Healthy Eating Week – a gentle reminder for drivers!

Healthy Eating Week is upon us, which seems an ideal opportunity to remind all you professional drivers out there of the importance of a healthy diet.

Yes, we know you have heard it all before, but taking some time to think about what you eat really can make a big difference to your general health and wellbeing – which has to be the right road to take!

Small steps

Drivers are not well known for their healthy eating habits but sometimes it only takes a few simple changes in order to make a big difference. It’s all about baby steps. Set yourself small goals, things you can stick to rather than wholesale changes which are unlikely to last.

Spending your working life on the road usually means eating a lot of the wrong things, not eating regular meals and not getting enough exercise. Healthy Eating Week is a great time to take stock of your eating habits and decide to do something about it.

A chance for reflection

The week, organised by the British Nutrition Foundation, runs from June 14th to 18th and is designed to give people the chance to reflect on their lifestyle with a view of making improvements to enhance their health and wellbeing.

We are keen to support Healthy Eating Week and raise awareness of drivers to the importance of eating properly.

With this in mind, we have come up with five tips which we hope you will find useful.

• Eat breakfast – Many people miss out on breakfast believing that cutting out a meal is a good thing. Eating breakfast sets you up for the day by helping energy levels, cutting down the need to snack and by prolonging the desire to eat lunch. Breakfast food ideas include whole grain rolls, eggs, nuts and plain yoghurt. Remember, people who eat breakfast are more likely to have better overall diets.

• Prepare snacks and meals in advance – By thinking ahead and creating your own meals you can prepare the right kind of food for when you are out on the road. Rice, beans, chicken, turkey, fresh carrots, apples and celery are just a few ideas to consider as an alternative to that cafe fry-up.

• Healthy option snacks – Snacking on the right things will keep hunger at bay and allow you to cut down on the size of portions at mealtimes. Hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit and mixed nuts are good options.

• Avoid fast food – Fast food is quick and easy if you’re on the go and outlets are everywhere, but if you must stop at one try and choose a healthy option – they are generally available. At the very least cut out the salty condiments.

• Eat more salad, leafy greens, fruit and vegetables – Salads and leafy greens will help keep cholesterol in check and contain vitamin K which is good for preventing some age-related conditions. You also need your recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.

Exercise is another vital ingredient to complement your healthy eating programme. Driving long hours day after day isn’t great for fitness so it’s important to keep as active as you can by exercising whenever you have the opportunity.