Andrea Morley
Nutritionist & Health Coach Healthy Trucker
Keeping Protein &Healthy Fat in the Truck
If you’re looking to lose fat, decrease inflammation, and improve your overall health, you’re going to want to look at doing a few key things to start: increase healthy fat intake, increase protein intake, decrease processed carbohydrate intake, increaseactivity level, and decrease intake ofprocessed foods.
Easier said than done, right?
For a truck driver, the hardest part can be keeping the right foods in the truck in order to avoid the unhealthy foods available in restaurants and truck stops.
Instead of focusing on what you can’t have, I’m going to focus on what you can have and tell you exactly what to stock in your truck to meet your protein and healthy fat needs.
Protein:
– Hard boiled eggs (or raw, if you can cook them in the truck) make for a quick breakfast or snack, or a great addition to a meal. They’re cheap and easy to make, too. Cook up a batch at home before heading out on the road for the week.
– Protein powder is the easiest way to sneak extra protein in when you don’t have the time, money, or resources available for meat. Shake with water or toss a scoop into a smoothie (with a little spinach and fruit) made in a portable blender and you’re on your way!
– Finally, hemp hearts are a great addition to those smoothies, salads, oats, and more. They may not seem like an obvious pick, or even something you’ve heard of before, but 3tbsp has 10g of protein, so enjoy! Grab them at bulk food stores, and in the organic/natural section of most grocery stores.
Healthy Fat:
– Nuts& Seedsare an easy snack or addition to other meals, and are great when you’re craving something crunchy. Keep your portion sizes in check, but you can enjoy a couple of ounces per day guilt free!
– Hemp Hearts (double duty, offering protein AND fat!). They have 13g of (healthy) fat in 3 tbsp, and contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health.
– Avocados are popular these days for good reason – the creamy fruit is satisfying, delicious and incredibly healthy! Add to smoothies, on salads, on crackers, or if you’re like me, sprinkle half with a little S&P and eat with a spoon!
– Healthy oils like olive oil are a great topper for salads and cooked veggies, and help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins better.
– Full fat dairy (like yogurt) is a good option if you tolerate dairy well, but be sure to go with a plain (unsweetened), full fat version. Bonus points for protein-packed Greek yogurt! If needed, sweeten with honey, fruit, or stevia. This one requires a mini-fridge or cooler of course, but is worth the little space it takes!
Stock up on those staples, and focus on including them in your daily diet. Next month, I’ll talk about what to remove from your truck to get (and stay) healthy!
Happy Hoildays!
