It’s easy but greasy. What is it? Fast food, of course. It can be incredibly tempting to subsist off of whatever you find at the truck stop, but this kind of diet is hard on a trucker’s body. Top off an unhealthy diet with sitting and driving for hours on end, and you have a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, there are some simple ways truck drivers can prepare their own food and adopt better eating habits on the road. It does take a little more effort, but the work is worth it in the long run. Your body will thank you.
Install Cooking Equipment
First thing’s first – you have to have cooking equipment to be able to cook food. If you don’t already have them, invest in a good quality mini fridge, microwave, stove or hot plate, and even a crock pot. These gadgets will give you the freedom to decide exactly what you eat and when. It isn’t difficult to pick up some basic cooking skills you can use to prepare simple, delicious, healthy meals.
Choose Simple, Healthy Foods
Foods such as eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, apples, bananas, grapes, chicken, spinach, potatoes, asparagus, pasta, rice, avocados, beans, and more are easy to prepare, and you can make a variety of meals from just these simple items. As long as you have a refrigerator in your truck, you can store fresh vegetables for cooking. If not, canned is a less healthy but easier option. Most fruits do not need to be refrigerated, and apples or bananas dipped in protein-rich peanut butter make a great snack. Another healthy dry snacking option is almonds, peanuts or cashews. Just try to avoid heavily salted varieties, which are high in unhealthy sodium. Meal replacement items such as protein bars can be useful on occasion, but you should avoid relying on them on a regular basis. It’s important to keep healthy snacks in your cab in order to reduce the need for stopping at fast food joints.
Try Meal Prepping
It isn’t convenient, but once you get into a routine it becomes easier each time. Meal prepping is the idea of preparing your food for the next few days or the week on one single day ahead of time. Now, this might not sound like the most enjoyable use of your precious home time, but you can always turn meal prep day into an activity for the whole family! Make an assembly line, put on a movie or some tunes, and prep away. You can freeze the meals and store them
Safety First
Obviously you should never attempt to cook while behind the wheel. Most appliances you will need can be powered by a 12-V battery. You should avoid appliances that use propane, since they can be unsafe to use in the closed quarters of a truck. Keep a careful eye on anything you are cooking, and be sure that if you do have an open flame, you keep other objects away from it and do not leave it unattended.
Learn From the Pros
At United Truck Driving School in Murfreesboro, TN, all of our instructors have a minimum of 8 years experience on the road. You can count on them to pass on not only their tips for safe driving, but also for creating a good lifestyle when you’re away from home.