5 Meal Planning Tips for Busy Nurses

Meal planning is one of the best ways to reach your diet goals. As a nurse, it is essential that you eat healthily every day. Doing this will help you stay agile, focused, and attentive at work. With efficient meal planning, you can improve your diet as a nurse.

The challenge is that many nurses want to engage in meal planning, but don’t have the slightest idea how to. In this post, we will share some helpful tips in this regard.

Meal Planning Tips for Nurses

Are you planning to lead a healthier life? Do you need to drop a few pounds? Are you looking for a way to improve your diet so that you can work better as a nurse? Whichever the case is, efficient meal planning is what you need.

Here are a few tips to help you plan your meals better:

Plan ahead

Nurses work an average of 8 hours to 12 hours per shift. Because of this, you may not have sufficient time on your hands to plan meals. However, you can take advantage of your days off to plan your meals for the week or month.

When you create a meal plan, it helps you know when to eat what, and the recipe you need. Another advantage is that you get to spend far less on meals than when you are without a plan. Ensure that you put your work schedule into consideration when planning. You can add some quick meals to your list for days when you will stay at work for longer periods.

Write down a list of groceries

Now that you have a plan in place, your next line of action is to write down the list of groceries you need. Check your plan to see the different meals and recipes you have put together. Write down a list of all the groceries that you will need to make these foods.

There are several benefits that accrue to writing down grocery lists. One of them is that you will always remember what to buy. Another key benefit is that you will avoid impulse buying and save more money.

Add some healthy snacks to your workday bag

You might not be able to settle down to eat a proper meal while working. However, you still need to eat something to maintain high energy levels. This is where healthy snacks come in.

Write a list of healthy snacks that you can eat during work hours. Buy them and add them to your workday bag. You can consider adding some fruits and veggies as well as some dried fruits. This way, you can avoid hypoglycemia while at work.

Figure out your portion size

When planning your meals, you must figure out your portion size. You shouldn’t overindulge just because you are eating healthy foods. Doing this can lead to weight gain, certain heart issues, and diabetes.

Check food labels for how much you should consume. You can also work with the hand symbol for portion sizes.

Buy healthy food

Instead of buying junk or unhealthy foods, consider buying healthy food. You can stock these meals in your freezer and microwave them when you need to. Frozen foods present you with a wide array of benefits such as higher vitamin levels and cancer prevention.

Conclusion

Meal planning for nurses just got easier with these tips. Do you have any others? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section. Meanwhile, visit Natty Nurses to learn more from our array of nursing resources.

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