What is in your lunch box?

Nurses General Nursing

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What do you bring for lunch? I work 12 hour days, and seem to get so low on energy around 5pm. What are the energy generating secrets- is it coffee, energy bars or something else?

Boiled egg, cubed cheese, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, chick peas, plain yogurt, strawberries, apple. Water to drink.

You've inspired me!

This is a great thread...I'm always looking for suggestions

Specializes in psychiatric, research, icu, float, pacu.

Since I work nights, I do the same as someone posted earlier. I pack a cooler (I get teased alot because it looks like a construction worker cooler), and just pick away at what I pack all night. I'm not as healthier an eater as some of you other folks. I just pack 2 or 3 turkey or ham sandwiches, cup of soup, some chips, an apple or some grapes, a couple of sodas, and I also pack a pop tart or toaster struedel for breakfast.

For variety, I'll sometimes take a couple of lean cuisines, or couple of pot pies, or a couple of red barons microwable frozen pizzas, along with some fruit, chips, etc. But my caloric intake is kind of high.....I do alot of competitive powerlifting, so my training keeps me constantly hungry.

For a pick me up, other than coffee which I get free out of the coffee machine at work, I just take a multi vitamin. :)

Specializes in Geriatrics, MS, ICU.

I bring tons of food with me to work...:rotfl: I never know what I am going to want in the middle of the night. I usually loose steam between 2 and 3 AM...So, Trail mix granola bar usually with an apple picks me up...BUT, sometimes I do the almonds/PB/yogurt thing too. I always have OJ and water on hand also. I stop the coffee thing after 1 AM, gives me gutt rot after 1...AND, sometimes a good old fashioned hunk of chocolate does the trick for a short time. I usually crash fast with chocolate so I do not do that often.

Specializes in geriatrics,med/surg,vents.

Thank you for the site Southern,I'm on a diet and this is a great way to keep track of my calories.So far the Tai Chi I did today cancels out the calories I ate for breakfast,if I keep this up I may be able to have a

Specializes in geriatrics,med/surg,vents.

Thank you for the site Southern,I'm on a diet and this is a great way to keep track of my calories.So far the Tai Chi I did today cancels out the calories I ate for breakfast,if I keep this up I may be able to have a great big ice cream sundae later .No not really:saint:

Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

I buy smoothies (any kind, I try 'em all) and stick in the freezer, it's often the "ice" in my cooler 'cause I forget to put the blue thing in there.

So, frozen smoothie, sprite, water, cheese, protein bar or three (I don't eat more than one per shift but I share), cup-a-soup but that's only in case I get sick, snack bag of carrots, raw almonds. And whatever I actually brought for a meal.

Specializes in Pediatrics Only.
You are disgustingly healthy.........

*grins*

Everybody at work thinks this too...

I save my snacks for when I am home!!

Candys/Cookies give me quick energy, but I loose it, well, quickly! I'd rather have a steady stream of energy at work with my apples and peanut butter and carrots and dip. And its so easy to bring now that things are made portable! (peanut butter and ranch drsg both come in individual packages)

I actually eat healther at work then I do when I am home...

It's always the same....sigh.

Lean Cuisine for lunch, an apple and banana, a piece of cheese, a Special K bar, a Coke Zero, bottled water, and sometimes I'll throw in something like a low-fat oatmeal cream pie or one of those Hostess 100-calorie packs of three mini-muffins.

If I have leftovers from the night before, I'll bring those as my meal.

Most of the time I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before work. It keeps me full enough that if I miss lunch (which is 75% of the time), the fruit and Special K bar will sustain me the rest of the 12 hour shift.

The DailyPlate site is good. I use http://www.calorie-count.com myself.

I am impressed with the healthy eating I am seeing here. I guess, there are a lot of other people not confessing.

There is always plenty of sugary desserts in my lunchbox.

I'm boring and eat about the same thing every day. I dropped my LDL cholesterol by 63 points in six months when I started packing and stopped eating cafeteria food. I also took lipitor but not regularly because I love grapefruit.

BF: whole wheat toast with PB, or oatmeal

Snack: 1 low fat mozzarela cheese stick and 6-8 crackers, or tortilla with hummus and 1/3 fruit salad from home, tea or big glass water

Lunch: tuna or ham and cheese sandwich, 1/3 of fruit salad, diet soda, yogurt. For the ham and cheese, I sneak in a few potato chip onto the sandwich as a treat.

Snack: low fat cheese and 6-8 crackers or tortilla (sometimes carrots) with hummus, or maybe half an avocado (someone always volunteers for the other half) hot or cold tea or big glass water.

Dinner: last third of fruit salad and some variety of low cal low fat frozen dinner from grocery store.

I try to eat something every 3-4 hours to avoid getting hungry. Missing meals makes me overeat or eat crappy food because I get so hungry that I'll eat the cookies, candy and cake that are always in the lounge.

What do you bring for lunch? I work 12 hour days, and seem to get so low on energy around 5pm. What are the energy generating secrets- is it coffee, energy bars or something else?

Usually a frozen entree. Some times the entree is acutally home made but rarely. A hard boiled egg, 2 peices or servings of fruit (2 different ones), a cup of yogurt a slice of whole grain bread (no spread)

I eat breakfast before I go to work though often it is just 2 slices of toast with peanut butter. and my morning cofffee.

I have the egg at my morning break, then for lunch break I have the entree, bread and one fruit. at my afternoon break I have the yogurt and the second fruit.

With all that I only want a light supper when I get home. Which is good because I do not want to sleep on a heavy meal. Sometimes I am not even hugry when I get home.

I used to carry a lot less food and got hungry especially late afternoon.

Unless I am working night I drink nothing but water at work.

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