9 ways to make healthier food choices (even when you’re exhausted)
Eating well regularly can be a challenge — especially after an exhausting day. And while it may be harder to make smart choices when you’re tired, it’s not impossible. Here’s how to get started.
Stash grab-and-go snacks
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Keeping nonperishable snacks in your desk and car (weather permitting) can curb the temptation to reach for convenience foods. Snacks like nuts, seeds, jerky, roasted chickpeas and popcorn can help stabilize your blood sugar and make it (way) easier to steer clear of the drive-thru on the way home from work.
Double up on prep
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If meal prep isn’t your thing (or your schedule makes it a difficult habit to maintain), prep as you go by cooking more than you think you’ll need each time you’re making a meal — say, double or triple. The more versatile the foods (think: brown rice, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, tuna salad), the more mix-and-match options you’ll have to choose from.
Make extra servings (and freeze them)
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Sure, frozen meals are convenient, but they can get pricey, and so can throwing out leftovers that you can’t stand to look at anymore. Solve both problems by dividing your leftovers into single-serve portions and freezing them in storage containers or bags. After a few cooking sprees, you’ll have a variety of ready-to-heat homemade meals to choose from.
Plan out your indulgences
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Sometimes when you’re craving something sweet, you’re not going to stop fantasizing about it until you give in to the craving — especially when you’re tired. Go ahead and indulge, but in a planned, moderate way. For example, if you have a nightly chocolate craving, keep two Hershey’s kisses out on your counter to satisfy it.
‘Meal prep’ your snacks
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At the beginning of the week, lay out five small containers and fill them with healthy snacks — like nuts, dried fruit and whole-grain crackers — and do your best not to buy any other snacks for the week. You’ll satisfy your need for a snack, but the pre-planned healthier options won’t weigh you down.
Organize a dinner swap with friends
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Organize a meal swap, where you all cook one large healthy meal, and swap portions. Put servings into individual containers and, voila, one healthy meal for every night of the week.
Satisfy cravings with healthier substitutions
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Swap your heaping dish of ice cream for a 6-ounce cup of Greek yogurt or your box of chocolates for a chocolate-flavored protein bar. You’ll get to enjoy the textures and flavors of your underlying craving, and the protein in these picks will help keep you fuller longer.
Choose your dinner during your lunch break
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If you know you’re going to be working late, keep a list of healthy restaurants on standby that are on your route home. Check out the menus ahead of time and bookmark the healthiest meals available at each establishment so you can make an informed decision, even when you’re crunched for time.
Stick to recipes you love
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Keep a stash of five to 10 “greatest hits” recipes on hand — ones you know are quick to make and you can put together without much fuss. The more you love (and possibly even drool over) the recipes, the less you’ll let a little thing like being tired get in the way of enjoying a healthy meal.
Coronavirus propels bigger push to get Tucsonans to get flu shot
UpdatedAs summer becomes fall and influenza season approaches, health-care professionals around Pima County are repeating the same refrain: Get the flu shot.
Arizonans typically don’t take influenza as seriously as people do elsewhere. But this year that could mean overwhelming hospital workers already busy with coronavirus patients.
In 2018-2019, Arizona was one of 10 states nationwide with the lowest rates of influenza immunization, with 42.6% of the population getting the shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
“We’re hoping more people than usual will get the flu shot this year while also continuing to practice ways to prevent spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Liz Connick, chief of the infectious-diseases division at the University of Arizona and Banner-University Medical Center.
“Hospitals are already overburdened by COVID, so please do your part and get your flu shot.”
The Pima County Health Department has solicited the help of two agencies, Mollen Flu Shots and Passport Health, to reach more of the population here this year.
They will be prioritizing places where people congregate and live, like assisted- living facilities and long-term-care centers, as well as places where they can reach high-risk groups, said Crystal Rambaud, the vaccine-preventable diseases manager for Pima County.
Rambaud said people who need a flu shot and can’t get it from a primary care provider can use the Vaccine Finder to find out where the closest location is to get the shot.
Residents can also log on to the Pima County Health Department flu vaccine information page. Additionally, she said, many pharmacies have the flu shot on hand now.
Most people can get immunized for free through the county depending on inventory and insurance, so Rambaud urges people to call ahead and check. Most insurance companies cover a flu vaccine at no cost.
“People can also purchase a shot for $10 or $15, but we don’t want to charge people,” she said. “The flu vaccination is important every year, but this year it’s more important than ever. We don’t have this opportunity with COVID, but we do with the flu.”
People can still become infected with influenza after being vaccinated but will typically experience a milder illness of shorter duration, she said, and are less likely to be hospitalized or die.
It usually takes about two weeks for the shot to begin to work, Connick said. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October, she said, with outbreaks typically peaking in December and January.
Symptoms for influenza and coronavirus are similar, she said, and clinicians generally won’t be able to tell the difference without testing. She said health-care professionals are anticipating some people will get infected with both.
Some people have wondered whether it would help to get one flu shot in the fall and one in mid-winter, but Connick said studies show that’s only potentially helpful for organ transplant patients who have had their immune systems medically suppressed to avoid organ rejection.
She said people should keep doing what they are already doing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19: social-distancing, wearing masks in public places and frequent hand-washing or hand-sanitizing.
Photos for May 29: Tucson gets by during Coronavirus Pandemic
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sport masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID19 restrictions, May 23, 2020, Tucson, Ariz. The bull previously had a mask on the testicles.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Michelle Leon Cordova, right, mother, and her son Sahuarita High School senior Lino Cordova, whom is fighting cancer, wave at staff members from Diamonds Children Center, friends and the Marana Police Department during a car parade, celebrating Lino's graduation, outside of his home on May 13, 2020 in Sahuarita, Ariz. Cordova stood on the sidewalk while the team from Diamond Children Center, friends and the Marana police department gave Cordova a graduation gar parade. Cordova was given a gift basket with his favorite snacks, gift cards as well as other items he enjoys. The car parade, also, celebrated another graduating senior fighting cancer from Empire High School, Noah Nieto. Nieto, also, received a gift basket with snacks, gift cards and other items Lino enjoys.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Michelle Leon Cordova, right, mother, brings celebration balloons to a car after staff members from Diamonds Children Center, friends and the Marana Police Department celebrate Sahuarita High School senior Lino Cordova, whom is fighting cancer, graduation with a car parade outside of his home on May 13, 2020 in Sahuarita, Ariz. Cordova stood on the sidewalk while the team from Diamond Children Center, friends and the Marana police department gave Cordova a graduation gar parade. Cordova was given a gift basket with his favorite snacks, gift cards as well as other items he enjoys. The car parade, also, celebrated another graduating senior fighting cancer from Empire High School, Noah Nieto. Nieto, also, received a gift basket with snacks, gift cards and other items Lino enjoys.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Personnel from Tucson Medical Center line the heliport to watch A-10's from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's 355th Wing and F-16's from the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing make a pass over the facility, one leg of an area wide community flyover, May 14, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Nancy Celix-Campos, right, a respitory therapist at Tucson Medical Center, watches the military flyover with her daughters, Giana, 12, and Jazmyn, 8, from Sentinel Peak on May 14, 2020. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from Arizona Air National GuardÕs 162nd Wing and two A-10 Thunderbolt II's from the 355th Wing, assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, fly over Tucson area hospitals to honor healthcare personnel and first responders as they are some of the frontline workers dealing with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) head on. "It's been an exhausting two to three months," says Campos, "it's pretty cool, I like how they're going by each hospital."
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing and two A-10 Thunderbolt II's from the 355th Wing, assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, fly over Northwest Medical Center north of Tucson on May 14, 2020.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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A letter carrier portrait on the Ok Market building, located in the Armory Park neighborhood, is adorned with a face mask on May 18, 2020.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Rosemary Garcia waits for a family member outside of a store at Park Place Mall, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd., in Tucson, Ariz. on May 19, 2020. Malls reopened today under CDC guidelines and Gov. Ducey's new rules for businesses due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Park Place Mall has signs throughout the mall reminding customers to keep a six feet distance as well as hand sanitizer stations near each entrance. About half of the tables in the food court have been removed to allow for social distances as well as less than half of the stores have opened with new guidelines. Of the stores open, only 10 customers are allowed to shop in each store at a time.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Pat Schlote steams clothing before it is put on the sales floor at the Golden Goose Thrift Shop in Catalina, Ariz., on May 21, 2020.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Ada Contreras, teaching assistant, looks through containers while reorganizing toys at Herencia Guadalupana Lab School, 6740 S. in Tucson, Ariz. on May 21, 2020. As Child care centers begin to re-open when they are ready, Herencia Guadalupana Lab School is reorganizing and cleaning everything in the facility before re-opening on June 2. To allow for social distancing and decrease the amount of items children touch, Herencia Guadalupana Lab School has sheds where items will go as well as placing items in containers organized by category.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Jen Martinez, right, softball coach, teaches Skylar Reilly about hitting during a session at Centerfield Baseball Academy, 5120 S. Julian Dr., in Tucson, Ariz. on May 21, 2020. After re-opening on Monday, Centerfield Baseball Academy has implemented new policies in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic such as wearing masks, cleaning, signage, hand sanitizer and limiting the amount of people inside the facility.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Karl Bosma, left, and George Cantua, with facilities and maintenance, lay down stickers to mark six-foot separation distance around one of the baggage carousels, part of the efforts at Tucson International Airport to work within the restrictions of COVID19, May 22, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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A lone passenger waits for a flight near one of the shuttered restaurants in the B Gates before Memorial Day at Tucson International Airport on May 22, 2020.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Drew Cooper on the stage in the St. Philip's Plaza courtyard, May 22, 2020, Tucson, Ariz., where live music is back on the schedule.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Many people visit Tumamoc Hill during the first day of Tumamoc's re-opening in Tucson, Ariz. on May 25, 2020. After being closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Tumamoc Hill re-opened with some modifications. There are hand sanitizer stations throughout the hike to the top as well as arrows, spaced 10-ft apart, lined up and down the hill. Some runners, hikers and walkers are also wearing masks during their hike. "The steps we are taking aim to provide our community with needed exercise, connection to our beautiful desert and a sense of comfort in such a trying time, while balancing the fact that gathering as a community endangers each of us and our loved ones. This is an unprecedented challenge that we are taking extremely seriously," said Benjamin T. Wilder, director of Tumamoc Hill. Visitors are also asked to limit their group to three people and to not touch the gate at the top of the hill- a tradition for some who make it to the top. "This is a time when we need to establish new traditions and adapt in a creative manner that embraces empathy, unity, care and patience," Wilder said.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Pen Macias, artist, works on part 2 of a mural for a client on E. Broadway Rd., between S. Columbus Blvd. and S. Alvernon Way, in Tucson, Ariz. on May 25, 2020. Macias, known as The Desert Pen, has been working on her clients mural for the past three months. "It's the one thing I love, I have a passion for and the only thing I could be happy doing," said Macias. The mural represents her client, a single mother of four who works in the health care field. One half of the mural is dedicated to the connection between mothers and their children. The other half is dedicated to the connection between nurses and patients. The client wanted some positivity in the mural to show how nurses give a piece of themselves to their patients hence the puzzle pieces in the nurse and the patients, said Macias.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Christina Cortinas, posing at her home, May 28, 2020, Tucson, Ariz., with a photo of her and her mother, Catherine Rodriguez, in San Diego, 1991. Rodriguez is currently in assisted living and fighting COVID19. Cortinas hasn't seen her mother in months, the longest such span in her life.
Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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Ruben Lopez looks through handouts while attending a Eviction Resource Fair with his family outside the Pima County Justice Court.
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