Nurses live a busy lifestyle, often times you are taking care of others instead of yourself. We recently asked our members to share what healthy eating tips they would share with their follow nurses, and here’s what they had to say!
1.Pack little bags of high protein snacks (nuts, beef jerky, protein bars) you can keep in your pocket and easily access when you are busy on the floor. Grapes and apple slices will give you a natural sugar boost to curb your sweet cravings. Having small snacks throughout the day will prevent you from feeling like you are starving and pigging out on junk food. – Jessica McNeil
2. No junk food in break room. Help everyone be healthier! – Kathleen Burke
3. Water bottle and I do best when I pick fruits and veggies from the grocery and repackage them right when I get home so I can toss them in a lunch box and go. – Sara Witt Repasy
4. Drink lots of water. I usually pack a small, nutritious already packaged meal in my backpack which gives me good energy. – Tammy Sherwin
5. Take your lunch breaks. Sit during your break and eat slowly. Drink plenty of water. If someone is offering to cover your patients during your break, let them. You deserve your breaks – Tish Mckelvey
6. 1-Keep a Bowl of fresh fruit in lounge. Oranges, apples, bananas. 2-Bring your water bottle to work, every hour drink entire bottle of water & refill! 3-Encourage one another to take a break in quiet area 4- once there try prayer, meditation for 5 min: refreshes! – Margaret Mueller Boyer
7. 3 words: PACK YOUR LUNCH! I bring lots of quick snacks, like cheese sticks, hummus, baby carrots, nuts, yogurt, grapes, cherry tomatoes, snap peas. We are lucky that our break room is connected to our kitchen. When I grab ice or juice for patients, I can swig some water and eat a quick snack. Not a meal, but it has prevented me having to apologize for what I said when I was hungry – Carol Redmon
8. What I learned way too late, take all the bathroom breaks you need. Teachers and nurses are the professions most likely to see a professional for bladder issues – Judith Lienhard
9. A big bottle of water always…if it’s in the break room that’s extra steps (win win). I always try to pack healthy snacks too so I’m less inclined to hit the cafeteria and make bad choices. Something else I do to keep blood flowing at night…I do wall pushups or squats and lunges if I take a bathroom break. It gives me a boost of energy and some days it is my workout! – Kris Kenney
10. Tips for night nurses:
- Stock your kitchen at home with healthy, easy to grab snacks. When you’re fatigued from working night shifts, it’s easy to reach for foods packed with too many carbs, unhealthy fats and lots of sodium.
- Prepare healthy meals before your shift, so they’re ready to eat when you get home. Try crock pot meals and freeze portion sizes of your favorite healthy meals for easy access when you’re too tired to cook.
Do you have additional tips? Share them below in the comments section!