More options are available for quick meals than ever before. Many supermarkets offer salad and hot entrée bars, people can go to "kitchens" to assemble a week’s worth of meals from prepared ingredients, and whole meals can be ordered and delivered to your home.
Even the frozen dinner has evolved. "There are many more choices now than just the old stand-by TV dinners with fried chicken, whipped potatoes, and corn," Jegtvig told Education World. "There are meals for dieters that are low-fat, low-calorie, or low in carbohydrates. There are meals designed just for kids, too. These can be healthy if you stay away from the breaded foods. Read the labels and avoid saturated fats and trans fats and be careful with the sodium content."
Some buffet restaurants allow customers to buy their food by the pound. The not-so good offerings, though, can quickly fill up the container. If you go this route, "make healthy choices," Jegtvig said. "It can be too easy to choose unhealthy foods at the buffet line. That hot pizza may look much more appealing than the baked chicken…Stay away from greasy and fried foods and choose more vegetables, fruits, salads, and leaner meats, fish, and poultry."
Convenience, though, can come at a financial and caloric cost. "They [prepared meals] do tend to be expensive because you are paying for convenience," said Jegtvig. "The cheapest prepared meals tend to come from fast food restaurants and they are very high in calories and unhealthy fats."
Still, you can get prepared meals without breaking the bank, said William Daley, food and wine reporter for the Chicago Tribune. As for picking up prepared entrees at the supermarket, "choose wisely and don't overload your box...just think of all the weight cottage cheese adds to the typical salad. Weigh carefully whether the time savings or ease of preparation justifies the cost. And consider quality."
When it comes to fast foods, Elisa Zied, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, recommended driving by the drive through.
But if you must hit a fast food place, Zied suggested going to a restaurant with nutritional information about its foods and comparing different items. Sticking to salads, fruit and yogurt, grilled chicken, and asking for any sauces on the side can make the visit more healthful, she said. But remember, just because you are eating lettuce doesn’t mean the meal is low calorie. "Salads are good, but not if they are smothered with bacon, fried chicken, and fatty dressing," Zied said.
Sometimes, though, only a burger and fries will do, and if that is the case, try to downsize. If you usually order the biggest burger and large fries, order the smaller sizes, Zied said. "Size does matter."
People who decide they are going to reform their eating habits often start by purging their kitchens and refrigerators of junk food and swearing off fast foods -- then a few weeks later, it’s back to sausage pizza and large fries.
"One of the biggest obstacles to success is thinking all or none -- some people think of total diet overhaul," Zied told Education World. "If you think of small changes you can make, one at a time, you’ll probably be more successful."
Start by taking a look at what you currently are eating, and keep a food record of everything you eat, including gum, beverages, meals, and snacks. Be honest. "This way, you see where you are starting from, see what is missing, and see where you need to go," she said. "If you see most of what you eat is not from key food groups, you need to make a shift in eating patterns. Also, look at your level of physical activity. That goes hand-in- hand with good eating habits."
Then pick one habit to change. "I don’t believe in overhauling things all at once. Go one step at a time," Zied said. "Pick one area to improve upon; like one meal or a snack. Once you succeed with that, move to another time of day."
A change could be as simple as eating cereal for breakfast three days a week instead of a doughnut. Or if you’re not eating breakfast all, start by eating breakfast three days a week. "Be very specific," Zied said. "The more specific and clear the goals are, the more likely you are to succeed."
Try to find someone who can support your changes and check in with each other. If you stick with the change for a month, give yourself a non-food reward, she added.
Teachers can’t eat at their desks and often don’t have breaks during the morning, so breakfast is especially important, Zied said. "If you don’t have a healthy breakfast, you won’t have energy for the day," she said. "Eating a bowl of whole grain cereal with low-fat milk and some fruit takes five minutes. You start the day with some complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. The protein-fiber combination gives you that feeling of fullness."
Low-fat yogurt with whole-grain cereal or fresh fruit is another good breakfast choice.
"If you have a family, you want to show them that breakfast is important. This can give you great dividends throughout the day," Zied continued.
"You just need time to nourish yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of your class?"
