A Tutor's Got to Eat What a Tutor's Got to Eat

You know the feeling. It's 6:30 in the evening and you are on the road to your 2nd or 3rd student for the day. Everyone's homes smell like delicious food. But you have 3 hours until you return home for your evening meal.

What do you do?

I tell ya, I have a stock of my go-to super foods that I keep in my car. I also have an emergency baggie in my tutoring bag. At any given moment, there will be a bag or can of nuts, any variety, I especially like honey roasted peanuts or salted cashews, but I also grab a bag of mixed nuts, or toasted almonds. I also usually have one or two protein or energy bars. I like Special K, but also will grab other brands when they are on sale. I often have some sort of chocolate back up, like mini Hershey's or a bag of M&Ms, maybe a Snickers. The emergency bag in my tutoring bag are hard candies, mints or cinnamon, that will give me that quick "stop growing stomach" I need after 35 minutes of smelling Mrs. Thompson's meat loaf! They also help if I get a little tickle in my throat and my water bottle is getting low.

Are these healthy choices? Maybe, maybe not. Some weeks I do better than others. But it got me thinking. What about other tutors? Is this a problem we all face? Wouldn't it be nice to have a list of go-to-foods that are quick and easy (able to be eaten on the road in between students), non-bad-breath-causing, and healthy TOO!?

So here's a list of foods I've found, through various sources, along with their benefits/disadvantages.

Photo Courtesy of Tony the Tiger at http://goo.gl/Lvi72i

• Nuts and Seeds. These are great for you in just about every variety. (Although, some people may have allergies.) Here's what the experts over at WebMD have to say about adding seeds and nuts to your daily diet: "Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E, says Pratt, explaining that higher levels of vitamin E correspond with less cognitive decline as you get older. Add an ounce a day of walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed, and unhydrogenated nut butters such as peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini. Raw or roasted doesn't matter, although if you're on a sodium-restricted diet, buy unsalted nuts." I buy my seeds and nuts in bulk, then I mix them and season if I'm feeling like it, and separate into Ziploc baggies. I keep a bag in my van because the cold and heat don't bother the nuts! I always have an easy brain boost if I need it between students :) 

  

  Photo Courtesy of http://goo.gl/fIib68

• Whole Grain Cereals. You might be thinking, "What, I'm no 2 year old!" But listen up, if the stuff is good for their growing minds, wouldn't you think it's good for yours as well? Read what the WebMDs have to say about. "Whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain breads, and brown rice can reduce the risk for heart disease. "Every organ in the body is dependent on blood flow," says Pratt. "If you promote cardiovascular health, you're promoting good flow to the organ system, which includes the brain." While wheat germ is not technically a whole grain, it also goes on Kulze's "superfoods" list because in addition to fiber, it has vitamin E and some omega-3s. Kulze suggests 1/2 cup of whole-grain cereal, 1 slice of bread two-thee times day, or 2 tablespoons of wheat germ a day." This is another great snack to prepare ahead of time. Keep a few baggies already prepare. But I wouldn't store these in your car, I've done that before, and the heat in the summertime definitely ruins a nice bag of multigrain Cheerios! They get sticky and soft. YUCK! SO, you need to keep these in a cool dry place in the house, but grab them when you don't have time to eat before your first lesson.  

Photo Courtesy of http://goo.gl/PjvIw2

• Chocolate, or more accurately Dark Chocolate. In a bar, a drop, a kiss...you name it! The folks over at FitDay say this little snack has TONS of health benefits, from helping control blood sugar to improving cognitive functions. I don't know about you, but 3 students in for the evening with 2 to go, I can use a little balance and clarity! They also said that dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants.   "Antioxidants help free your body of free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to cells. Free radicals are implicated in the aging process and may be a cause of cancer, so eating antioxidant rich foods like dark chocolate can protect you from many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging." I already mentioned i keep a few mini candy bars on hand in my car...not so much in the summer though. I guess I need to be making sure these are DARK chocolate from now on!

Do you have a favorite on the go snack? Share it with the rest of us!

Sources used in this post include FitDay @ http://goo.gl/F5V3sl and WebMd @ http://goo.gl/QP3REr