In honor of the National Nutrition Month’s slogan – Eat Right with Color, I wanted to write some "quick business bites" for those days when you are in a hurry.
There are mornings you just wish you had woken earlier or reached work on time. You wake up in the morning and you know your schedule is going to be a mad rush between waiting clients, to-do lists from your boss, personal bills that need to be paid, grocery, laundry and of course, you’ll want to have a life after office hours, should you get back home in good time.
So where is the time to fit in cooking meals on such days? We need to have some nutritious on-the-go options to remain healthy in the long run. This means you need a balanced fix of exercise and healthy eating.
So let’s take a look at what options you have to eat healthy without losing too much time planning for the meals. I have listed various options below, of which you can have any two for a meal.
Breakfast options:
1. 1 cup of low-fat yogurt or low-fat set curd
2. 1 bowl of any combination of fruits you love, picked up at your local green grocers. Add as many colors as you want in your basket
3. 1 low-fat wholegrain, low sugar granola bar
4. 1 egg done sunny side up
5. 1 mug of skim or low-fat milk with muesli
6. 1 pair of brown bread slices (with visible wholegrain) with peanut butter
7. 1 cup of tea with low-fat milk or coffee with low-fat milk but without sugar
8. 1 pair of brown bread (with visible wholegrain) with low-fat cheese slices
9. 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese
10. 1 medium bowl of instant oatmeal
11. A small bowl of garbanzo bean/chickpea or green gram sprouts with lemon and mild salt
Mid-morning snack options:
1. 2 dark rye or any other wholegrain crisp breads
2. 1 small soft boiled egg
3. 1 tub of low-fat yogurt without sugar
4. A bowl of salad without dressing
5. 1 bowl of cooked vegetables (even if they are from a frozen vegetables packet) with low-fat yogurt
6. A hummus sandwich made of brown wholegrain pita bread
7. Any 1 fruit of your choice
8. 1 cup of tea with low-fat milk or coffee with low-fat milk but without sugar
Lunch options:
1. 1 serving of rice, preferably brown.
2. 2 chapattis/ rotis (thin, flat-rolled dough bread) with any 1 vegetable sautéed in minimal oil or steamed in a steamer
3. 1-2 servings of lean or white meat (chicken, fish, etc.) done in minimal oil
4. Any ready-made supermarket takeaway tuna, chicken or egg salad
5. 1 fruit of choice
6. 1 small bowl of ready to eat soup containing 300 calories or less. Be sure to read the label first
7. Greek feta salad or any salad of choice – could contain tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, lettuce in some olive oil
8. 1 small bowl of lentil soup or daal
9. 1 tub of low-fat yogurt
10. 2 falafel
11. 1 Marks and Spencer’s fajita-style chicken and pasta, or other similar brand
12. 1 bowl of pasta with shrimp
Tea options--a beverage and any one snack:
1. A small-medium cup of coffee or green or regular tea (with or without low fat milk)
2. A couple of whole grain digestive biscuits
3. 2 thin slices of low sugar cake
4. 1 chicken or turkey sandwich low on mayonnaise
Dinner options:
1. 1 medium-sized bowl of pasta with garnish of choice
2. ½ serving of any fish – tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.
3. 1 baked potato
4. 1 small bowl of rice with daal
5. 2 chapattis/ rotis (thin, flat-rolled dough bread) with 1-2 vegetables of choice done in minimal oil
6. 1 omelette
7. 1 small bowl of lentil soup with chopped tomatoes
8. 1 plate of salad
9. Fruit of choice
10. 1 small serving of cake or pie or any 1 piece of a sweet
It is worth noticing that some dish options repeat themselves across the meals. Eggs and pasta should not be had more than once a day. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish and chicken may be had more than once.
Mamta Singh is a published author of the books Migraines for the Informed Woman (Publisher: Rupa & Co. URL: http://www.amazon.com/Migraines-Informed-Woman-Tips-Sufferer/dp/8129115174/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298990756&sr=1-2), the upcoming Rev Up Your Life! (Publisher: Hay House India) and Mentor Your Mind (Publisher: Sterling Publishers). She is also a seasoned business, creative and academic writer. She is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer & sports nutritionist through IFA, Florida USA. Mamta is an NCFE-certified Holistic Health Therapist SAC Dip U.K. She is the lead writer and holds Expert Author status in many well-received health, fitness and nutrition sites. She runs her own popular blogs on migraines in women and holistic health. Mamta holds a double Master's Degree in Commerce and Business. She is a registered practitioner with the UN recognised Art of Living Foundation. Link: http://www.migrainingjenny.wordpress.com and http://www.footstrike.wordpress.com