Can You Eat Healthy On The Go?
The question that often gets pushed to the side or is pretended by us all that the answer is a resounding "Nope!" may not be all that bad after all.
I get it, you're on a healthy streak. Super proud of yourself. Finally feeling the results and believing that it's possible to change. And then a crazy busy day hits and you have no time to even think about eating and that greasy, fast and easy drive-thru looks so perfect for your schedule... STOP!
THERE'S A BETTER WAY! I PROMISE!
So, where do I even begin?! Let's start with the obvious one that we all say, "I'm just not gonna get around to doing that". If you know you're going to be busy and you know you're not going to have time to eat or prepare food tomorrow, PREP AHEAD! I cannot even stress this one enough. As a person who literally has no choice but to take food with her or go hungry, I understand that it's a lot easier for me to say this and do this than it is for one who doesn't have food allergies to all that fast food out there. However, what if you did? What if you made the choice to absolutely cut that out no matter what? You would prepare food ahead of time. I always drink a smoothie on the go in the morning. I prepare a salad for my lunch the night before I go to bed, in addition to some overnight oats in the fridge, or making some rawnola and taking a banana along to chop up into it. Those are only THREE really filling options for a meal right there and it only takes me about 10 minutes of prep time. Even the rawnola and overnight oats can be an "eat in the car" meal if you put them in a jar and just leave a spoon in your purse. Okay so let's get into what you really want to know: what can you do and not have to prep ahead like a boring busy person.
Whole Foods! If you are out and you know there is a Whole Foods within at least 5 miles of you, they have a smoothie/juice bar there and it is legit clean stuff! Even mua, the queen of food allergies is able to consume foods from this place. They also have fruit there. Grab a papaya, banana, or a pre-made fruit bowl from the refrigerator section. AND they have a salad bar! Guys, this is usually the option I go with if I'm close enough.
Tropical Smoothie. This is not my favorite seeing as they do add sugar which they call a super fancy name so you won't know that it's sugar into all of their smoothies. But! You can request it without or ask for honey instead. They're pretty good about keeping things clean too. And you get a nice, tall 24oz of smoothie in this one. If you get a dense fruit smoothie, that's enough to fill you up on the go. They have some decent add-ins. My husband loves adding oats and peanut butter in his. (However, I don't recommend peanut butter since it's usually laden with hydrogenated oils and refined sugar). But it fills him up completely and he's satisfied. Sometimes he will even get two!
If you're in Tulsa, check out Pure Food and Juice. This place is AMAZING! It is a raw, plant-based, gluten free, vegan restaurant. There's one on Brookside and one downtown. They have raw meals, fresh juices, and smoothies made right there in their kitchen. And if you call them ahead of time, they'll go ahead and prepare your meal so all you have to do is pick it up! Can I say #veganfastfood!
Have you ever eaten a meal of fruit? Okay, so let's talk about this for a minute. When I used to think "a meal of fruit? That would never fill me up or satisfy me" I hadn't had the explanation that changed my life. Instead of eating one orange or one banana and thinking, "gosh that just couldn't be enough" try eating 4 oranges or 4 bananas. Or 2 oranges and 2 bananas, half a watermelon instead of a slice or two of watermelon. Or when you're eating a "side salad" and knowing that couldn't fill you up, think about this: when I go to my family's house for dinner and they pass around a bowl of salad for everyone to put on their plates, I laugh because that whole bowl is a meal for me. Start thinking about portions. You wouldn't eat an tablespoon of chicken and call that a meal. You wouldn't have a fork-full of spaghetti and call that a meal. So, when you think about a meal, remember portions and listen to your body. If a banana doesn't fill you up, take 5 bananas on the go with you! Fruit is the most easily digestible food for the human body. It is full of filling carbohydrates and gentle fiber that digests super simply, leaving you feeling cleaner and satisfied. DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE GOOD CARBS AND GOOD SUGARS! Never restrict those calories, and don't forget that there are other options out there than drive-thru "meals". This is a lifestyle change. Allow yourself an adjustment period and allow it to happen! Embrace health!
What do you do on the go? I'd love to hear how you eat and what you're experiences have been!
