Happy Nutrition Month! Healthy eating is among the best ways to prevent conditions like diabetes and heart disease and even lower the risk of cancer. It’s also the main way to maintain a healthy bodyweight or lose weight. Most people have better energy and moods when 1) they eat plenty of fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, low-fat meat and fish, and 2) moderate their intake of sugar, salt, oils, refined grains, and highly processed foods.

 

Check out our previous Health Check: A Healthier Heart, The Power of Plants for some examples. But how do we do this? If you’re an adult or young adult, it’s likely you’ll be at work or school during lunch or dinner. Most of us have three choices: buy a meal, get one delivered, or bring one from home. The first two? Often convenient, but much more expensive and typically, less healthy.

 

Bringing a healthy meal from home with plenty of vegetables, low-fat protein, and a small amount of carbohydrates/starch is a powerful way to eat healthier and feel your best. Let’s break it down:

 

Choose your Meal: If you have a fridge and microwave at your location, there are as many options as internet pages! Many folks do meal prep, which means cooking a large batch of lunch or dinner and bringing one serving in a container each day.

 

For the Easiest Meal, Bring Dinner Leftovers! Google terms like “healthy meal prep,” or “grain bowls, soups, pasta, stews, chilis, and salad with protein.” Choose a meal where each serving has about two cups of low-carbohydrate vegetables (size of two fists), 3-4 ounces of protein (size and thickness of palm of hand) and one cup of carbohydrates/starch (size of one fist).

 

Some people choose to skip the starch. For some great examples with detailed instructions of a step by step guide to meal planning and prep, check out nerdfitness.com. Note that this is a meal with three parts, compared to stew or salad, where all parts are combined.

 

Here are examples of incomplete meals: chicken and potatoes (no low-carb veggies!), broccoli and rice (no protein!) or spaghetti with tomato sauce (no protein and too few veggies!). Some people prefer to prep a single serving of food the night before work/school or that morning. They might choose no-cook options like a turkey sandwich with carrots, or a salad with chickpeas. You do you!

 

Shop for and Cook your Meal: The most successful meal-bringers shop and cook on similar days and times each week, shifting and adapting the schedule when needed. Routines help us repeat healthy behaviors. Check out our previous Health Check: Setting Goals for 2024 is as Easy as ABC for more on this.

 

First, consider your weekly schedule and identify days and times to shop and to cook. For example, shop Sunday afternoon and cook Sunday evening. Next, make a recurring event on your phone calendar or paper calendar/planner. I encourage you to think about cooking as a time for “self-care!” Turn on a fun TV show or your favorite music or light a candle and have a treat.

 

I spoke to a patient recently who plans and cooks her work lunches on the weekends with a best friend! When you want to skip, consider the huge benefits of preparing several weekly meals rather than buying out. On the busiest, hardest weeks, choose the quickest options: bagged salad and precooked chicken, frozen meals, or low sodium soup are solid choices.

 

Plan Your Week to Save Time: Look around your staff lounge/kitchen (with a microwave) and you’re bound to see peers with homemade meals. I talked to an OB/GYN doctor and department director with a busy schedule who brings her lunch to work. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, one added benefit of bringing lunch was avoiding the crowded hospital cafeteria and increased risk of infection. It also saves time!

 

She brings three bottles of water, which keeps her hydrated and full enough to have smaller meals. The three bottles allow her to track her water intake. The OB/GYN also keeps a few healthy snacks, including 100-calorie packs of skinny popcorn, chips, and veggies at work. Make a mini pantry for yourself in the fridge or your desk/locker by bringing a few snacks and re-stocking when needed. Think fruit, raw veggies, nuts, cheese, crunchy things, yogurt and so on.

 

Many people want to eat healthier. You’ve just learned the benefits of homemade meals and how to get started. Fortunately, you don’t have to eat “perfectly” to be perfectly healthy! When we eat healthy often, we can eat “less-healthy” foods in moderation, without any long-term issues. Please do continue to enjoy your favorite pizza occasionally; we all deserve a break from the hard work of healthy eating. To learn more about healthy eating, ask your doctor to speak to a registered dietician or health educator.

 

Claire Garon MPH, CLC, is a senior health educator in the Office of Community & Population Health at Montefiore Health System.