Eating healthy

MedicalPartisan · Jan 5, 2015

I'm in my third semester and I still need help with this. Looking forward to the responses...

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jan 5, 2015

fresh is best. You also need protein, so if you eat meat I recommend you cook something on your day off and split it up over a few days. If you go online I believe there are plenty of dietician sites to assist you.

Mommy_RN1211 · Jan 5, 2015

classicdame is exactly right. Meal prep on your off day. Shop the outside of the grocery store avoid the aisles. I eat 6 meals a day usually, breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner. For snacks its always fresh (fruits usually) and for lunch I prep for the week on the weekend. I may do a yogurt with gronala and fruit or a turkey sandwhich on a "sandwhich thin" (100 calories) bread. Avoid anything processed is the general rule of thumb. Since starting nursing school in January of 2014 I have gained about 15-20 lbs and have lost 13 lbs since September.

Good luck!

Evans1238 · Jan 6, 2015

On the other hand Iv'e lost 12 pounds of healthy weight and replaced it will belly fat. Any ways I can avoid this weight loss in the next semester?

Leonardsmom,LPN · Jan 6, 2015

My goal for this year and semester was to start cooking and not eating fast food or frozen dinners. I am using my slow cooker which I can either set up before leaving for school or work, or even cook a meal overnight. I portion out what I made into reusable containers, some go into the freezer, others into the fridge to be eaten right away. These I can take with me to work or to school and heat up when ready to eat. You can make adaptations to the recipes that you have or find to make it as healthy as you want, or to accomadate for any allergies or dietary needs. Also if using a slow cooker the liners that you can get for them are great and make clean up so much easier than trying to soak and scrub the stoneware. A friend of mine also shared some blogs from Facebook of a lady who preps the meals ahead of time and freezes them until ready to cook up in the slow cooker.

TLizS · Jan 7, 2015

I have a TON of meal prep pages.....and healthy recipes pinned on pinterest....some day I'll have time to go through them and get some good ideas

for now my go to is usually brown rice/steamed veggies (I mix this up to give me variety.....if I have time to prepare my own fresh I do.....but a lot of the time it's the green giant steamer packs....). sometimes I throw some chicken on the grill and then cut it up for the week....easy to have around to mix with my veggies and rice....or to throw in a salad.....or whatever...I need more ideas though.....

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Jan 7, 2015

I try to keep a low carb-high protein diet. In the morning I eat quick steel rolled oats with either a banana or hard boiled eggs (boil a carton a week so you save time). In between meals, some fresh fruit such as an apple, kiwi or cup of berries holds me over. Sometimes even a spoon of peanut butter if I'm not sitting around all day. Lunch I eat vegetables and a meat (chicken or beef) and dinner I eat whatever I cooked for the week. Last week I made meatloaf, this week I made hamburgers. Having a crockpot helps a lot too, I made pulled chicken one week. Just think of ideas for meals that last 3 days to a week. I also count my calories so that I stay on track and don't indulge. If I want something sweet I'll eat some peanut butter or yogurt. It's a lot more satisfying on your mind and stomach than a candy bar.

Fruit Sucker · Jan 9, 2015

Always have soup! :-) Seriously, I have four 16oz thermoses, and while in school I'd fill one before I left and keep it in my bag. Look for low sodium soups or make your own- many canned soups have a lot of sodium. Also:

Make big batches of things and freeze them after portioning them out into serving size tupperwares. That way you have a bunch of things to pick from and you're not eating the same thing every day for a week. I like to do spaghetti, beans and rice, lo mein, curry, and things like that. You can make these in the slow cooker, too.

Also, I always carried a small tupperware with a handful of cherry tomatoes in my pocket for those low blood sugar moments when you just have to have something. I also like sandwiches and chef salads (get a tupperware dressing container).

I carried a lot of food with me: a whole meal and two snacks at minimum. I have a super fast metabolism, so I don't play around with meal breaks. Do you like hummus? You can make your own for very cheap and take that with some carrot sticks or mushroom caps for a snack. Wheat thins are good too, if you don't like raw vegetables.

You can also get single serving size almond milks, and those are great for a quick boost of carbs/protein or to add extra calories to your daily count.

For breakfasts I have a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and a pat of margarine. If I don't have time for that, I keep a loaf of raisin bread on hand and have a couple of slices.

If you have the time/discipline, I also recommend making a smoothie in the morning to take with. You can make ahead by filling several mason jars with fruit and yogurt and then taking one out and blending it each morning.

Good luck!

muirite · Jan 9, 2015

On the smoothie kick i make a huge smoothie with steal cut oats or chia seed flours (blend them dry separately) and i freeze in mason jars. They call the "thickies" they are so nice. On my super long days i will grab one from freezer put in my lunch perfect between class and work. Not too much but enough to keep me away from the free moz sticks at work(server).

For mornings the night b4 i take them out of the freezer and place them in the fridge its perfect in the am on way out the door.

MASON jar salads ROCK!

Think of healthy foods you love how can you get it done on days off

anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP · Jan 9, 2015

I'm trying all of this right now too. I just graduated so I no longer have an excuse to eat out constantly.

I'm starting by subbing a smoothie for a meal per day and by drinking more water and less cokes. I have a NutriBullet so smoothies are a cinch. My fave so far is just some frozen strawberries, a container of lemon Greek yogurt, some chia seeds, and about 1/3 cup orange juice. Deeeelish and takes maybe 3 minutes to make (and not to mention only about 300 calories).

Smoothies are a quick and easy way to get a decent dose of fruits and veggies....that's coming from someone who isn't a fan of fruits and veggies (mostly I hate veggies). Smoothies should NOT probably be your only source of nutrition though lol.

liltiger427 · Jan 9, 2015

I usually try to keep some sort of protein with me at school. Nuts, trail mix, jerky or something like that. Your energy is precious, so keep it up if you can. And good luck! It's a wild ride, but it has been fun. I graduate in May, and it's almost unreal.