Snack Attack
By Carolyn Magner
Eating small, nutritious snacks throughout the day helps keep your blood sugar levels steady and your hunger at bay. But not all snacks are created equal, and you can add on the pounds by choosing snacks loaded with fat, calories and sugar. Your best protection against impulse snacking is to pack your snacks before you go on the road. Read food labels! Be on alert for snacks advertised as “healthy” that are instead full of sugar, sodium and calories.
Good snack choices
• A palm-size amount of unsalted almonds, sunflower seeds or walnuts
• Apples
• Carrots/celery sticks
• Zucchini circles
• Broccoli spears and cauliflower
• Unsalted rice cakes
• Popcorn (plain/no salt)
Thirst quencher
• Water (flavor with fresh fruit or cucumber slices)
• Fat-free milk
• Unsweetened fruit juice
• Low-sodium tomato/vegetable juice
Satisfying
• Low-fat or fat-free cheese (string or cubes)
• Plain, low-fat/fat-free yogurt
• Plain bagel
Sweet tooth
HEALTHY CRUNCH -- Toss 23 almonds into a baggie for a tasty 63-calorie, high fiber, heart-healthy snack that has vitamin E and alpha-linolenic acid.
• Unsweetened canned fruit
• Raisins
• Fresh or dried fruit
(Source: American Heart Association)
Go For the Goal 2012
Name: Robert (Bobby) Andersen
Location: Rienzi, Miss.
Trucking: Drives for ACCO/GBC/Quartet in Booneville, Miss.
Age: 42
Weight: 280 pounds
Height: 6 feet
Goal: To lose 90 pounds and reduce my blood pressure.
In my words: I am an over-the-road trucker and a former Marine with two tours in Iraq behind me. Unfortunately, I am no longer a fighting machine. Instead, I am an eating machine and am 90 pounds overweight. I started out at 300 pounds, and my 2012 goal is to learn how to eat healthy in and out of the truck. I want to exercise and lower my blood pressure. I’m addicted to pizza and barbecue. It is a struggle to keep from buying junk food. I eat without even thinking about it.
My nutrition plan includes traveling with an electric cooler, microwave, blender and small grill so I can prepare healthy meals when I’m on the road. My exercise plan is to ride my mountain bike and work out with weights and a portable stepper.
If you have a health goal you are trying to achieve and would like to be featured in Truckers News, please send your info to [email protected] or scan this QR code with your smartphone or tablet.
