One of the biggest complaints from drivers is that it’s hard to eat well on the road. The choices are limited and mostly unhealthy, fast food, or fried food. It’s hard enough to control your weight when you have a sedentary job, but combine that with poor eating choices and you have a real issue. So how can you combat the problem?
Here are a few helpful tips:
- Plan for the road. Prepare healthy meals ahead of time and place them in Tupperware for easy storage. Make sure they're small portions that can be microwaved and eaten easily.
- If you have limited storage in your cab’s fridge, try purchasing a cooler (such as a YETI) to keep food fresh for days.
- Have plenty of water on hand. If plain water is not for you, try flavoring it with fresh fruit. La Croix is also a great option (it’s sodium and sugar free but has the bubbles like soda).
- Place healthy snacks in small baggies for easy and fast accessibility. This will help keep hunger pangs down and decrease the likelihood of making bad food choices.
- If you don’t have a microwave, consider buying a small one for the cab. Some drivers keep mini grills in their cab as well.
Here’s a small grocery list of portable, healthy items for the road:
- Dried, whole, or cut fruit
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced cucumber
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Sunflower seeds (low sodium)
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Pistachios
- Olives
- Hummus
- Yogurt
- Whole grain breads and pastas
- Quinoa
- Low fat/low sugar granola
- Low sodium pouches of tuna or salmon
- Peanut and almond butter
- Canned beans
- Low sugar granola bars.
…A little meal planning can go a long way!