I have a friend who is a long distance runner. She thinks nothing of running 15 miles in the morning. On her long runs, she literally eats on the run. Long distance runners have special high carbohydrate, low fiber packaged food designed to provide energy during vigorous aerobic exercise.
Most of us are not long distance runners but we eat like we are. We eat high sugar, low fiber foods that provide a lot of calories without supplying the essential nutrients we need for long-term energy and vitality.
For most of us, “eating on the run” doesn’t actually mean eating while exercising. It means eating while having a business meeting, sitting at a desk banging on the keyboard or behind the wheel in traffic on the way to that next sales call. Eating this way usually means consuming processed food selected for convenience rather than nutrition. This wouldn’t be such a bad habit if 1) we were actually running at the time and 2) all of our other meals were designed to give us the nutrition our fast meals lacked.
The problem is we often carry our rushed habits into creating all of our meals. Healthy food can be more time consuming to prepare and keeping fresh produce around the house takes planning and more frequent trips to the grocery store.
Many people feel that taking a little extra time to eat well is time wasted. On the contrary! Time spent planning and creating healthy meals is a smart time investment. While good eating habits don’t guarantee great health, poor eating habits will lead to poor health. In the end, doctors’ visits are quite time consuming (and expensive!)
Fortunately there are many quick and easy healthy options for eating on the run (or in the car or at your desk.)
Examples include:
-nuts including cashews, pistachios, walnuts and almonds
-chopped fresh fruit
-canned salmon, tuna, herring or sardines
-deviled eggs
-lettuce wraps
How to make a lettuce wrap:
1-2 whole lettuce leaves such as red leaf or green leaf
Sliced chicken, turkey or ham
1 dill pickle slice
1 slice of Swiss or provolone cheese
Mayonnaise
Directions: Wash leaves and pat dry. Spread mayonnaise in the center of the leaf. Place remaining ingredients in the center of the leaf. Roll up and skewer with a toothpick.
the art and science of wellbeing 