Megan Nechanicky

I spent last past week traveling, with the majority of my time spent in a hotel right outside of the Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. I must say, even with all the training I’ve had in nutrition, it is truly a challenge to eat healthy while on the road. Since I spent this trip with soon-to-be dietitians, I wanted to share the tricks-of-the-trade (or the things I saw all of us doing) to try and maintain normal eating habits while in the land of magic and pixie dust.

1. Make a grocery store run— On day 2 of the conference, one of the girls had a PB&J sandwich in a Ziplocked bag, an apple and whole wheat pretzels. It looked nothing like the unhealthy food we were offered at the hotel. When I asked where she got it, she said she stopped at the local grocery store the first day.  Stopping by the local grocery store is a great way to have food on hand and not eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2. Doggie-bag dinner— After struggling to find lunch on the first day due to limited time and transportation, many of us decided to save half our dinners to eat for the lunch the following day. Not only does this reduce the amount you eat for dinner, but also ensures you have a meal the next day. We found a microwave in the hotel convenience store/gift shop and nuked leftover dinners for lunch.

3. Use the mini-fridge— Stock the mini-fridge with your own foods. Whether purchased at a local grocery store or leftovers meals—stock healthy foods and beverages such as pre-cut fruits & veggies, yogurts and water bottles.

4. BYOB Bring your own bottle—reusable water bottle that is. Almost every girl on the trip had brought along their own bottle and continuously filled it up from water coolers the hotel offered or water fountains. This ensures proper hydration, even while potentially being dehydrated by long plane rides and climate changes.

 

I arrived early to a meeting at the USDA Headquarters on Jefferson St. in Washington, D.C., and in order to check my emails, I found the closest bench and took a seat. Little did I know I was sitting inside The People’s Garden, the USDA’s garden which was planted a little over a year ago to bring attention to growing healthy foods and to be used as a teaching tool to showcase where produce comes from.

 
It was fantastic that, in the mist of the hustle and bustle of the city filled with business people rushing around and tourists taking in sights during their spring break, I had stumbled into a garden.  The garden allowed me to take a few minutes away from my emails, walk through and look at what was growing, and read the plaques.  I then exited quickly when bees started swarming around me!

Growing up, my family had a nice-sized garden in our backyard. My mom would plant various vegetables at the start of every season, and if I was up for getting my hands dirty, I would help.  Being the only girl with three brothers, I never liked being dirty or doing too many chores.  What I did enjoy was being given a challenge and then setting my mind toward achieving it. My mom told me worms were good for the garden, so when she was out planting, I would dig in the dirt for hours trying to find as many worms as possible. I also enjoyed the organization of making the straight rows and digging the holes where seeds would eventually be placed.

 
It was always thrilling when the first zucchini and first squash would arrive—they were always huge and unlike anything I had seen in our local Giant. I wasn’t very interested in the various lettuces growing because they didn’t magically appear on the plants like the squash, zucchini and tomatoes. However, I did know when the lettuce in our dinner salads came from the garden—it always tasted gritty and had leftover dirt on the leaves, which I always complained about. We now take for granted that food manufacturers triple-wash our lettuce before putting it in their Ziplocked packages with little to no dirt left for consumption.  By the end of the summer, it seemed like the garden never stopped growing, and a child can only take so many meals of sautéed zucchini and squash.

 
I have such fond memories thinking back to the Nechanicky garden (really, Nancy’s garden). Even though I don’t think of myself as the gardening type—wearing gloves, long khaki pants, straw hat and rubber boots—I have a great appreciation and taste for fresh fruits and vegetables, and an understanding of how and where they come from.

 
I think it’s outstanding that gardens are now popping up in cities, schools, communities and even the White House, and are being used as teaching tools for healthy eating. I challenge you to plant a garden this spring, even if you start very small and just have one tomato plant. And if you really don’t want a garden, visit a farmers market in your area and taste the full flavors of local fruit and vegetables. Trust me, the secret will be out that local produce is the way to go—even with a little dirt!

Have a lot on your plate these days? Ever wonder how you can make diet changes with so little time to focus on it? Since March is National Nutrition Month, I thought I’d give one of my favorite nutrition secrets.  The question I’m asked most often is, “how do I lose weight?” So if you’re wondering this very question and don’t have time to revamp your entire diet, this tip is for you!

 
To lose weight you must consistently eat fewer calories than you burn. To eat less calories, simply reach for a smaller plate. I know this sounds easy and it is, remember it doesn’t have to be a constant struggle to be at a healthy weight.  This tip, if followed, will produce big weight loss results.

 
Dishware has always been important in my families dining experience. I have a Martha Stewart-inspired Mom who is always switches her dishware every season and/or holiday. She has a whole basement storage room filled with boxes labeled “Valentine’s Day”, “Christmas”, “Summer”, “Easter”, etc. and filled with themed plates, bowls, glasses and mugs. They’re all beautiful, and I’ve become accustomed to eating on continually changing dishware. The one constant in my dish selection is always choosing the smaller sized plate, bowl, glass or mug.

I usually eat ice-cream in a very small cup or pasta in a cereal-sized bowl. These are two foods must people eat in large quantities and can add up to a lot of calories.  I’m still working with my family on this very concept, and certainly my Mom who currently loves her Easter polka dotted plate. Try out this tip for the month of March and see if you’re stepping up to the plate (or scale) a little lighter.

When running a few weeks ago, my friend and follow training partner shared his 2012 resolution. He wanted to start taking lunch to work to not only save money but to eat healthier. An average a lunch out costs about $10, so by the end of the work week that’s $50 and by the end of the year that’s $2,600. What a GREAT resolution… not only saves money but most likely calories (considering most people eat more when eating out). Here are some ideas to get you started:

 
Plan Ahead: You have to think ahead and plan so you don’t get to noon and end up calling out for Chinese. Think through the following questions: What would you like to bring to eat for lunch? When will you buy these items? When will you pack these items?

 
Grocery Shop: Go to the grocery store at least once per week. Think about what you’d like to have for lunch for an entire week. The only way to prevent eating out is to have food on hand to pack.

 
Stock the Work Frig: Having food already at work will prevent you from using that excuse “I have no food to eat” (especially by the end of the week). Keep foods in the work frig or freezer. You can also keep non-perishable foods in your desk drawer (nuts, granola, dried fruit)

 
Healthy Brown Bags Ideas:
1. Greek Goddess- Hummus, whole wheat pita bread, carrots and peppers

2. Athlete- Peanut butter on whole wheat bagel, yogurt and banana

3. San Diego Surfer- Bean burrito (buy frozen), tortilla chips and guacamole

4. Trailblazer- Granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine a day when you go to a restaurant and they automatically give you a side of fruit or salad instead of french fries? Last week I joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit. The theme throughout the two days was creating solutions to make living healthy lives easier for Americans. The default choice should ALWAYS be the healthier choice. I think about the default choice as the one that automatically fills in the box when you’re completing something online or it’s automatically given to you without requesting a substitution. What if a bottle of water was automatically given to you with a meal instead of a soda? What if your kids were automatically given fat free or low-fat milk instead of juice or soda? What if every employer gave their employees 30 minutes per day for exercise?

What healthy choice would you like to see become the default choice?