Commuter Nutrition

 

Growing up I always heard about work commutes. Particularly my Grandpa's hours long commute into the city from when my dad was growing up. But as a kid this didn’t mean a whole lot to me. It sounded hard but I couldn't fully understand it.

Now that I am a commuting graduate student and dietetic intern, I know just how precious time is. I finally get it. I understand why people might consider coffee to be their only “breakfast” option when they have such limited morning time and why people choose freezer meals when they’re getting home later. 

Regardless of my educational background in nutrition, I have found that it has been very difficult to consume a ‘healthy diet’ while also commuting. On the other hand, since I do have this background, I have been able to navigate the bumps and turns in the road and find ways to make healthy eating more feasible and realistic. Today I want to share some of these tips with you. Even if you don’t commute, we all find ourselves short on time some days so hopefully these can help.

The basis of this whole post is that healthy eating doesn't have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be perfect either. I think what is important for most folks (this is not specific to those with medical nutrition needs) is that they are trying their best to eat healthfully. But, if and when that is not feasible, I think it is important that they are at least eating enough to meet their body's needs. 

I would like to add a few notes before getting started:

1. This is not medical nutrition advice and will not apply to all individuals. This is for the general population.

2. Please use your best judgement when choosing any “car snacks” and maintain safe driving practices. You should be eating foods that won’t be a distraction to you or lead to distracted driving. Be sure to open any wrappers while parked or stopped.

3. The foods mentioned below are just examples and may not be applicable to everyone. Find what works for you! 

And with that, let’s dive in!

When you first wake up, try to drink some water. This will help restore any water you may have lost overnight and prevent dehydration during the day (especially if you’re a coffee drinker). It is also just a refreshing start and, personally, helps me wake up better.

Morning:

Eat a small meal while getting ready or on the commute. If you have time to sit and eat, that’s great! But, if you know that won’t be realistic for you, then let’s set a goal that will be more doable. Easy on-the-go foods include granola or protein bars, yogurt drinks, and toast. When choosing your first food of the day you want to make sure you choose something that will give you enough energy to get you through to your next snack or meal. 

This means having a nice balance of carbs, protein, and fat. So, if you choose to have buttered toast, consider adding a handful of almonds on the side! If you go for a yogurt drink, try to choose greek yogurt. Including a protein source in your breakfast will help prevent that 9 or 10 am energy crash. Feel free to customize this to your food preferences and available options - this is not a set list of choices.

If you like to have coffee in the morning, no problem! We all need an energy boost sometimes. But, do be mindful of what you’re adding to that coffee. Try to avoid adding too much sugar as this could once again lead to that well known “sugar crash.” It can also be a good practice to experiment with how much coffee we really “need” and cut back when possible to avoid over-caffeinating. 

Mid-Morning: 

By mid-morning you may be wanting a pick-me-up. This is when it is great to have a stash of food in a desk drawer, backpack, or (for me) a bag that's always in my car. I like to keep a wide range of snacks on hand so that I can choose what sounds appealing to me at the time (rather than force myself to eat something that I don’t want just for the calories). My favorite shelf-stable snacks to keep on hand are applesauce squeeze pouches, pre-popped popcorn bags, granola bars, fruit cups, crackers or pretzels, peanut butter or other nut butter, and even dark chocolate. 

These are all great ways to get an energy boost without a big crash. Having access to a variety of options also allows me to listen to my cravings and actually eat what I have available (as opposed to heading for a drive thru). As I said with breakfast, you can customize this list to your personal preferences.

Lunch:

When it comes to lunch there are so many options! If you’re able to meal prep once a week, there are plenty of options out there, just Google it. If you are like me and do not have this capability, that’s okay! There are still many options available to you. If you have access to a fridge or ice packs, utilize these! Bring cheese, hummus, salsa, yogurt, a sandwich, salad, or even just leftovers. If you don’t have this option, you can refer back to the snacks list and include several of these plus add some fruit! They also sell yogurt squeeze pouches now that do not require refrigeration - this would be a great way to add dairy anr protein to your shelf-stable lunch.

Afternoon:

I typically have an afternoon snack on my drive home. This goes back to my car snack bag again. I just pull out whatever sounds appealing and will meet my hunger needs. If I’m not feeling hungry and my energy levels are good, then I sometimes won’t have this snack. It all comes down to learning to listen to and trust your body.

Dinner:

Finally, we get to dinner. I’m still learning how to navigate dinner but I think the key - with any recipe - here is to understand that it is more than OK to cook with canned and frozen products. You do want to look out for added sodium or added sugar but otherwise if it's easier for you to microwave a bag of frozen vegetables than it is to pan fry them, I don’t blame you! I get it. As long as you’re still nourishing your body, that is what matters. The rest is just details.

I hope that these tips will help get you started on improving your nutritional status as a commuter. They should also help you maintain your much needed energy so that you can go about your day at your best. 

SB