# How to eat right on duty?



## SoCal911

Okay I'm 20 and I'm going to get hypertension and diabetes in the next month if I don't change this... It's to the point where I feel sick all the time. All I get the chance to eat is the nastiest hole in the wall fast food that east LA has to offer..  How would you suggest I eat better on an Emt salary?


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## DesertMedic66

Bring your lunch/dinner from home.


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## medic417

Bring healthy food with you as well as plenty of water.


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## Sasha

Hard on an emt salary. Fresh healthy food is expensive... But you could get a mcdouble for $1


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## Sasha

Just think of the grease as lubrication for your arteries so the blood cells slide through.


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## CALIFORNIA

fresh food is not expensive, this is the most bull:censored::censored::censored::censored: excuse and I hear it a lot.  I used to shop at whole foods once a week while working a job I made less than $10/hr at.  If you know how to cook, what to buy, and prepare for the week, you can eat well and not break the bank.  If you're looking for convenient, quick, and easy... maybe stick to fast food.


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## bigbaldguy

Starbucks on way to work.           4.00
Mcdonalds for breakfast               6.00
Burger king for lunch                  6.00
Mexican food for dinner               8.50
                                           -----------
                                             24.00

24 dollars will buy plenty of fresh healthy food at a grocery store.


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## abckidsmom

CALIFORNIA said:


> fresh food is not expensive, this is the most bull:censored::censored::censored::censored: excuse and I hear it a lot.  I used to shop at whole foods once a week while working a job I made less than $10/hr at.  If you know how to cook, what to buy, and prepare for the week, you can eat well and not break the bank.  If you're looking for convenient, quick, and easy... maybe stick to fast food.



I cooked dinner last night at work. $5/person for grilled chicken, salad, green beans and roasted potatoes. Learn to shop and buy whole real foods. If you don't know who to ask, lurk in the produce section and ask the cutest girl who has the highest number of different colored foods in her basket. 

Double bonus!


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## bigbaldguy

abckidsmom said:


> I cooked dinner last night at work. $5/person for grilled chicken, salad, green beans and roasted potatoes. Learn to shop and buy whole real foods. If you don't know who to ask, lurk in the produce section and ask the cutest girl who has the highest number of different colored foods in her basket.
> 
> Double bonus!



Double bonus indeed. I used to find standing in the produce section of whole foods/central market with a helpless look on my face was a very effective way of meeting older women with decent jobs.

If preparing your own meals is too much work (it is for me) look into something like "my fit foods". They have preprepared healthy meals. I noticed there are several "my fit foods" copy cats in some of the nicer chain grocery stores that offer similar healthy options without the brand name price.


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## adamjh3

bigbaldguy said:


> Double bonus indeed. I used to find standing in the produce section of whole foods/central market with a helpless look on my face was a very effective way of meeting older women with decent jobs.
> 
> If preparing your own meals is too much work (it is for me) look into something like "my fit foods". They have preprepared healthy meals. I noticed there are several "my fit foods" copy cats in some of the nicer chain grocery stores that offer similar healthy options without the brand name price.



Safeway's eating right brand comes to mind. The prices are very reasonable and a lot of the food is quite tasty.


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## SoCal911

Ooo! Double bonus, I like the sound of that! Subway has been my food of choice as recent, but it gets old. Im going to try my hand at shopping tonight, maybe I'll find that double bonus.


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## fast65

Like others have said, it's not all the expensive to buy, fresh food. I usually make dinner at home the night before shift and then have the left overs the next day.

My biggest problem is determining exactly what I want to cook. However, I have found a couple of good food blogs by spending a little bit of time using Stumbleupon.


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## bigbaldguy

adamjh3 said:


> Safeway's eating right brand comes to mind. The prices are very reasonable and a lot of the food is quite tasty.



Haven't seen that one but "my perfect fit" meals at Kroger (I think it's Ralphs in Cali) are one of my favorites and you can do breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for around 20 bucks.


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## movimini

A lot of places have healthy options nowadays. Just make sure to examine the nutritional information to make sure what you are eating is actually healthy.


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## CBentz12

If your anything like me then a sandwhich on Oatnut bread will do. I usually take 4 slices of ham, 4 slices of turkey and 4 slices of roast beef with miracle whip and mustard. Drink a liter of water while eating and continue to drink water while on shift and I guarantee that you will get full and stay full. I jave lost 22 pounds since January following this for lunch with Cheerios for breakfast and chicken with any kind of side item you like.


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## Hunter

Sasha said:


> Hard on an emt salary. Fresh healthy food is expensive... But you could get a mcdouble for $1



I went to a local grocery store to try and buy healthy food for my shift a few says ago. $15 got a pretty big premade salad, foot long sub, a pint of iced tea, and a box of those 100calorie pack of chips.


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## MochaRaf

abckidsmom said:


> I cooked dinner last night at work. $5/person for grilled chicken, salad, green beans and roasted potatoes. Learn to shop and buy whole real foods. If you don't know who to ask, lurk in the produce section and ask the cutest girl who has the highest number of different colored foods in her basket.
> 
> Double bonus!



Want to transfer to my department?


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## Tigger

Hunter said:


> I went to a local grocery store to try and buy healthy food for my shift a few says ago. $15 got a pretty big premade salad, foot long sub, a pint of iced tea, and a box of those 100calorie pack of chips.



And that's just the "premade" stuff, if you're willing to make a sub for yourself you'll save even more! I make the most elaborate sandwiches for work along with a bag of fruit, a cookie or two, and some sort of semi-healthy snack food. I tallied it up one day, cost me like 5 or 6 bucks. Sure you could go to Micky Ds and get the same amount of food but it won't taste as good and won't be nearly as healthy.


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## TRSpeed

Seriously I am also 20 been working ems since 18. I feel the same way. I used to be a CC runner before now I am 20lbs heavier lol last month started bringing my own food and lots water. Running a few times a week now also.

Or

Just eat once a day. That's what I do  jk


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## Syk

I tend to stick with Subway for lunch and almonds whenever I need a snack - or catch a call on the way to a Subway. Granola bars are also pretty nifty if you're on a busy shift - though I must admit the Granola bar's seem to be an acquired taste - they are pretty cheap and rather healthy I believe. They'll also fill you up like a meal in most cases.

Also water and an hour at the gym after work before heading home for the night help to balance things a bit, at least in my personal experience. It's not too bad on a basic salary here in Mississippi.


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## Aidey

Whether or not granola bars are healthy or not depends on your definition of healthy. Most have way too much sugar and fake crap in them and not enough protein or fat.


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## TB 3541

Aidey said:


> Whether or not granola bars are healthy or not depends on your definition of healthy. Most have way too much sugar and fake crap in them and not enough protein or fat.



+1 to that. 

Carbs are broken down into sugar rapidly, which makes granola bars excellent for strenuous activity in excess of one hour, but in any other situation, all that they do (along with other high carb foods) is *spike your blood sugar*, and then when it crashes a little while later, *you feel hungry again.* A better option is something with a little fat (but not trans fat) and protein because those macro nutrients are much slower to digest, and leave you feeling full for longer. Fiber also slows digestion. Examples include the previously mentioned *almonds and other nuts.
*
There's a difference between how much food you need to feel full, and how many calories your body needs. You have to consume a certain volume in order for the stretch receptors of your stomach to indicate that you've eaten enough, but the typical American food has many more calories per volume than is naturally present. *Adding vegetables to stuff* increases the volume of food, but doesn't significantly increase the caloric content because vegetables are mostly water. By doing that, *you feel full, and get less calories.* Fruit can also be a good choice, although is typically more expensive.

I would recommend taking a *health and nutrition class* at your local community college. The ones I have taken have been absolutely life-changing for me. The homework is very little, and there wasn't even a textbook in either of my classes. Just *go in with a desire to know more*, and ask questions. I noticed that this is the difference between students who enjoy class, and students who hate school.

Sorry for the length of my lecture. I like to talk about this kind of stuff.


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## Uclabruin103

Being in Los Angeles you can find a Trader Joe's almost anywhere. They have been the best for me as far as good quality cheaper food. They also have an assortment of prepared and frozen foods that are delicious. One of my favorite cheap meals:

One package ground turkey
One can corn
One can black beans
One container freah salsa (not a jar the fresh ones)
One package taco seasoning

Brown turkey, add either 1/4 cup water or broth and add taco seasoning. Add everything else and simmer to desired thickness. 

Can eat it like a chili or bring some tortillas. 

This was my go-to 24 meal early on. This and some fruit and veggies and I was set. 

Snacks I love: 
Blue diamond dark chocolate oven roasted almonds
Bag of brocoli with some humus or TJ's dill yogurt dip


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## Devil doc

Bring your own lunch, and snacks. Trader joes is awesome. Spend about 25 bucks there on almonds walnuts and peanuts and make a huge bag of trail mix, and they always have cliff bars on sale for 99 cents. It sounds expensive but its cheaper then buying a 7 dollar meal at subway everyday.


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## Devil doc

Also try hitting up a gnc and buying a meal replacement drink, or protien drink mix, they also make a good snack and not bad when mixed with water.


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## canadadry

either you get food, or you put gas in your car for the ride home from work.


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## ltjohnson1979

*Eating healthy is easy*

If you want some ideas on eating healthy, on a budget, get some lettuce and sandwich meat and make a lettuce wrap with some cheese in it. Also the other thing you can do is work on getting a food dehydrator and dehydrate some fruit along with some veggies. All this will help you eat healthier and save some money in the long run it make take a little bit but you will save money and also you will be eating healthier.


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## eprex

Depending on where you live, bringing food from home is the only way to really eat healthily. It can be expensive but it's most likely cheaper than eating out. I see people dropping $10 or more on a meal every day.

There are lots of healthy things you can cook in bulk like grilled chicken, turkey, fish, chili, beans, and vegetables. Canned tuna should be your new friend because it's relatively cheap and excellent for you. Don't worry about having a couple of cans a week in terms of mercury. Oatmeal for breakfast, protein shakes (with natural whey not that garbage you buy with additives and sweeteners). Lots of water and basically anything that isn't calorically-dense.

Things like mixed nuts (especially cashews, walnuts, almonds), dark chocolate, and fruit make great snacks as well. 

It's a lot more work to eat healthily but you have to understand that it's an investment. Most people will say "I knew a guy who ran marathons and dropped dead at 30" but guess what? For every one of "those guys" there's millions of obese people and people with hypertension. Nature and nurture work together so why treat your body like crap?


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## eprex

Devil doc said:


> Also try hitting up a gnc and buying a meal replacement drink, or protien drink mix, they also make a good snack and not bad when mixed with water.



A lot of those are garbage though. A lot of their calories come from maltodextrin. I'm not totally opposed to muscle milk but it's not cheap and it still has artificial sweeteners. You can make your own form of muscle milk and it'll probably be cheaper.


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## EMTIFT

Fruits, especially bannanas. Around 20 cents each. Cheap, Healthy, Fills you up, and easy to package and manage


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## rujero

I am a big fan of several inexpensive healthy foods. This is pretty much all I eat and I have lost 35 lbs in 4 months without the gym. My energy levels have been higher too.

Drinks
1. Water (with lemon)
2. Tea (green or black)
3. V8 or generic equivalent (low Sodium version)

Foods
1. Tuna (in water, strained)
2. Brown rice
3. Hard boiled eggs (no yolks)
4. Raw vegetables (celery, carrots, broccoli)
5. Raw fruit (apples, pears, plums, bananas)
6. Roasted almonds
7. Make your own salad

Now if you add sugar to your tea, mayo to your tuna, butter to your rice, salt to your eggs, peanut butter to your celery ect then these foods become less healthy, but all of them are relatively cheap. They have good shelf life in the fridge and cover most of your dietary needs. I also take a multi vitamin and calcium supplement every day to get what I may be missing. If you eat small servings of this stuff continuously throughout your shift instead of a couple large meals your metabolism will constantly be going and you will get to a healthy weight and stable level of nutrition. It can really make a difference in your energy level, your skin, your sleep quality and other things people usually don't associate with diet.

-r


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## Brandon275

Pretty much what everyone said is what i would suggest as far as bringing your lunch and dinner ETC from home.  Make sure you pack enough snacks such as nutri-grain bars, maybe some string cheese, wheat thins ETC.  Also don't buy sodas and try to avoid the midnight runs to McDonalds if your busy in the middle of the night and you get hungry.  I got in a bad habit of eating unhealthy when i started in EMS 6 years ago.

I went from 170lbs to 195 lbs in a year or two after being in the business.  two summers ago I went on a serious diet and I now weigh 163lbs and I almost never buy lunch or dinner unless I must and even then it is subway or a salad of some kind.


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## STXmedic

Not like this...


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## Handsome Robb

PoeticInjustice said:


> View attachment 1315
> 
> Not like this...



Haha! Looks tasty, you're going to have to go on an extra long bike ride later lol. We arrived to work today to find two one gallon bags stuffed with candy inside that said "For the 'kids'  ". Needless to say, we will have candy in our truck for the next 2 months haha


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## STXmedic

NVRob said:


> Haha! Looks tasty, you're going to have to go on an extra long bike ride later lol. We arrived to work today to find two one gallon bags stuffed with candy inside that said "For the 'kids'  ". Needless to say, we will have candy in our truck for the next 2 months haha



Haha already planning on two runs today! I hate when people bring over all that stuff; I have to try and eat all of it :sad:


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## Socal EMT

Clif bars are the BEST for energy!


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## RichLew

Fruits for sure. Or buy foods on sale, in bulk and prepare meals at the start of the week.


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## NYMedic828

Socal EMT said:


> Clif bars are the BEST for energy!



Almost every "bar" you buy is loaded with garbage you shouldn't be eating or full of carbs.


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## TheLocalMedic

I heard a funny story from a friend...  Some guy apparently went around to a bunch of the fire stations in Oakland giving the crews watermelons because he thought they would be a healthy and hydrating snack for the hot summer day.  All was going well until one of the crews thought he was being racist (the crew was all black) and sent him packing.  Sigh...  even the best intentions...


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## PotatoMedic

Anyone have good breakfast recipes?  I dont get off till 9 and would like to eat breakfast.  Hard boiled eggs are good... but I think eating them 3 times a week will get old.


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## b2dragun

I know most people will disagree with this but I swear by it and I have been doing it for 9 months.  Google "Chaos and Pain" and look for his Predator diet.  I would only recommend this if you work out.  It is a ton of protein shakes, but I can get protein shakes in anytime during my shift.  I am never hungry and I feel great.  The guy that writes the blog is a pioneer, he is also strong as :censored::censored::censored::censored:.  I eat for $60/week following his program.


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## NYMedic828

Really? I don't feel like I've eaten anything after a protein shake. Its just flavored water. It has nutrients but it isn't filling to the stomach.


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## AGill01

I try to prepare foods at home to take with me. That way my husband has stuff to eat while I am gone and I don't have to go out and buy fast food while at work. There are times we have a long distance transfer so we have to eat on the road but we take snacks to so we aren't starving by the time we stop to eat.


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## rujero

UPDATE: Now I have lost a total of 51lbs with this diet in 6 months with no exercise. Now that I am more or less at my target weight, I will modify this diet to include more protein and electrolytes as I move toward the next stage: Light Lifting (body weight exercises). My portions will need to increase slightly as well.

-r



rujero said:


> I am a big fan of several inexpensive healthy foods. This is pretty much all I eat and I have lost 35 lbs in 4 months without the gym. My energy levels have been higher too.
> 
> Drinks
> 1. Water (with lemon)
> 2. Tea (green or black)
> 3. V8 or generic equivalent (low Sodium version)
> 
> Foods
> 1. Tuna (in water, strained)
> 2. Brown rice
> 3. Hard boiled eggs (no yolks)
> 4. Raw vegetables (celery, carrots, broccoli)
> 5. Raw fruit (apples, pears, plums, bananas)
> 6. Roasted almonds
> 7. Make your own salad
> 8. Fat free light yogurt.
> 
> Now if you add sugar to your tea, mayo to your tuna, butter to your rice, salt to your eggs, peanut butter to your celery ect then these foods become less healthy, but all of them are relatively cheap. They have good shelf life in the fridge and cover most of your dietary needs. I also take a multi vitamin and calcium supplement every day to get what I may be missing. If you eat small servings of this stuff continuously throughout your shift instead of a couple large meals your metabolism will constantly be going and you will get to a healthy weight and stable level of nutrition. It can really make a difference in your energy level, your skin, your sleep quality and other things people usually don't associate with diet.
> 
> -r


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## Hunter

rujero said:


> UPDATE: Now I have lost a total of 51lbs with this diet in 6 months with no exercise. Now that I am more or less at my target weight, I will modify this diet to include more protein and electrolytes as I move toward the next stage: Light Lifting (body weight exercises). My portions will need to increase slightly as well.
> 
> -r


that seems kinda rough and very strict, no chicken or turkey to mix it up?


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## Sasquatch

As many others have said; healthy homemade pre-prepped meals. Or Subway ^_^


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## stickclicks

I am new to EMS and still adapting to the schedule but I find myself snacking through my shift (only 12 hours) instead of eating a big meal half way through. I'll buy bulk ingredients and make up 2 weeks worth of trail mix and dried fruit. I might pack a PB&J or some salsa and corn tortilla chips too. Even though I am a vegetarian and avoid dairy if possible, I still enjoy a warm meal, which is next to impossible as we don't have stations to go to during our shifts. I agree with most everyone who says bringing food from home is the way to go. There are way too many tempting fast food joints to screw up a diet, be proactive and don't put yourself in the position of having to "find food" on shift as that is when you splurge and end up with the Arby's Entrails Special. Instead, always have some food with you. ^_^


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