Healthy Eating Tips for the Firehouse (or any house)…
Cooking in the firehouse for a bunch of hungry firefighters is not easy, trust me I know. In most cases we sacrifice health for taste to avoid complaints and heckling. But, in order to change the culture of the fire service (to a healthier one) cooks and food choices need to get better. Here are 3 easy and healthy tips that can help.
1. Assemble 5 simple and healthy recipes that can be easily tweaked to create different dishes.–
Learning new recipes are fun but isn’t best done in a busy firehouse. We all know, the more times we make a recipe, the faster, easier and possibly healthier it gets–It becomes a routine, like putting on your gear. There are a lot of resources to find healthy recipes, pick some out and use them as your staples. Need some extra guidance on nutrition? Get into “Ultimate” shape with this program…Eating guidelines included (take advantage today).
2. Have some healthy fruits and veggies always available.-– Around my firehouse we have replaced the random cookies and muffins with celery and orange slices. Put all of the processed sugary foods and cakes away and leave some of veggies and fruit out around the kitchen. After some calls, its habit to walk to the kitchen to see whats there, if there are healthier options out, we are less likely to search for the crap.
3. Replace pitchers of sugary fruit juices with water.–Muscles are comprised of water in a great percentage. That’s why when we get dehydrated our muscles look smaller and performance decreases. Only a 2% water loss decreases the ability to work by 15%. It is important to remember that you should never wait until you feel thirsty. It is a well know fact that by the time you feel this way you are already dehydrated. So, replacing the sugary juices that don’t add with any nutritional value with water can help us perform better. Need to spruce up boring water? Try to cut some lemons, mangos or limes and put them in the pitcher.
As mentioned above, we (as fire rescue athletes) need to make the firehouse environment more healthy. Try to incorporate these tips at your firehouse (or any house).
Stay Safe and Healthy,
Aaron Zamzow
PS…Here is a quick and healthy option for lunch
Ingredients
Steak or chicken (about a pound and a half)
One large cucumber
One red pepper
One cup of raspberries or strawberries
Package of sunflower seeds
small package of mozzarella (lower fat) cheese
16-20 ounces of salad 50/50 mix
Directions
Slice up the cucumbers, berries, peppers, and leave each in a separate bowl. Put the salad in a large mixing bowl. Grill the chicken or steak, I like to use olive oil and lowrys seasoning. Place all items on a the table and let the crew create their own salads
You can serve this with some real potato (lower fat) chips and Raspberry vinaigrette dressing (look for a dressing with minimal ingredients)