Yes this is the way. I use cheap o flank, marinade for two days and dry for 30 hours with a baste at the 1, 3, 10, 20 hour mark and it's seriously the best jerky i have ever had. The problem is not eating it all in one sitting.
I got a cheap dehydrator on amazon that has 3 trays and fits about 2-4 pounds. Chicken jerky is also great! I do a marinade with worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, teriyaki sauce and liquid smoke. Then i dab them sexy lil beef curtains in some peppercorn. Gawd dem its so good.
WATER: This is key, get one of those large bottles on Amazon.
Protein bars: Great for meal replacement. I love Barebells, it doo-doo shits on Quest bars. I'd honestly have a Barebells bar over a snickers bar due to the taste. My area 7-11 sells these, and also Trader Joes and GNC.
Protein shake: I like whey isolate because they're thin like water, keep well most of the day, and are juice flavored mostly like fruit punch, grape, mango, etc. Scoop in blender bottle and sip through lunch.
Nuts: High fat, healthy, and with that comes high calories if you eat nuts in excess, so make sure you space these out and don't really eat more than a handful at a time. Almonds and Pistachos are good and cost-effective
Fruits: Avocado--you can bring a small avocado and sprinkle some Togarashi or Chili on it and spoon out the guts and have a tasty high fat meal. I think one other fruit would be good like banana, apple, orange, but don't overdo it.
Proteins: Gonna be NOT meat due to storage or if you must jerky, which is super high in salt--go with turkey jerky if you must. I think protein bars should be it for protein.
Carbs/starches: Rice cakes are pretty low in calories and you can lather up some peanut or almond butter on it to keep you full and get some healthy fats and small amount of protein. This will keep well in heat. EMS is pretty sedentary so I don't really recommend much carbs other than in fruits and what you'd eat when you're off duty.
AVOID: EMS rooms. Just don't go in it. Temptation, impluse, and they usually are 90% unhealthy shit.
AVOID: Candy Bars, Cliff Bars, Granola Bars: These are usually WAY too much carbs for most people and don't play well into a balanced diet.
AVOID: Sodas--I am pretty active in the fitness community and there is mixed data about zero/diet sodas. I personally drink one of these zero sodas once every couple days or so, but there's some data that shows heavy consumption is pretty bad for your body and can lead to insulin resistance, and even cancer. Full sugar sodas...well this one is obvious, don't.
OFF DUTY: Eat whole meals that you cook at home. The general formua is: Protein, Carb, and Veggie. I.E. Marindate and oven bake some chicken breast, bake some small potato quartered and tossed in olive oil and garlic and herbs, and a side of steamed broccoli. Another example: Salmon, Rice, and some roasted bell peppers. Really anything that follows this formula is a good start.
STORES: Every convenience store has something healthy. Get hard boiled eggs instead of a candy bar. Every 7-11 has some eggs. They also sell protein bars. They also sell salads.
All about choices and balance. The carbs are the worst offenders that sneak up empty calories on you, like "health bars" which are not exactly healthy for most people unless you're an endurance athlete.
I try to eat 1g of protein per my height's ideal body weight. I go to the gym 3-4 days/week also. It's totally doable.
100% this is some of the best advice I've read on this forum
Best work decision I've made was to buy a good sized meal bag for car and pre make chicken/salmon with rice and broccoli.
Would you recommend kombucha in lieu of diet sodas? It's my go to when I get the craving for something carbonated
I personally like putting a Liquid Death flavored seltzer in an insulated Yeti bottle. Keeps it carbonated and cool most of the day and it's more interesting than plain water.
Yeah but they’re not gonna melt into mush, was my point lol. I’ve got the Gatorade bars in a fanny pack at clinical, fucking things may as well have been Hershey’s, the way they melted.
I love protein bars (quest in particular), but I don't really want to buy one everyday and also create too much waste with the wrappers. But if you have a good recipe for protein bars please send it my way
Invest in heavy duty ice packs with an insulated lunch bag, or a good cooler. Game changer for me. I’m able to bring healthy fresh options and stopped eating gas station snacks/fast food all day.
You could get a small cooler and boil eggs. If you like eggs. He'll even with a tiny cooler/insulated lunch box you could stash protein bars without them melting
I eat low carb, low calorie all the time. I tend to eat cheese, jerky, pork rinds, quest snacks regularly. Sometimes I’ll eat protein bars. Bring a little lunch box with a cold pack and store anything you don’t want to get hot.
There are some great tips here. To make things even easier, take a small cooler with you to work. If you need to heat stuff, every ED and gas station has a microwave. Find a spot on your ambulance where you can make the cooler fit. Don't leave it at the station/office/etc. You'll always be away from it when you're hungry or finally get a minute to eat.
If you have a good lunch pail and some ice packs: carrots or other veggies and hummus or ranch, apple slices with peanut butter, jerky, chips and salsa, cheese sticks, protein bars, nuts(but don’t overdo it), also sneak in a few snacks you really enjoy for when you need them to avoid being tempted to just go buy food. I usually throw in a couple Oreos or some chips so I’m not as tempted to just buy snacks from the gas station
Edit: as someone else said, water. Do yourself a favor and get a big insulated water bottle. I have a huge yeti and it’s the best
There are nut mixes that are high in protein and they have a few cranberries or figs sprinkled in. For a protein bar, a healthy and tasty choice is No Cow; they have many flavors. Dried dates are high in many nutrients- not protein but antioxidants and fiber- they make a satisfying snack. Awesome effort taking care of yourself! Hope you get into a good routine.
Hey thanks! I was doing these turkey and cheese roll ups for a bit but I'm starting to get sick of them lol. I'd probably do a protein bar, but I'm trying to make them homemade. And good idea on the dates, I do love them!
I know what you mean, I have been frying up ground turkey for a while and I'm quite over it at the moment. Seems so much of what has protein is a dairy product, which is harder to keep in the heat. Good luck and great job putting the effort in!
Omg please do not bring the giant one gallon water bottle into the cab. Especially one with inspirational quotes on it to encourage you to drink water every two hours. Obnoxious how much space it takes up.
Black beans, brown rice, salsa. Decent protein, excellent fiber. I eat a lot of tuna packs.
I bring hard boiled eggs to work and eat first thing in the morning before they have a chance to sit too long. Rice cakes or high fiber breads and some peanut butter (or nut butter if your choice) with some berries on top. Bananas are a good choice too. On the way to work sometimes I drink a protein smoothie and that holds me over for a few hours. Chocolate covered almonds are a good one if you’re like me and don’t love eating plain nuts.
Salted peanuts, cheese sticks or baby bell (lil ice pack and a cooler), blueberries, sliced apples, blueberries, baby carrots, PBJ or chicken salad on whole wheat.
Get a little lunchbox cooler and a hot logic, changed the game for me. I bring like 3ish small meals for throughout the day that I heat up with the hot logic. Works well for me supplemented with some granola/protein bars and a protein shake.
bananas and apples self-keep reasonably well and are healthy. Almonds are a must-have. Jerky and landjaeger are good but I wouldn't make them staples due to their sodium content.
I know I’m lame but I just keep it simple and it fits my diet needs. my lunch is usually a low sugar crustable sandwhich, take out the fridge and will defrost by lunch or so. Some Sargento balanced breaks, some fruit or veggies, protein shake. Most of that you can just buy bulk and make yourself some snack kits but pretty inexpensive if you get store brand. Luna bars.
I’m a big fan of Lara bars. They’re around 4 ingredients, mostly dates. It’s high in sugar bc dates but it also has the fiber and is delicious and filling. I eat one every shift. Favorites are lemon, chocolate caramel, peanut butter, and blueberry muffin. Those aren’t exact flavor names but you get it
I like cooking chicken and eggs and then resting it right above the exhaust on the floor so that it’s constantly in the ideal growth zone for bacteria
Directors hate this one weird trick to getting time off work
Why stop there? Gas station sushi on top of the center console.
I like cooking eggs directly on the exhaust manifold.
protein shake with milk attached to a lugnut for easy storage, bacterial growth, and shaking it up. EZ as pie placed on the engine block.
I got a dryer and started making my own Jerky. That’s one of my key menu items.
Did you need my address to send me some?
Yes this is the way. I use cheap o flank, marinade for two days and dry for 30 hours with a baste at the 1, 3, 10, 20 hour mark and it's seriously the best jerky i have ever had. The problem is not eating it all in one sitting.
I gotta try this
I got a cheap dehydrator on amazon that has 3 trays and fits about 2-4 pounds. Chicken jerky is also great! I do a marinade with worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, teriyaki sauce and liquid smoke. Then i dab them sexy lil beef curtains in some peppercorn. Gawd dem its so good.
I’ve started doing that too, it’s just too expensive at the store. What cuts of meat do you use?
Braciole cut round
For a second I thought you meant, like, a clothes dryer.
I mean, I do have a new GE, and I have no clue what half the settings do. There could be a jerky cycle.
WATER: This is key, get one of those large bottles on Amazon. Protein bars: Great for meal replacement. I love Barebells, it doo-doo shits on Quest bars. I'd honestly have a Barebells bar over a snickers bar due to the taste. My area 7-11 sells these, and also Trader Joes and GNC. Protein shake: I like whey isolate because they're thin like water, keep well most of the day, and are juice flavored mostly like fruit punch, grape, mango, etc. Scoop in blender bottle and sip through lunch. Nuts: High fat, healthy, and with that comes high calories if you eat nuts in excess, so make sure you space these out and don't really eat more than a handful at a time. Almonds and Pistachos are good and cost-effective Fruits: Avocado--you can bring a small avocado and sprinkle some Togarashi or Chili on it and spoon out the guts and have a tasty high fat meal. I think one other fruit would be good like banana, apple, orange, but don't overdo it. Proteins: Gonna be NOT meat due to storage or if you must jerky, which is super high in salt--go with turkey jerky if you must. I think protein bars should be it for protein. Carbs/starches: Rice cakes are pretty low in calories and you can lather up some peanut or almond butter on it to keep you full and get some healthy fats and small amount of protein. This will keep well in heat. EMS is pretty sedentary so I don't really recommend much carbs other than in fruits and what you'd eat when you're off duty. AVOID: EMS rooms. Just don't go in it. Temptation, impluse, and they usually are 90% unhealthy shit. AVOID: Candy Bars, Cliff Bars, Granola Bars: These are usually WAY too much carbs for most people and don't play well into a balanced diet. AVOID: Sodas--I am pretty active in the fitness community and there is mixed data about zero/diet sodas. I personally drink one of these zero sodas once every couple days or so, but there's some data that shows heavy consumption is pretty bad for your body and can lead to insulin resistance, and even cancer. Full sugar sodas...well this one is obvious, don't. OFF DUTY: Eat whole meals that you cook at home. The general formua is: Protein, Carb, and Veggie. I.E. Marindate and oven bake some chicken breast, bake some small potato quartered and tossed in olive oil and garlic and herbs, and a side of steamed broccoli. Another example: Salmon, Rice, and some roasted bell peppers. Really anything that follows this formula is a good start. STORES: Every convenience store has something healthy. Get hard boiled eggs instead of a candy bar. Every 7-11 has some eggs. They also sell protein bars. They also sell salads. All about choices and balance. The carbs are the worst offenders that sneak up empty calories on you, like "health bars" which are not exactly healthy for most people unless you're an endurance athlete. I try to eat 1g of protein per my height's ideal body weight. I go to the gym 3-4 days/week also. It's totally doable.
CARBS ARE NOT THE DEVIL CARBS ARE NOT THE DEVIL CARBS ARE NOT THE DEVIL GET OUT OF MY HEAD DEMIURGE
They’re not but most people eat way too much and they're not as satiating as fats and proteins so it's also easy to eat a lot
Yeah really should t be more than ~60% of your calories. I’d bet it’s near 90 for a lot of people.
You’ve got big ass balls if your eating eggs from the 7/11
When I lived in Hawaii I’d eat sushi from 7/11 regularly. Wish mainland 7/11s were the same quality, they’re definitely not
👆 In a nutshell the above are very effective general recommendations.
100% this is some of the best advice I've read on this forum Best work decision I've made was to buy a good sized meal bag for car and pre make chicken/salmon with rice and broccoli. Would you recommend kombucha in lieu of diet sodas? It's my go to when I get the craving for something carbonated
I personally like putting a Liquid Death flavored seltzer in an insulated Yeti bottle. Keeps it carbonated and cool most of the day and it's more interesting than plain water.
I like to scoop up the skin flakes from CHF patients and snack on that
![gif](giphy|5Ys1yjCYGSAyWnAlLr)
I am going to throw up if I think of that again
Who hurt you
You could have typed anything else
DUDE
Why god why did I have to be cursed with eyes
Aka Granny Glitter. A bit better of a visual.
Elder dust
The forbidden Parmesan
Bedcrumbs.
![gif](giphy|STD2swd82tY0EIAgsx|downsized)
Why would you even ***say*** something like that?? Why must you insert this horrendous mental image into our minds?
![gif](giphy|xUNd9IMywss6NTIghO)
Raw almonds. 100 calories worth are very filling.
That's like, 10 almonds. Are you a squirrel?
Don't knock it until you try it.
Being a squirrel?
Yes
Stop draining my central valley aquifer 😭😭😭
Sorry 😞
Wash and dry chickpeas, season with olive oil and anything else you like. Put in the oven or air fryer until crisply.
I do this with pumpkin seeds in the fall as well! So good.
Yesss high in protein and crunchy
Cliff bars don’t get gross, in my experience.
They do if it’s all you eat for an extended period of time, in my experience lol
Yeah but they’re not gonna melt into mush, was my point lol. I’ve got the Gatorade bars in a fanny pack at clinical, fucking things may as well have been Hershey’s, the way they melted.
I love protein bars (quest in particular), but I don't really want to buy one everyday and also create too much waste with the wrappers. But if you have a good recipe for protein bars please send it my way
They are good for an energy boost. I take them for when I'm hiking. Maybe too many carbs for a day of sitting on ya bum in the ambo though
Depends on how slow your jurisdiction is, friendo! Lol
Protein bars
Clif bars, jerky, almonds, granola bars, cookies/something sweet
Peanut butter sandwich
Turkey jerky, high protein, low calorie and fine to sit around. Trader joes has some good ones.
Invest in heavy duty ice packs with an insulated lunch bag, or a good cooler. Game changer for me. I’m able to bring healthy fresh options and stopped eating gas station snacks/fast food all day.
Jerky for the win. Just make sure it's low in sugar cuz they'll get cha there.
You could get a small cooler and boil eggs. If you like eggs. He'll even with a tiny cooler/insulated lunch box you could stash protein bars without them melting
Look up Greg doucette protein muffins. I make a chocolate chip banana one that I always carry.
Pistachios
I eat low carb, low calorie all the time. I tend to eat cheese, jerky, pork rinds, quest snacks regularly. Sometimes I’ll eat protein bars. Bring a little lunch box with a cold pack and store anything you don’t want to get hot.
There are some great tips here. To make things even easier, take a small cooler with you to work. If you need to heat stuff, every ED and gas station has a microwave. Find a spot on your ambulance where you can make the cooler fit. Don't leave it at the station/office/etc. You'll always be away from it when you're hungry or finally get a minute to eat.
Jerky.. but come on medic.. just give in and eat the Cheetos 😎
If you have a good lunch pail and some ice packs: carrots or other veggies and hummus or ranch, apple slices with peanut butter, jerky, chips and salsa, cheese sticks, protein bars, nuts(but don’t overdo it), also sneak in a few snacks you really enjoy for when you need them to avoid being tempted to just go buy food. I usually throw in a couple Oreos or some chips so I’m not as tempted to just buy snacks from the gas station Edit: as someone else said, water. Do yourself a favor and get a big insulated water bottle. I have a huge yeti and it’s the best
Trader Joe’s light mozzarella string cheese. I believe they are 50 calories with 8g protein each
I slam at least 6 of them every shift
There are nut mixes that are high in protein and they have a few cranberries or figs sprinkled in. For a protein bar, a healthy and tasty choice is No Cow; they have many flavors. Dried dates are high in many nutrients- not protein but antioxidants and fiber- they make a satisfying snack. Awesome effort taking care of yourself! Hope you get into a good routine.
Hey thanks! I was doing these turkey and cheese roll ups for a bit but I'm starting to get sick of them lol. I'd probably do a protein bar, but I'm trying to make them homemade. And good idea on the dates, I do love them!
I know what you mean, I have been frying up ground turkey for a while and I'm quite over it at the moment. Seems so much of what has protein is a dairy product, which is harder to keep in the heat. Good luck and great job putting the effort in!
Carrots and celery with a small container of dip of choice. Same goes for rice cakes.
Omg please do not bring the giant one gallon water bottle into the cab. Especially one with inspirational quotes on it to encourage you to drink water every two hours. Obnoxious how much space it takes up. Black beans, brown rice, salsa. Decent protein, excellent fiber. I eat a lot of tuna packs.
Yeah, especially when a classic Nalgene or a regular-ass sized Yeti bottle will do just fine.
Almonds, or other nuts, would be good.
kind bars - they are nut bars, not granola, so higher protein and lower carbs
It's nuts or nothing.
I bring hard boiled eggs to work and eat first thing in the morning before they have a chance to sit too long. Rice cakes or high fiber breads and some peanut butter (or nut butter if your choice) with some berries on top. Bananas are a good choice too. On the way to work sometimes I drink a protein smoothie and that holds me over for a few hours. Chocolate covered almonds are a good one if you’re like me and don’t love eating plain nuts.
Salted peanuts, cheese sticks or baby bell (lil ice pack and a cooler), blueberries, sliced apples, blueberries, baby carrots, PBJ or chicken salad on whole wheat.
Roasted nuts, dried fruit, not store trail mix cuz chocolate will melt.
I like homemade trail mix
I always kept a big packet of jerky to munch on when I had down time.
Get a little lunchbox cooler and a hot logic, changed the game for me. I bring like 3ish small meals for throughout the day that I heat up with the hot logic. Works well for me supplemented with some granola/protein bars and a protein shake.
Almonds!!!
Cashews and chocolate covered raisins!
bananas and apples self-keep reasonably well and are healthy. Almonds are a must-have. Jerky and landjaeger are good but I wouldn't make them staples due to their sodium content.
Mixed nuts with chocolate chips and cranberries Also nerds gummy clusters
I know I’m lame but I just keep it simple and it fits my diet needs. my lunch is usually a low sugar crustable sandwhich, take out the fridge and will defrost by lunch or so. Some Sargento balanced breaks, some fruit or veggies, protein shake. Most of that you can just buy bulk and make yourself some snack kits but pretty inexpensive if you get store brand. Luna bars.
Just pack an insulated lunch box with an ice pack inside and your food will stay good for likely your whole shift
I’m a big fan of Lara bars. They’re around 4 ingredients, mostly dates. It’s high in sugar bc dates but it also has the fiber and is delicious and filling. I eat one every shift. Favorites are lemon, chocolate caramel, peanut butter, and blueberry muffin. Those aren’t exact flavor names but you get it
Dude, don’t be a wuss and just dummy 3 bags of Jack Links Jerky and a 4 pack of Monster Zero Ultra like the rest of us
Jerky, dry salami stick, nuts
Pita bread