Most men learn to shop, cook and eat on the fly and don't make choices based on the rules of good nutrition. When you're hungry, it may seem easier to eat at the drive-thru or pull out a frozen dinner instead of searching for healthy foods. But having an eating plan already in place takes the guesswork out of what to eat and how to satisfy your hunger in the least possible time.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests a diet that provides good balanced nutrition in limited fat and calorie content. That means less sugar and fatty meats, and more low-fat dairy, whole grains (think cereal), fruits and veggies. Stores have lots of convenient ways for you to get your nutritional food fix and starting leading a healthier life.
Make Better Choices
Start forming a healthier eating plan by modifying what you already eat. Oatmeal or bran cereal make hearty substitutes for bacon and eggs. A whole-wheat bagel plus a container of yogurt packs good nutrition into healthy foods to go. If you drink whole milk, you'll benefit by switching to reduced fat. If you drink low-fat, it's easy to switch to nonfat.
Jarred marinara sauce and whole wheat or spinach noodles are high in nutrients and can become dinner quickly. Instead of a package of hamburger, go for lower-fat boneless chicken breasts, cod, orange roughy or prawns to throw on the barbecue. More simple choices include brown rice over white, rye crackers over white bread and air-popped popcorn over potato chips.
Fruits and Nuts
Bananas are the ultimate traveling fruits, with apples and tangelos close behind. Supermarket produce sections often sell individual cups of cut fruits such as cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries in easy-to-spear chunks.
Raisins and blueberries are great plain and make tasty additions to breakfast cereal. To enjoy nuts for a satisfying snack, shelled cashews, almonds and pistachios can be frozen separately or together in 1-oz. serving bags to grab and go. Other good snack "nuts" include crunchy roasted peanuts and soybeans, which are really legumes. They offer good nutrition with high minerals and dietary fiber and are easy to bring to the big game.
Veggies and Seeds
You can satisfy daily vitamin and fiber requirements by including vegetables in your eating plan in every meal. Vegetable juice is the original health drink. Consider adding spinach to an occasional omelet, salsa to a bean burrito or steamed broccoli to a baked potato. Go raw with salads, by piling on healthy foods such as shredded carrots and beets or sliced red peppers and onions.
Use salads for any meal in your eating plan, especially in summer when produce is fresh. Top lettuce and veggies with handfuls of cooked corn, black beans or kidney beans. Toasted sunflower seed or pumpkin seed kernels can be scattered on top or packaged like bulk nuts, in 1-oz. to-go bags in the freezer.
