Eat Healthy At Work: 11 Strategies
by ShaunaS

(66 votes)

Eating healthy can fit into your busy lifestyle and be easy at the same time. These 11 strategies with help you create meals in minutes while eating well and boosting energy.

1. Stock up on healthy staples at home every week. Items such as whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, canned beans, deli meat, yogurt and low-sodium soup will make meal preparation a snap.

2. Make use of downtime during dinner to prepare a quick lunch for the next day. If possible, make extra veggies or chicken to use for sandwiches and salads.

3. Stash healthy items at work for a quick meal or snack such as instant oatmeal, baby carrots, yogurt, low-fat frozen burritos, meal replacement bars, string cheese, low-fat popcorn and fruit canned in its own juice.

4. Always add “color” to your meal by including a fruit or vegetable.

5. Always on the go? Grab a meal replacement bar such as Kashi Go Lean or Clif and a piece of fruit to throw in your purse or briefcase.

6. Cafeteria or restaurant bound? Look up menus ahead of time and nutrition information if possible. Making an informed decision will help you stick to your healthy eating plan. Healthy menu items include a turkey sandwich (no mayo), bean burrito, green salad with grilled fish, vegetarian burger, broth based soup and salad or grilled chicken sandwich (no mayo or special sauce). Swap fries for fruit or salad to save extra calories and order water or unsweetened iced tea to drink.

7. Instead of hitting the drive-through, utilize your local grocery store’s salad bar.

8. Sit-down and eat – away from your desk! Multi-tasking often leads to ignoring your hunger and fullness signals making it easier to overeat.

9. Stash healthy frozen meals along with pre-cut vegetables for an easy no-fuss meal. Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers and Healthy Choice offer a variety of options.

10. Make a realistic goal for packing lunches during the week and reward yourself with a non-food gift for meeting your goal. Ask for support from friends and co-workers.

11. Start off the day with a balanced breakfast. Extreme hunger at lunch can ruin even the best of intentions!

Fast Meal Ideas

Breakfast:
Instant oatmeal with milk or soymilk and fruit

Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and banana

Low-fat cottage cheese fruit and a handful of walnuts

Yogurt with high-fiber cereal and berries mixed in

Lunch:
Whole wheat tortilla spread with low-fat cream cheese and topped with turkey, spinach, tomatoes and light cheese.

Whole wheat pita with hummus, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and shredded carrots.

Pre-cut salad mix topped with cherry tomatoes, carrots, green onions and canned tuna. Toss with low-fat salad dressing and serve with whole wheat crackers.

Vegetarian chili or soup with green salad on the side.

Snacks:
Apple and low-fat string cheese.

Snack size air popped popcorn with baby carrots.

Low-fat bean dip with red bell peppers, carrots and celery.

Snack-sized bag filled with almonds, whole grain “O’s” cereal and dried fruit.

100 calorie pack crackers or cookies and individual sized fruit cup

Recipes – Wrap it Up!
• Turkey Cranberry Wrap (292 calories): Spread one whole wheat or spinach tortilla (10-inch) with 1 tablespoon light cream cheese. Next, sprinkle on 1/4 cup shredded carrots and 2 tablespoons dried cranberries. Add 2 ounces deli sliced lean turkey breast, 1 slice light Swiss cheese and a handful of spinach and roll up! Serve with fresh fruit.

• Avocado-Chicken Wrap (300 calories): Mash 1/3 of an avocado and spread on a 10-inch whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded chicken. Top with thinly sliced tomato, 2 tablespoons salsa and chopped Romaine lettuce. Roll up and enjoy! Serve with fresh cut veggies such as bell pepper strips and jicama sticks.

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August 14, 2008

The Latest Trendy Workout: Stand Up!
by Diet Diva

(41 votes)

No matter what you eat or how much you exercise, you desk job may be the culprit for weight gain according to a new study out of the University of Missouri. Researchers say most of us sit too much. From the revolution to the internet, non stop television entertainment, transportation, I don't think it's a stretch to say technology advances in way so that we can be MORE lazy.

In most cases, exercise alone, according to a team of scientists at the University of Missouri, isn't enough to take off those added pounds. The problem, they say, is that all the stuff we've heard the last few years about weight control left one key factor out of the equation. When we sit, the researchers found, the enzymes that are responsible for burning fat just shut down.
This goes way beyond the common sense assumption that people who sit too much are less active and thus less able to keep their weight under control. It turns out that sitting for hours at a time, as so many of us do in these days of ubiquitous computers and electronic games and 24-hour television, attacks the body in ways that have not been well understood.

November 29, 2007