The 5 Lunch-Packing Hacks Registered Dietitians Swear By

By Audrey Bruno

Pro tips for brown bagging.

Lunch packing is one of those things we wish we did more often. It’s usually way more affordable than eating out every day, and way better for you, too. The only catch with brown bagging it on the reg is that it requires a certain amount of planning and preparation. And when it only takes five minutes to swing by the deli for a sandwich, that can seem like a lot of extra effort.

But it definitely doesn’t have to be a drag. There are fun, fast, and flavorful ways to hack your desk lunch with little-to-no extra effort. In fact, these five registered dietitian-recommend packing tricks are guaranteed to make the whole process super easy, efficient, and tasty.

1. Use your dinner leftovers in a creative way.

“For me, lunch is often dinner from the night before, either as-is or reinvented. Tacos at night become taco salads for work. Meatloaf at night becomes a meatloaf sandwich for work. Sometimes I’m traveling all day and lunches need to be eaten cold or not too perishable, so I always try to think of my schedule when planning my lunches.”

— Caroline West Passerrello, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.N., Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

2. Instead of using an ice pack to keep your lunch cool, freeze your water bottle.

“Stock your lunch bag with a frozen water bottle or juice box. This will keep your food cool throughout the day, and by the time you’re ready to dig, in your beverage will be defrosted.”

— Vandana Sheth, R.D.N., C.D.E.

3. Lunch picnic-style.

When I’m in a hurry, grab-and-go foods make packing a snack-y picnic-style lunch possible in minutes. I’m always looking for a meal to have a mix of protein, healthy fat, and fiber to help keep me fueled. So I’ll pack a 100-calorie bag of Wonderful Pistachios, which provides protein, healthy fat, and fiber. I'll also grab a couple of hardboiled eggs—which offer protein—as well as fibrous carrot slices and grape tomatoes. Then for a healthy dessert, I'll include a 100-calorie pack of Pom Poms, which are pomegranate arils that deliver fiber and a little bit of protein.

— Amy Gorin, M.S., R.D.N., owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in Jersey City, NJ.

4. Invest in a bento box.

“Pack lunch in a bento-style box to ensure a balanced meal. The pre-divided boxes are perfect for making sure you have a place for your protein, carbs, fruit, and veggies. If you have extra room, you may even be able to fit in a little treat. I love using these for the kids too and the kids think it's so much more fun than just a plain old sandwich every day.”

— Jessica Levinson, R.D.N.

5. Defrost frozen, cooked vegetables in your fridge at the beginning of the week.

“Already cooked and ready-to-go, frozen veggies are an easy, nutrient-dense way to include vegetables in your lunch box. Add them to some pre-cut raw vegetables like snap peas and baby carrots. This helps me meet my personal goal of eating two servings of vegetables at lunch.”

— Katie Cavuto, M.S., R.D.

Quotes have been edited for clarity.

reprinted from Self.com

The Best Snacks To Eat After Strength Training

By Audrey Bruno

Feed your muscles.

After you finish working out, your body is in a state of recovery. You probably feel tired, and that's because you are tired. Your muscles are minutely injured, and any energy and nutrients your body had stored away have probably been used up. Nutrients will help you heal properly, so you need to get the ones you've lost back into your system as soon as you're finished pumping iron. How do you do that? Only our favorite way: With a nutritious snack.

Before you pick your snack, it's important to understand that different workouts necessitate different nutrients in different ratios. For example, after an intense cardio sesh you're going to want to stock up on a bunch of carbs and a bit of protein. Strength training, however, is a different ball of wax.

"You are left with microscopic tears in your muscle cells after lifting weights," Jennifer O’Donnell-Giles M.S., R.D.N., certified sports dietitian, tells SELF. While tearing your muscles may sound bad, it’s actually good. That tearing is what allows them to build up and heal stronger. But they aren't going to heal all on their own. According to Giles, "nutrients are needed to build back these muscles."

After strength training, the nutrients that will most help with recovery are protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. "Protein replenishes the muscle cell damage, carbohydrates replenish blood sugar loss, and good fats control inflammation," Giles explains, and no matter the intensity of your strength training workout, you should always aim to eat a ratio of 4:1 protein to carbs. And she says you should try to eat your snack 15 to 20 minutes after you wrap things up at the gym.

One thing that does change with the intensity of your workout is the size of your snack. Usually in the beginning of your strength training practice, Giles says your workouts will tend to be more basic. A lighter intensity workout might consist of 10 to 12 reps of chest presses, barbell squats with lighter weights, push-ups, dips, and pull-ups. After these lighter intensity workouts, Giles says you should eat a snack between 100 and 200 calories.

Further along in your practice, she says your workouts will begin to get more intense. Higher intensity workouts usually include the use of heavier weights, and fewer reps (6 to 9) of moves like deadlifts, leg presses, and jump squats. After these higher intensity workouts, she says to eat between 300 and 500 calories. Below, you can find some snack options for each of these different levels of intensity.

Snacks following light strength training:

These snacks are incredibly simple to throw together and can even be tossed in your gym bagbefore you head to your workout.

• Homemade granola made with whole oats, dried fruit and nuts
• Low-fat chocolate milk
• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 banana with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• 1/2 cup of edamame

Snacks for after intense strength training:

These snacks are a little bit more like meals. And that's OK. After an intense strength training workout is not the time to being worried about counting calories (though you still don’t want to go totally crazy). Giles says these are exactly what you need.

• Protein smoothie made with 1 scoop high quality whey protein isolate powder, banana, almond milk, frozen berries and spinach
• Two scrambled eggs, with two slices of whole wheat toast, and sliced avocado
• Grilled chicken on high protein whole grain tortilla with hummus and cucumbers
• Quinoa with black beans, diced grilled tofu, chopped kale, olive oil, and sea salt
• Tuna (mixed w non-fat plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo) on whole wheat pita with romaine lettuce and roasted red peppers

reprinted from self.com

What Happened When I Drank More Water For A Month

BY ALISON BARSALONA

I have a confession: My name is Alison, and I don’t drink enough water.

I wasn’t always this way. When I worked in an office, I was a hardcore water drinker; if I wasn’t getting up to refill my bottle at the water cooler, I was making a beeline for the bathroom. But when I became a stay-at-home mom, all of a sudden my bottle wasn’t in front of me all day long, reminding me to imbibe. I would spend hours taking care of my son or running errands without a single sip, and lately I’ve realized I’ve been paying the unhealthy price. I’m constantly seeing articles touting all the incredible benefits of drinking more water, so I decided to pledge to up my agua ante for a month and see if it really lived up to the hype. Would all that liquid be life-changing or would it leave me drenched in disappointment? (Sorry for the bad puns, I’ve had water on the brain for too long).

After treating myself to a new water bottle, it was time to figure out exactly how much water I should be drinking. The rule used to be eight 8-ounce glasses a day for everyone, but now there are a handful of new recommendations; some say women should have about nine cups a day, while others suggest drinking half an ounce to an ounce of water for each pound you weigh. I decided to aim high and settled on filling my one-liter bottle four times a day, or just over 130 ounces (my days are long and I spend a fair amount of time out in the heat).

The results? There were days I definitely fell short and other days I had no problem gulping down more than I aimed to, I discovered drinking with a straw makes all the difference, and I became intimately acquainted with the bathrooms in all the stores I visit on a regular basis. More importantly, after a month of my experiment I’m here to share which of the H20 health claims held true for me and which came up short—water bottle in hand, of course.

More energy

The claim: Drinking plenty of water regularly throughout the day will keep you from getting dehydrated, and in turn, fatigued.

The verdict: Maybe it’s just having a toddler, but I find myself constantly yawning, zoning out, and generally dragging. I didn’t have high hopes for water helping me here—it seemed more of a coffee-and-a-nap kind of problem. But I was surprised at how much better I felt after just a week of all that water. I had a little extra pep in my step throughout the day, and I found that when I was extra sleepy, gulping a glass of really cold H2O (the ice was key) gave me an immediate boost. I also noticed that a few gulps of water cleared up a grumpy mood on occasion; I’m attributing that to that fact that I was probably a little dehydrated, and dehydrated=tired=major crankiness. I still needed my morning cup of joe every day but overall, all that extra water definitely delivered.

Clearer skin

The claim: Water helps to flush out toxins that can cause acne. It can also plump skin and give it an overall brighter appearance.

The verdict: I’m lucky to not have too many skin issues, aside from the occasional pimple and beginnings of wrinkles I refuse to acknowledge. I was still hoping the additional agua would act as an internal moisturizer and give me that dewy, I-woke-up-like-this kind of glow that celebrities are always swearing comes just from drinking lots of water, but I have to say that this beauty tip was a dud. Even though my eyes might have been slightly less puffy (but probably just wishful thinking), H20’s effects weren’t strong enough to combat dark circles or brighten my skin dramatically. I’ll keep drinking water…but I won’t be retiring my concealer anytime soon.

Better workouts

The claim: Drinking enough water before, during and after exercise will boost the quality of your workouts.

The verdict: This one seemed like a no-brainer, and I thought that I was pretty good about taking in enough liquids around workout time. But when I began really paying attention to the timing and religiously drinking a glass about a half hour before going for a run, I noticed that I had a little extra energy and felt just better in a way I couldn’t really put my finger on. I also made it a point to sip on another glass while I stretched afterwards, and I didn’t feel as drained post-workout as I did when I just took a couple gulps and went about my day. Water for the win on this one.

Weight control

The claim: Drinking water can be very beneficial in weight loss or maintenance; choosing water over sugary beverages cuts calories, and consuming water and water-rich foods will keep you fuller longer.

The verdict: I’m not trying to lose weight, but I’ve always meant to try the advice I’m always reading about, that drinking a glass of water before a meal can curb overeating. Now I know why that tip pops up in every other health article—it really does work. Drinking a big glass before dinner made that second bowl of pasta a lot less appetizing, and picking up my water bottle instead of a snack in the afternoon sometimes made me realize I was more thirsty than hungry after all. I didn’t lose any weight over the month but I did love how it taught me to be more in tune with my appetite. At the very least I think water deserves props for helping to distinguish between hunger and thirst cues, which is an important weight loss tool in itself.


reprinted from Women's Running