Healthy Eating Tips for Commuters

Do you spend hours driving to work? Whether your job is many miles away, or you live in a Metropolitan area where even 10 miles can take an hour or more, you know that commuting isn’t always fun. Not only that, but riding around all day is hard on the system, and when it’s time to eat, stopping to cook or heat something up is out of the question. But eating on the run during your busy shift doesn’t need to spell disaster for your health and your waistline. Keep reading for some advice to keep your energy up and those extra pounds off.

Choose healthier menu items while commuting!

Avoid the following at all costs:
•    Anything deep fried
•    Refried beans
•    Mayonnaise
•    Cheese sauce
•    Meat-topped pizzas
•    Loaded baked potatoes
•    Bacon
•    French Fries
•    Hash browns
•    Onion Rings

And try these instead:
•    Veggie burgers
•    Low-fat sandwiches
•    Grilled chicken sandwiches
•    Side and main meal salads
•    Plain baked potatoes
•    Yogurts with added fruits

Go for smaller meals. Just say no to super-sizing! Those extra value meals may seem like a good deal when compared to the cost of smaller portions, but they’ll easily translate into extra pounds on your waistline. Eat the triple-patty hamburger and that meal alone will more than exceed the amount of fat and calories that you should eat in a single day. The same rule applies to those oversized slices of pizza and bagels. Go for the smaller size, and wait a while to see if you still feel hungry afterwards. Most likely, you’ll fee just fine—and you won’t have overstuffed yourself.

Take healthy options along.  Don’t give in to the temptations that candy bars and cookies provide. What you need are filling foods that are easy to transport and won’t leave a mess in your car, so consider things like unsalted nuts, apples, bananas, and raisins. Energy bars and granola bars are good choices as well, but many are filled with added sugars and are high in calories—just read the labels carefully before you make a purchase.

Say farewell to regular colas. How damaging can a soda be? Consider this: a large non-diet soda contains at least 400 calories—if you get the bigger size, or drink several sodas throughout the day, you could be drinking in thousands of calories! Switch to the diet versions of your favorite sodas, or drink water or low-calorie fruit juice.

Take a supplement. A good multivitamin or natural supplement can round out your diet and help to make up for diet deficiencies.

With the above tips you can be well on your way to becoming a healthier, happier commuter! Now, if we could just do something about that traffic . . .