Mindfully Eating on the Go

By Rachel Mullins

We live in a fast pace world, where eating on the go coincides with minimal time to prepare meals. This often leads to eating out, spending more money, and choosing foods that may not be as nutritionally beneficial for our bodies. Even as a dietetic intern working my way to become a registered dietitian, I have found myself scarfing down a bag of cheerios from point A to point B because there was no time for an actual lunch break. One would assume my nutritional practices would be held to a higher standard considering my vocation, when in reality, there is much more I can do to mindfully eat on the go as well. So let’s pull some realistic tips that we may implement into our daily routine together.

• Get an Efficient Lunch Box: My current lunch box is an Urban Outfitters bag, which I know isn’t the most professional. So first, to set us up for success we need an efficient lunch box or some type of carrying case that will keep our foods cold throughout the day. Cold packs can be a good tool to keep foods cold. Bacteria tends to grow in the “danger zone” between 40-140 degrees F, thus keeping foods below 40 degrees F is a safe practice to prevent food born illness.

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• Don’t Forget the Food Storage Containers: Along with a solid lunch box/bag, we need efficient storage containers. Many stores have food storage containers that have multiple compartments (World Market, Walmart, and the Container Store). Stores sell all sizes of sandwich bags, so keeping little snack size bags can help with portion control as well. It is all about setting yourself up for success. Very little makes me more stressed than getting to work to realize that my soup has spilled all over my stuff. Having convenient, non-spill containers to put our food in will help make taking our lunch to work much less stressful.

• Let’s Talk Meal Prep: Who has time to prepare meals every day? I know I don’t, but I do have an hour on Sunday evenings to prepare for the week. There are many foundation foods that we can prepare ahead of time that will store over 3-5 days and decrease daily meal preparation. Rice is perfect for this, especially brown or a medley of rice. As long as you don’t overcook the rice, it can handle being reheated in the microwave or even in the skillet for a quick stir fry. Soups are great because you can make a large batch, freeze the soup in single serving containers, let it thaw that morning, and microwave at lunch time. Vegetables like carrots or celery can be sliced and put in a container with water to stay hydrated throughout the week for quick snacks. Other foods that reheat well are beans, poultry, breakfast burritos, and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots. Par-cooking your lunch a few days before is a great way to decrease daily meal prep as well as a little nudge to choose the healthier option because it has already been made.

• Don’t Forget Snacks: We’ve all been there, you’re sitting through a meeting, your stomach starts to growl, and you become hangry. Remember those cute little containers and snack baggies? It is time to fill them with your favorite snacks. This is a perfect opportunity to increase vegetable consumption with the pre-cut veggies and dip that you prepared on Sunday. Pre-portioning snacks like popcorn, nuts, granola mixes is a great way to not only be prepared for when your stomach speaks to you, but following the label’s serving size will help you mindfully eat throughout the day. Another option is to keep pre-packaged items in your lunch box like cheese sticks, yogurts, and bars. It is important to listen to our bodies when we feel hungry, because food is what gives us energy to support our daily activities.

• Breakfast on the Go: Fueling our bodies is vital for brain and physiological function. Having a blend of carbohydrates, protein, and fat is needed throughout the day to support our daily needs. A few quick meals on the go are reheated breakfast burritos or fruit smoothies. This past year I discovered an amazing dish, over-night oats! Oh man my breakfast world will never be the same. The great thing about overnight oats is that you prep them at night and they are ready in the morning; all you need is a jar or spill-proof container to let them sit in. There are many variations to change up your overnight oats as well. You can add fresh or frozen fruit in the morning, top the oats with your favorite yogurt, or even add nuts, seeds, or spices like cinnamon. My recent creation is the PB&J.

Overnight Oats: 

• ½ cup oats
• 2/3 cup milk or nut milk
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (one spoonful)
• 1 tbsp blueberry syrup (a small drizzle)
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt 
• ½ cup blueberries (depending on the space of your jar)

o Mix the oats, milk, cinnamon, and chia seeds in a jar the night before

o The morning of, add the peanut butter, syrup, yogurt, and blueberries to the jar from the night before:

o If time is an in issue in the morning, you can add all the ingredients to the jar at night, and in the morning grab your breakfast and go!

I hope some of these tips will help give us all a little nudge in right direction to choose healthier options that will not only fuel our bodies when needed, but decrease food costs while sparing time to support our busy lifestyles.