What's In Your Lunchbox?

Ev1987 · Apr 6, 2010

If you eat before you go to work, and work six hours straight, you could grab a sip of water from the water fountain (if you have one) or label yourself a cup of ice water and keep it in a nearby cooler. You could also store yourself a yogurt or protein shake in the same cooler, to restore your energy. Whenever you get a chance and walk by the cooler, you can re-fuel yourself.

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 6, 2010

Dried fruit and nuts are a godsend (and don't require refrigeration!). I keep them and a water bottle hidden somewhere on my hall [like the pull-downs or the linen closet] so that I can snack in between taking care of residents. Sometimes I switch it up by having orange or apple juice instead.

Definitely do NOT carry a water bottle with you from room to room. You never what odors or microorganisms may be lurking around. . . Plus you really won't have the pocket room for it.

As for planning meals, make sure you eat a well-balanced diet. Try to stay away from eating a lot of candy and drinking soda. Pretty soon that sugar rush leaves you and you end up feeling more tired than before. My :twocents: .

Poi Dog · Apr 6, 2010

I take a 1/2 gallon water jug with me and leave it at the nurses station. It beats drinking from the gross water fountain at work. :eek:

JDZ344 · Apr 6, 2010

I work 7/8am to 9 or 10pm (or anything in between), so I eat up to three meals at work. I try to avoid the canteen.

Breakfast: I normally have this at home, otherwise I bring bread to make toast. If I have eaten at home, I eat some fruit and yoghurt on my breakfast break.

Lunch: Normally something like pasta salad, roll, or home-made cottage pie and baked beans, or jacket potato and beans: something carb-based.

Supper: Will be something like a salad, or sandwich, and fruit.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Apr 7, 2010

I work 7-3. If I eat when i first wake up I get sick. So I scarf down a banana while I'm feeding the residents in the morning around 830. I don't know if I'm supposed to be doing that or not but I don't have time otherwise. I also put a water jug on a little cart in the hallway or hide it behind a centrally located resident's TV so I can go back to it. It's a big water jug so I don't have to refill it more than once. I don't have time to run all the way down to the nurse's station to drink and I blame my last UTI on never drinking enough at work. I bring one filling thing for my lunch. Then when i get home I pig out... before supper. I'm trying to get into a habit of eating a piece of fruit or something and that's IT so I don't end up eating basically 2 suppers, but it's hard because when I first get home I'm tired and stressed and I just wanna eat like a zillion candy bars and other junky things!

I don't bring money and that way I don't waste it on the vending machine. And aside from one cup of coffee first thing in the morning I don't drink anything other than water. It's a waste of calories.

annacnatorn · Apr 7, 2010

Water..always at every chance I get. A quick glup adds up. When I worked the floor, we each had our own linen carts, so I always made an area for my "stuff". Since I worked the Noc shift most of the time and a frequent 3-11, I was able to do this, but when on the 7-3..nope to many admins around. So,Nuts, dried fruit, individually pkg of cheese., granola bars as snacks. all varying. one meal was usually a salad with protein and carbs..good balance, or yogurt with granola. The kitchen staff would give us juice upon request, but if you brought back the dinner cart full of trays, then you would get cottage cheese w/fruit and all the juice you want, made me not havin to take lunch on 3-11. Noc Shift was hard, did 1 round then ate my lunch, then snacks at the next break...lots of water is key..dont be afraid to have juice.

Never ever ever leave food/drink in pts room, you never know what youlll get when you go back..to much funky stuff runnin around..also use lots, i mean lots of hand sanitizer...you cant clean those hands enough...

happy nursing..

jmwsinpc · Apr 7, 2010

I work a 12 hour 7p-7a night shift at a hospital.I work 3 or 4 shifts in a row every week. I have for over 3 years.

I pack my own food every night. I pack 6 small fist sized snacks or mini meals that keep my metabalism up high to get going and keep going. I eat every two hours all night and drink nothing but water. NO CAFFINE. I always eat a bowl of oatmeal at the end of the night before heading home around six. I like those little snack sized ziploc bags, they are just the right size and fit in scrub pockets!

I pack things like- Almonds, dried cranberries and dark choc covered rasins mixed; Greek yogurt with mixed berries and grapenuts on top; wheat triscuits with nutella into a sandwich like thing; soyjoy bars heated in microwave; sliced up or diced fruit(apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, Kumquats); fruit to go drinks; wheat sandwich thins with provolone cheese and spinach leaves sliced into wedges; ect...

I have alot of energy and I don't need to drink coffee or soda like most of the nurses. I wear a stop o meter on my belt and I walk an average of 4-5 miles a night! I usually drink about 5 or 6 bottles of 16.9 oz water a shift. I eat when I chart or standing up when I get a chance. Most things can be put in my pocket and eaten in a min or two, some have to be eaten when I am charting in the computer. I take out what I can eat at the time. No big meals to make me feel full or bloated and tired.

I used to weigh over 300 lbs, and now I weigh 160 eating like this. I sleep really well cause I don't have to drink caffine stuff. I am not irritable or tired at work and I am never hungry cause I am eating a little bite all night long.

It works for me! It might work for you too if you can fit the time in...

I take vitamins every day including D, K and Calcium. I get a B 12 shot once a month cause working 4 night shifts in a row I don't get much sunlight. I do revert back to days on my days off and have no IBS. I eat this way OFF work too. It SO works!