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Janel Ovrut MS RD LDN from Eat Well with Janel
In my opinion, no other decade in our life is as diverse as our twenty-something years. You could go from living in a dorm room at college, to starting your first desk job, living on your own (and cooking too!), to marrying, and starting a family – all in a span of your 20s!
How are you supposed to healthfully handle the twenty-something years? Many 20-somethings are constantly on the go and choosing fast food or convenience foods, which may be high in fat, sugar and sodium and low in nutritional value. But eating well and staying active in this decade can be simple.
Elisa Zied MS RD CDN
Cooking at home may seem stressful for someone who is living in her own place for the first time, and navigating around an oftentimes teeny apartment kitchen. And most recipes serve multiple people, so it can seem wasteful to make all those meals when dining solo. My tip? Make big-batch meals and freeze single serve portions in glass containers for future dinners or leftover lunches. This will cut down on the amount of times you need to cook each week, and you’ll have home-cooked meals in a pinch that you can defrost and heat up in minutes. Elisa Zied, FFYWL speaker, agrees. “You don’t have to cook a whole meal! You can always lightly sauté veggies and chicken breast in olive oil, onion and garlic powder, for example and serve alongside some instant rice and voila!, you have a healthy delicious meal in no time. You can make double the amount you’ll eat and save it for leftovers the next day.”
After starting your first desk job, you may find that all of that sitting on your bottom is resulting in a slightly bigger bottom. Even during your 9-5 you can find time to move. Create desktop reminders to take a walk around the office to stretch your legs. “Set aside at least ten solid minutes each hour to get up and move; go talk to a friend, take a short, brisk walk, and/or stretch…if you can get some fresh air and sunlight that’s even better!” recommends Zied. Why not use a stability ball to sit on instead of a desk chair to work those core muscles while at your desk?
Finally, be prepared. If working long hours, juggling school and a job, or starting a family is leaving you less time to focus on nutrition, make a point to have healthy foods on hand for when you’ll need them most. Crackers, nuts, dried fruit, and small cans of water-packed tuna can provide you with food in a snap at work. Keep granola bars in your car and gym back in case your stomach starts to growl while you’re on the go. Have unsweetened applesauce in the cabinet, and frozen veggies in the freezer so you always have fruit and veggies when you’re in a jam and don’t have fresh on hand.
Let’s face it – with a new job…boyfriend…apartment…kitchen…family – you might find it hard to focus on food. But with a few simple tweaks, your twenty-something years can be the prime time to get your nutrition in tip-top shape.
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Our guest blogger this week is Janel Ovrut of EatWellwithJanelBlog.com. She is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree from the Nutrition Communication program at Tufts University in Boston, and a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Syracuse University. Janel is passionate about good food and enjoys helping others realize simple steps to take to improve eating habits…one bite at a time. Check out EatWellwithJanel.com for more about Janel and her work.
You can also follow Janel on Twitter!
