Plan B

We all have a nutritional conscience. The intention to eat good, nutrient-dense food in proper proportions is always there, but things trip us up along the way. For most people, time and work are the most common obstacles. If it's not the lunch hour that gets whittled down to 5 minutes of warp-speed chewing, it's the long-day of long-slow-duration stress followed by comfort food on the couch with the soft and soothing lull of junk TV. It's not a surprise that this happens a couple of times a week, but then you wonder why we don't plan for fire-drill meals on fire-drill days.

What you need is an In-Case-of-Emergency-Break-Glass plan that saves you—but only if there's something of value behind the glass. Otherwise, you're just left with an additional mess to clean up amongst all the other chaos.

So, take steps now to plan for when your plan falls through. Help yourself expect the unexpected. I mean, you know it’s going to happen. Not preparing it for it is giving up before you even begin; it is—let’s be frank—preloading excuses for your lapses. (“Well, I was going to ace my nutrition today…but something Important came up. Really, it’s not my fault; there was nothing I could do about it. Really.”)

What you know is that the contingency plan has to be reasonable, speedy, and, depending on your circumstances, perhaps non-perishable. Come up with some snacks and meals that you know you can keep on hand. Or even parts of meals, with a plan to complement them with things you know you can forage for even under the pressure of deadlines, tight schedules, demanding children, and the mid-afternoon munchies.

That might mean that you keep a can of tuna, sardines, or bag of jerky for your protein and then head for the cafeteria to scare up a garden salad or a random piece of fresh fruit. Or, keep the carbs handy in the long-shelf-life form of a Lara bar or a small quantity of dried fruit.

If you keep some reliable staples on hand as a regular practice, you can always toss together a few blocks of balanced fuel on a moment’s notice. Stock the fridge at the office with some of the following, and you’ll be set for even the unplanned meals and snacks you might need. Keep nuts on hand (macadamias have an excellent fat profile), or even a small bottle of olive oil, to make sure you can get a small fat dose with any meal.

Here are some easy, balanced snack ideas to spark your thinking

• deli meat & an orange (or apple or nectarine or other fruit)



• sardines, tuna, other canned meat/fish & fruit & nuts



• string (or other) cheese & an apple



• cottage cheese & a few Triscuits to make the right number of carb blocks for you (ahem, a few crackers, NOT the whole box)



• cottage cheese & just about any fruit or berries



• yes, this is just a version of above, but worth specifying: cottage cheese, sliced apple, cinnamon, and sliced almonds



• plain yogurt & fruit (or blueberries from the freezer)



• hard-boiled eggs & dried apricots



• milk



• frozen berries, protein powder, coconut milk (and a blender)



• protein powder (not soy, please) & milk (or juice, or, in a pinch, water)



• beef/turkey jerky, fruit, & nuts --Zone Perfect bar (Ok, it’s fake food and full of scary ingredients, but at least it’s macronutrient balanced and ultimately better than that lone leftover Krispy Kreme in the corner of the conference room down the hall. We are talking emergencies here.)

What else?? You guys have been doing this. What works for you? Post your ideas and solutions to comments.

The key to all of this is that emergency eating shouldn't require emergency thinking because that grey matter is already pressed into service by whatever fire drill is happening at your desk. The thinking and planning is something that gets done in advance. So do it.

Mmmm...sardines

Though some of you (or your lunchmates) may find them unpalatable, sardines make a good, easy, portable snack food. One can of Crown Prince, 2 layers, boneless, skinless sardines in water (readily available at Trader Joe's, etc.) offers 3 blocks of protein, around 3 blocks of fat, and a low intake of heavy metals. Plus, it's durable in a backpack or glove compartment and has a long shelf life. Just add a healthy helping of carbs--and down the hatch!

Benefits of fish oil

"So, why is fish oil good for you?" The question comes up periodically. The full answer is a really a long one (see Barry Sears's book The Omega Rx Zone), but here's a nutshell version.

Fish oil is a rich source of a category of fatty acids called omega-3s (specifically EPA and DHA). The ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to another category called omega-6s is important to the function of a whole lot of hormonal and cellular processes in the body--including a lot of things having to do with insulin response (and the chain of hormonal reactions that it sets off), inflammation, blood cholesterol management, and immune-system, cardiovascular, and neurological function, etc.

Unless you supplement with omega-3s, pretty much everyone in the U.S. gets way (way!) too many omega-6s and not enough omega-3s. Fish oil is an easy--and relatively inexpensive--way to help restore the balance. The super-short answer is: it'll help you lose weight, control cholesterol and blood pressure, regulate hormone levels, and generally stay healthier.

If you're taking any medications, it's always a good idea to check for contraindications, of course. Especially folks on blood thinners. (On the other side of the coin, fish oil and a Zone-like diet can reduce the need for a lot of medications, especially cholesterol-lowering ones.) In some cases, folks can get their doctors to actually prescribe it (and therefore insurance to pay for it).

Brands we like are Carlson's (capsules and liquid) and Nordic Naturals "Ultimate Omega" formula. You can get them at Super Supplements for a reasonable price. The liquid is a good value, per dollar, but it's less convenient, and some people are squeamish about the taste or texture--though we find it utterly inoffensive. Whatever kind you use, store it in the fridge.

Incrementalism

Notwithstanding our signature “get some, go again” attitude, you’ve all heard us advise incrementalism in incorporating intensity into your workouts. Take small steps, learn to do it right, hone your technique—and then gradually build up to full-on gusto. When it comes to nutrition, there’s less danger in jumping right into the deep end and dialing in your diet perfectly. And for some people, a sudden break, total commitment, and a cold-turkey attitude about the sins of the dietary past is a remarkably effective tactic.

However, for some of you, easing your way into dietary virtuosity can be a fruitful path. Slower, maybe, but sometimes the tortoise and the hare end up at the same finish line eventually. And even small changes—relatively painless ones—can have a big impact (especially when they begin to snowball).

For those of you looking to make incremental improvements, here is a list of some changes you can begin to introduce. The idea is not necessarily to do all these all at once, but to incorporate them into your life one or two at a time. Once one change becomes a habit and not a hardship or a focused effort, then implement another, and so on.

You can also regard this list as a rough priority guide, in that, if you’re worrying about the exact fatty acid ratio of nut A versus nut B, but you haven’t incorporated any of the items on this list into your life, your priorities might be a tiny bit skewed. Or, if you spend hours debating whether deer milk would count as a paleo food--since, well, technically, Paleolithic Man could’ve hunted down and milked wild does!--but you’re discussing it between drags on a cigarette outside your favorite bar, you might be putting the cart in front of the horse, as it were.

So, here’s some food for thought:

1. Consider taking fish oil supplements. Yeah, they seem expensive at first, but it’s cheap insurance.

2. Learn to identify trans fats and eliminate them from your repertoire of foods.

3. Stop drinking soda (yes, “diet” soda too).

4. Make sure you’re getting some form of protein in every meal and snack.

5. Drastically reduce your intake of straight-up sugars. Yeah, the obvious things, but also fruit juice, “sports” drinks, and unfavorable carbs (see next item). Avoid “food” products containing high-fructose corn syrup.

6. Reduce your intake of starches: pasta, rice, bread, cereals, processed grains. Eat more veggies, especially leaves, instead.

If you’re not doing at least these things, you have lots of room for improvement. Think of it as an opportunity—to improve your health, fitness, performance, appearance, mood, and energy level.

These are baby steps to full commitment to healthy nutrition. But you gotta start somewhere, and, heck, FloJo learned to walk with baby steps, just like the rest of us.