So Long, Job Fat!

Eat Like It's Your Job

"To keep hunger down and energy up all day, include complex carbs, lean protein, and healthy fat at every meal," says Christine Palumbo, RD, a Chicago-based nutritionist. Here are more of her eat-healthy tips:

• For on-the-go breakfasts, pack 3/4-cup servings of easy-to-grab cereal (like Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats) in advance. Add dried fruit and nuts. Store in your glove compartment for rushed mornings (like today).
• Brown-bag it. Make sandwiches with crisp veggies, like red peppers or cucumbers, for lunch. You'll get vitamins, a satisfying crunch, and fiber to help fill you up, Palumbo says.
• For high-protein, stay-with-you-all-day snacks, bring in hard-boiled eggs, light mozzarella sticks, and peanut-butter-sandwich squares (on whole-grain bread) and refrigerate them.
• Tempted by the vending machine? Palumbo suggests snacking on "anything with nuts," like Snickers, peanut M&M's, or mixed nuts. The nuts provide filling protein and fat.
• For instant energy, eat fruit. "It's great for the office because it contains fructose, which is a fast-acting carb, so it provides a quick boost," says Palumbo. Bonus: Eating an apple after lunch can clean your teeth.
• Must...have...coffee...Afternoon slump? Get a tall nonfat latte. "It has 100 calories and 10 grams of protein, which is about the same as half a serving of meat," Palumbo explains.
• If your car is on fast-food autopilot, get a plain hamburger. Most small burgers have fewer calories than breaded-chicken sandwiches.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, February 2008.