On paper, eating healthy is easy.  Just follow the food pyramid and your body will be a well fed, lean and productive machine.  (And by the way, if you haven't noticed, the government's nutrition guidelines looks NOTHING like they years ago - so much for the Four basic food groups and the 'older' pyramids.  OK, so maybe this isn't easy even on paper!)

In real life, making smart food choices consistently is a challenge.  There's waaay too many factors that get in the way and defeat our good intentions.  Traveling, lack of time, birthday parties, holiday dinners, cravings......the list could go on and on.  Nurses especially have a lot working against them:  long shifts, lack of options, no ability to go out and pick something up, no cooking abilities, exhaustive work, and lack of time.  Understandably, it's very difficult to make the best choices related to food with so many obstacles in the way.



Many Nurses, especially those working at night after the cafeteria has closed, get together and place a group delivery order from a local shop.  If nothing else, delivery represents a hot meal brought to the unit that requires no prep time.  As one zillion articles throughout every form of media will tell you, fast food is generally higher in calories, fat and sodium, and tends to lack vitamins and minerals.  But with Nursing profession, it many times is the only option for food besides the junk in the vending machine.

If you're found in the situation where everybody is ordering Fast Food, don't worry - you can still make smart choices.  This article does a great job of summing up what you should avoid when ordering out.  It outlines things to look for on a menu - regardless of the restaurant - that will help you stay slim, while still feeling satisfied.  For example, good items to look for include:

Grilled chicken or fish sandwich Whole wheat rolls Fruit or fruit and yogurt Baked potato (with vegetables instead of cheese, butter or sour cream) Salad with dressing on the side or fat free salad dressing

Single hamburger (regular or children's size) Low fat deli sandwiches on wheat bread or on pita bread Wraps on whole wheat tortillas (without dressing) Fat free / low fat milk or water

In terms of the Big Five (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, KFC) and what specifically to order, this link sums it up nicely and offers great tips.

Locally here in NJ, there are a LOT of reasonable options that will deliver to some of our big hospitals.  We'll start a list of places with great health conscience menus (below) - if you have more suggestions, fire away - we'll update. 


ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, Rahway NJ

• Tarantella's Restaurant, Clark.  Get the Whole Wheat pizza with low fat cheese....AMAZING, better-for-you pizza that you don't need to feel guilty about.

ENGLEWOOD HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER, Englewood NJ

• Baumgart's Cafe, Englewood

VALLEY HOSPITAL, Ridgewood NJ

• Baumgart's Cafe, Ridgewood
• Dim Sum Dynasty, Ridgewood (get Brown Rice, something on the Sizzling menu)

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