Eating on the run ... HEALTHY!

No matter who we are, we are all at some point or another eating on the run. I know that this is a huge factor for me and I am always looking for different healthy food tips and ideas for eating on the go. Who knows best about health besides Jillian Michaels. Here are some of her ideas for eating on the go ...


Breakfast: Snack-sized containers of low-fat Greek or low-fat plain yogurt (varieties with no high-fructose corn syrup!), a Health Valley Granola Bar, Arrowhead Mills Instant Oatmeal, fruit, dry whole-grain toast, or high-fiber cereal with skim milk. Each of these ideas will take less than three minutes of your time.

Lunch: Ideally, you would take some time the night before or on the weekends to prepare healthy foods to pack and carry, but if that just isn’t realistic for you, try the following options. Buy prepared salads at your supermarket. I like to get chicken Caesar, tuna, and seafood salads at Trader Joe's to have on hand when I need to run out the door. Another thought is a sandwich — make sure the bread is whole grain and the meat is organic and not processed (look for fresh, low-sodium deli meat). Avoid high-fat condiments like mayo; choose mustard (it’s naturally low in fat) instead.

Snacks: Try nuts, fruit, low-fat cheeses, whole-grain crackers like Kashi, low-fat yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs. You could even buy a Kashi, Luna, or Clif bar to eat on the run.

Dinner: This entails a similar effort as lunch, in that you need to buy precooked foods at the deli counter in the supermarket — but always ask for organic meat (you might have a better chance of getting this at a market like Whole Foods). Buying food like this is a bit more expensive because convenience doesn’t come cheap, but it’s quick, easy, and healthy. If I’m in a hurry, I like to pick up grilled chicken breasts, salmon or halibut fillets, or turkey breasts, all precooked — I toss a portion in a plastic container and run out the door with it. You can even buy veggie side dishes — grilled vegetables, for example — brown rice with shrimp, and so on.

- Gigi