Quick-On-The-Go-Meals

The only thing that you may need with these meals is a mini cooler with ice or a micro-wave oven.  These meals are designed to be quick and easy and worker friendly.

          1- Sandwiches:  Just remember to limit the condiments, dressing and cheese.  These items add fat calories galore!  Egg salad sandwiches work great as well!  Just remember to limit the egg yolks in the mixture and you should be great! 

2-Whole Grain pasta’s:  You may be saying “what, pasta?  That is not quick!”  Hear me out…This can actually be one of the quickest ways to have a pre-made meal.  All you do if make a big serving of whole grain pasta that will last for 2-4 servings and pre-dress it with a healthy sauce (low sugar/fat) and then you have a quick meal ready to be eating at any time.  The only drawback to this is that you may need  microwave to warm it up.

3-Protein Bars balanced with fiber:  It is not enough to just have a protein bar and call it good.  You need to balance that bar with adequate fiber.  So be sure to take along a baggie of pre-cut veggies and fruit to go along with your bar and you will be set for the next three hours. 

4-RTD’s (Ready-To-Drink Meals):  These have become popular in the last decade due to their extreme convenience.  To give you an example of what I am talking about just think of EAS’s Myo-Plex Shakes.  They are pre-packaged shakes that need to be refrigerated and that is just about it.  Just as the protein bars you need to balance this meal with a serving of veggies and/or a serving of fruit.

5-Left-Overs:  This is something that can make your life a whole lot more enjoyable!  If you have more of a formal dinner with healthy recipes (such as in this book) you can intentionally make more servings and package up the rest for later…all you need is a microwave!

6-Pre-made protein shakes:  This is an economical choice because all you have to do is buy a big 5lb jug of Whey Protein and then make 5-6 pre-made shakes and keep them in your fridge.

7-Whole Grain Crackers and a Protein source:  Triscuits, wheat thins, or any other low-sugar/fat cracker combined with a protein source such as tuna fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, lean deli-meat, or any other protein source such as a pre-made shake.

8-Salads:  If you can grab an extra ten minutes the night before and prepare a salad, they make great convienance meals.  You may need a fridge or you can keep it in your cooler if you are on the road.  Just be sure to spice up your salad with adequate protein such as shredded chicken or turkey to keep the protein high.

9-Whole Grain Cereals:  Yes you can have breakfast for your meals if you need to!  Just be sure that it is whole grain and low-sugar/fat…sound familiar?

 Well there you have it my friends!  Some of the fastest meals available for all of you busy people out there!  Remember life is good and I will see you next week!

One of the top reasons that clients fail to make a permanent lifestyle change is that they fail to prepare.  What do I mean by that?  Well, think for a moment about your fast paced lilfestyle.  You barely have enough time to eat a protein bar as it is!  The key here is to re-prioritize and make a DAILY habit of preparing your meals.  If you can accomplish this simple task it will drastically reduce impulse food buys such as fast foods, highly processed (convienant) foods, and other fast but unhealthy foods that seem to invade our lives.

Pre-Preparation

Step #1:  Get to the grocery store! 

You can’t prepare a darn thing without first having the right foods in place.  In this book you are going to find multiple recipes and meal plans that call for healthy foods so get started by getting to the store!

Steps #2: Plan a daily time for food preparation. 

This means taking at least 10 minutes and allotting it towards making your meals for the next day.

Step #3: Taylor your approach to your situation. 

If you are a business man or woman your needs will vary drastically from that of a stay-at-home mom.  If you are the later you will more likely have the option of preparing more complete mini-meals such as a pasta and chicken dish.  If you are the former you will be lucky to get in a protein drink and some whole grain crackers…but in either case you need to be prepared.  These mini meals need not be big or time consuming…actually they should be quite the opposite.  Balanced, small and quick should be your motto if you are in a hurry.  If not take some more time to make a balanced mini meal that you can sit down and enjoy.  Remember you are never too busy to fuel the machine that is allowing you to work in the first place.

Step #4:  Schedule your Eating Schedule!

  This is where you actually sit down and write out the times you are going to eat.  Yes I am serious.  Take out your planner, I-Phone, or whatever and schedule in the times that you plan on eating.  Remember that you should be eating every two to three hours.  This little activity is very vital from the onset of your program because it will teach you to eat frequently.  Frequent eating is crucial to a high performing metabolism.

Next week I will go over the actual steps that you should take in preparing a meal.  Please stay tuned and remember that life is good!