Life On The Road

Healthy living begins with good nutrition
by Jack Kelsh

As an over-the-road professional, I know how tough it is to lose weight when the deck is stacked against you, yet I lost 175 pounds in 18 months. As I outlined in the last issue of Pro Trucker magazine, I did it the old-fashioned way—through diet and exercise—and so can you.
     In this issue of Over the Road, let’s take a brief look at some nutritional information. Here are a few things to remember:
• Stay away from refined foods. I call them “pre-chewed” foods. This includes almost everything that comes in a can or has a label. Heating is required in the canning process. This kills the live enzymes that naturally occur in foods. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten fresh. Sometimes frozen is good, as long as there is no added sugar. I like to munch on fresh string beans or snow pea pods, raw. Eat them just like you would chips. Never cook or eat cooked fruits and veggies. They don’t need to be cooked. It just kills them.
•    Eat six meals a day, and don’t skip breakfast. It’s OK to eat until you are full, but then stop! Don’t keep eating until you are completely stuffed. You’ll be surprised how soon your stomach actually gets full, if you are open-minded enough to recognize it. If you start doing this now, in two days it will be almost natural.
•    Eating every three hours resets your metabolism. Overeating, however, reduces your energy, so keep it in check.                
•    Don’t be scared of eating healthy. It is going to be your new life, so welcome it. You won’t want to choke down food that you hate. Eat just the foods that you enjoy, but try some things that you haven’t thought about before. Don’t eat everything you like. Remember to get rid of the bad fats. Eliminate everything that is deep fried, including your chips and snacks. Eat things like the baked chips and salsa if you need that kind      of salty snack. If you get the munchies, munch on some cheese-flavored rice cakes or any of the flavors they have.
     There are a host of “little things” that add up. One thing I have noticed since I lost that awful 175 pounds is that I get treated better. The cashiers, waitresses and whomever I deal with just seem to treat better-looking people better. Right or wrong, it is what it is.
     More importantly, many of the diseases from which we as drivers suffer from are preventable through proper diet and exercise. For more information on dieting and exercise, specifically programs designed with truck drivers in mind, visit my Web site at www.safetythruwellness.com.