Eating healthy on the road is not impossible but truck driving jobs do make it harder. Although, it is possible! First, let’s look at the facts – 7 in 10 long-haul drivers are obese. Obesity increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, cancer, heart disease, sleep apnea, and joint pain. If you want to see if you’re obese, enter your weight and height into this BMI calculator. Did you know that losing weight and maintaining your overall health is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise? Gain control of your health by changing your mindset. Don’t think about healthy eating as a diet, but as living a healthier lifestyle. Here are 5 tips to help you live a healthier lifestyle!

1. Healthy Food Options

As we said above, 80% of health is about nutrition. There are plenty of nutritious and flavorful food you can buy on the road, and there are plenty of easy and filling recipes that you can pack and take with you.

Fruit/Veggies and Peanut Butter

This is a great snack for the road, you can pack this up in bulk and keep it in your truck’s refrigerator, or you can buy this at many gas stations. The best part is that you can customize this to whichever fruit or vegetable you’d like. Peanut Butter is a great source of protein and can be paired with apples, celery, bananas, carrots, etc. If you are allergic to peanuts, there are many healthy non-peanut spread options, which are linked here.

Popcorn

Air-popped popcorn is a solid nutritional choice. A popular brand of air-popped popcorn, Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn, is only 75 calories per cup. Other brands of air-popped popcorn such as, Skinny Pop Popcorn Original, are only 39 calories per cup. With Skinny Pop Popcorn, you can eat 3.75 cups of popcorn for only 150 calories. This is a great snack to stockpile in your cab.

McDonald’s Options:

McDonalds, the golden child of unhealthy food restaurants, although, there are a few healthy options at the golden arches.

• Egg White McMuffin
• Yogurt Parfait
• Fruit and Oatmeal
• Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad

Other Healthy Foods for Fast-Food Restaurants:

• Burger King’s Chicken, Apple & Cranberry Salad
• Grilled Chicken Sandwiches: Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A, and McDonald’s all have great chicken sandwiches
• Chipotle: Chicken Burrito Bowl with brown rice and pinto beans, no cheese or sour cream. This perfectly priced, and protein packed.

2. Eat more times, but with smaller portions

Don’t wait until you are completely starving to eat a meal. Waiting that long can lead you to overeat. To keep you fuller for longer, it is best to eat smaller meals more times a day.

3. Stock up

This is to prevent unhealthy impulse buying and eating! Have you ever bought a mountain of junk food because you got hungry and needed snacks? Stop that! Keep yourself on the healthy train by keeping your refrigerator and cab stocked with healthy food. Whenever you need a snack, just grab one from the refrigerator. Good snacks to keep on-hand are air-popped popcorn and apples and peanut butter.

4. Watch the Sugary Drinks

Sugary drinks are where most people fall off the train. Sugar is a major cause of obesity and many other illnesses. People who consume 1 to 2 cans or more a day of a sugary beverage are at a 26% greater risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. In a study that followed 40,000 men for 20 years found that those who on average consumed one can of a sugary beverage a day had a 20% higher chance of having a heart attack or dying from one. A similar study for women found a similar heart disease link.

The point is to drink more water! Did you know, fatigue is a sign that you haven’t drunk enough water. If you need more spice in your water, you can add flavor and energy add-ons to your water such as MiO drops. Another healthy alternative to an energy drink is V8+ energy. You can also take vitamin B12 supplements to support your natural energy.

5. Exercise

A workout can be as short as 15 minutes, as long as you are hitting your target heart rate. Find your target heart rate here. Some easy and gym-free exercises include: walking, push-ups, planks, tricep dips, biking, etc.

6. Got to the doctor

When looking for truck driving jobs, look for logistics companies with medical benefits. An annual check-up with your general practitioner is a good preventative measure. Stay healthy by preventing illnesses! An annual meeting will make sure your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight are all in check. This is also a good time to check for any anomalous lumps or bumps that may be cancer.

Work for a company that cares about your health – Mid South Transport

If you are looking for truck driving jobs in the midsouth, take a look at Mid South Transport! There are truck driving jobs available in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, MO, NC, OH, TN, VA. Working for Mid South Transport ensures many benefits such as 100% no touch freight, 401k with company match, sign-on bonus, safe driving bonus, and much more! Mid South Transport also offers great single and family medical and dental insurance coverage. Single employees can get medical insurance coverage for $6 a week. Interested in joining the Mid South Transport fleet? Contact Denis Manus at (901) 332-8600 ext. 118 or email denisem@midsouthtransport.com.