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Meal & Snack Ideas
What Should We be Eating and Drinking?
Breakfast
Breakfast is the most-important meal of the day. Your body has been starving while you've been asleep. A filling and healthy breakfast will help you perform at your best throughout the morning, give you lots of energy and keep you satisfied until lunch. Your brain and your body will thank you!
- Oatmeal (like "Old Fashioned" Quaker Oats, not instant), whole wheat toast, you can find whole wheat pancake mix, bran muffin mix, and even frozen whole wheat waffles are all good choices. Peanut butter is a great spread for toast. Try adding fresh or frozen berries, bananas or nuts to cereals and oatmeal
- Drink milk, orange juice or other juices "from concentrate."
- Eggs are full of protein. Try them scrambled (no butter) or sunny-side up. You can have two per day, twice per week.
Lunch
- Sandwiches are great, with lettuce and tomato and lean meats like sliced turkey. Try mustard instead of mayonnaise.
- Vegetable sticks, such as carrots or celery, and apples are filling and healthy.
You can snack on chips that are labeled on the package as "baked," and not fried.
Dinner
- Dinner is a great time to have that big salad that's not so easy to pack for lunch! Load it up with your favorite veggies. Did you ever think to add mandarin oranges, apple slices or raisins to your salads? Try a raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
- If you're having meat, eat a piece that's the size of a deck of cards. Load your plate up with sauted veggies and brown rice. (Fish and boneless, skinless chicken are great.)
Water
- Don't forget to drink lots of water throughout the day.
Healthy Snack Options
- Dried fruit, raisins, nuts (preferably raw, not roasted or salted), trailmix, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrot sticks, cucumbers, wheat crackers, yogurt (low or nonfat), apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, etc.
- Try dipping veggies or crackers in hummus.
What foods should we limit?
Breakfast:
- Juice "cocktails," which contain more sugar than nutrition
- Butter
- Sugary cereals
- Muffins and donuts
- Egg yolks
Lunch and dinner:
- Mayonnaise
- White bread
- Fried snacks (chips). They are full of "trans fats," which are very unhealthy
- Sugary sodas, sport drinks, energy drinks
- High-fructose corn syrup (in most packaged foods)
- Fast food, especially French fries burgers with heavy sauces
- Heavy cream or alfredo sauces
- Lard or margarine for cooking
- Salt
