BaileyBariatrics

Having a smaller stomach pouch after surgery makes it a challenge to get in more veggies. Veggies you can sip instead of chewing to applesauce will make it easier to get in your vegetables. Think about blending veggies with protein powder to help increase your protein intake. Focus on non-starchy veggies. There are several ways you can sip your veggies. One way is to experiment with blended smoothies. A blended smoothie has 3 main parts: fresh or frozen produce, ice cubes, and a base. The base can be water, milk or yogurt. For bariatric patients, a base can also be protein powder or ready to drink protein shakes. You’ll need a good blending machine like NutriBullet, Ninja or Vitamix. Look for a blender with at least 1000 Watts for best results. Next time you make a protein smoothie, throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale, cucumbers, shredded purple cabbage, frozen veggie blend, fresh herbs or something from your garden. Fruits are often a part of a smoothie, but you will need to calculate the carbs to stay in your carbohydrate goal. Another idea is to make a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. Stir a tablespoon of unflavored protein powder into 6 ounces low sodium V8 vegetable juice. This V8 is a blend of several vegetable juices. Throw in dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir again and the pour over ice. Unflavored protein powder can be added to vegetable soups. Sprout’s has unflavored whey protein powder in the bulk bins, which is a way you can test taste this protein without buying a large canister. One tablespoon provides 10 grams of protein. If you use whey protein isolate, remember to keep it under 140o F. to prevent the protein from curdling. Healthy sipping!

The Calorie Control Council estimates that the typical Super Bowl fan can consume at least 2400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 4-5 hour football game. Patients who had bariatric surgery are not typical. Your new lifestyle demands rethinking portions and the types of foods that are available to you. Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive. Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest. You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months. Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged. I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive. Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest. You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

Let’s face it . . . sometimes your taste buds want something that crunches. Before surgery, we see a lot of chips and crackers listed snacks. These are in the carbohydrate food category and are limited after surgery. Happily, there are a couple of protein chips that are on the market. Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips come in single serving bags. Each single serve bag has 12 grams of protein from soy protein isolate. This is a good quality protein source. There are a total of 15 grams carbohydrate and 4 grams fiber. That makes the net carbs 11 grams. So, these chips have more protein than carbohydrate. Another protein chip is the Quest Protein chips. Each single serve bag has 21 grams of protein from milk and whey protein isolate. These are good quality protein sources. The Quest chips have a total of 5 grams carbohydrate per single serve bag. Both the Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips and Quest Protein chips come in a variety of flavors. Quest chips can be found at GNC and online. The Kay’s chips are available online. For those of us that adore chips and dips, these chips are great dipped in salsa or a Ranch style dip. To add more protein to your Ranch dip, you can mix plain Greek style yogurt (a 5.3 ounce cup), 1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise and 1 or 2 teaspoons Ranch dip mix. Finally, we’ve got a way to have crunch with a punch of protein!

The weight lost after bariatric surgery often decreases symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, also called heartburn. Why wait until after surgery for relief? The healthy eating habits we ask you to work on before surgery can reduce your reflux now. Chew your food to applesauce consistency. Eat smaller meals. Stop chewing gum and drinking out of straws to prevent air from getting into your stomach. Stop using tobacco. Avoid high fat foods. Fat takes longer to move through the digestive system so food stays in your stomach longer. High-fat foods include using lots of cooking oil when cooking, whole milk instead of skim or 1 percent milk, regular fat cheese, deep fried foods and the fatty meats used in fast food hamburgers. Other strategies include avoiding foods that can irritate the esophagus. Irritants can include hot peppers, spicy foods, carbonated beverages and acidic foods like citrus or tomato juice. Avoid peppermint and spearmint, because these will relax the opening between the stomach and the esophagus.This allows stomach contents to be pushed up into the esophagus.Sit or stand for several hours after the last meal before bedtime to allow food to pass into the small intestine can also help. Invest the time to have healthier eating habits. The payoff is feeling better right now!

Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips come in single serving bags. Each single serve bag has 12 grams of protein from soy protein isolate. This is a good quality protein source. There are a total of 15 grams carbohydrate and 4 grams fiber. That makes the net carbs 11 grams. So, these chips have more protein than carbohydrate. Another protein chip is the Quest Protein chips. Each single serve bag has 21 grams of protein from milk and whey protein isolate. These are good quality protein sources. The Quest chips have a total of 5 grams carbohydrate per single serve bag. Both the Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips and Quest Protein chips come in a variety of flavors. Quest chips can be found at GNC and online. The Kay’s chips are available online. For those of us that adore chips and dips, these chips are great dipped in salsa or a Ranch style dip. To add more protein to your Ranch dip, you can mix plain Greek style yogurt (a 5.3 ounce cup), 1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise and 1 or 2 teaspoons Ranch dip mix. Finally, we’ve got a way to have crunch with a punch of protein!

One thing you learn to do after surgery is that you must take really tiny sips and tiny bites of food. Do you still find yourself feeling overly full? There are several culprits to watch out for. First, do you think you are taking in some air? We ask our patients to sip fluids, avoid straws and stop chewing gum. These are known culprits for getting air in the stomach pouch. Second, are you eating too fast? Our guidelines recommend eating an ounce (1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons) per 10 minutes when you are finally able to have food you can chew. Third, do you think you are eating too much? Use measuring cups and food scales will help you figure out what volume of food you can comfortably fit into your new stomach pouch. Lastly, are you chewing to applesauce consistency? This habit is often the most difficult one to master. Learning a new way of eating after surgery will take practice and patience. You’ll get there….one tiny sip and one tiny bite at a time.

There are several culprits to watch out for. First, do you think you are taking in some air? We ask our patients to sip fluids, avoid straws and stop chewing gum. These are known culprits for getting air in the stomach pouch. Second, are you eating too fast? Our guidelines recommend eating an ounce (1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons) per 10 minutes when you are finally able to have food you can chew. Third, do you think you are eating too much? Use measuring cups and food scales will help you figure out what volume of food you can comfortably fit into your new stomach pouch. Lastly, are you chewing to applesauce consistency? This habit is often the most difficult one to master. Learning a new way of eating after surgery will take practice and patience. You’ll get there….one tiny sip and one tiny bite at a time.

Nuts were considered unhealthy during the low fat craze of the 1990s. As it turns out, eating an ounce of nuts every day is linked to living longer. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that people who ate nuts everyday had a 20 percent decreased risk from dying from a variety of chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and others. An ounce is about ¼ cup. This study tracked eating patterns over a 30-year period for over 100,000 people. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, protein, protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Because they are high in fat, nuts carry a lot of calories. High fat intake in one snack or meal can also lead to fat dumping, so be careful about the amount you eat. Nuts come back into your eating as peanut butter or other nut butters after surgery when you can have soft and puree foods. Our patients can have nuts starting two months after surgery. This is also the time they can bring protein bars back into their eating. All nuts have health benefits. Enjoy your favorite nuts…within reason, that is!

Several powder and liquid forms of water flavors now use stevia. These are easily available in grocery stores. Stevia can be plain stevia or listed as Truvia, which is a combination of stevia and erythritol. Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol and will have a few calories. For powder forms of water flavors, look for the Crystal Light Pure and the Great Value version from Walmart. Crystal Light Pure does have four grams sugar per half-packet, so some patients may not be able to tolerate this product. In the liquid drop form, brands to look for include MIO with stevia, Great Value version, Skinny Girl, Sweet Leaf and Stur. Add enough of these products to taste right for you. Too much can get super sweet in a hurry. For protein powders, look for Jay Robb and Syntrax Nectar Naturals. Even yogurts are joining in the natural sweeteners trend. Look for the Greek style yogurts Chiobani Simply 100 (has stevia and monk fruit) and Oikos Triple Zero (has stevia, look for black label). Experiment with different stevia or monk fruit sweetened products to see what you like.

This study tracked eating patterns over a 30-year period for over 100,000 people. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, protein, protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Because they are high in fat, nuts carry a lot of calories. High fat intake in one snack or meal can also lead to fat dumping, so be careful about the amount you eat. Nuts come back into your eating as peanut butter or other nut butters after surgery when you can have soft and puree foods. Our patients can have nuts starting two months after surgery. This is also the time they can bring protein bars back into their eating. All nuts have health benefits. Enjoy your favorite nuts…within reason, that is!

Chew your food to applesauce consistency. Eat smaller meals. Stop chewing gum and drinking out of straws to prevent air from getting into your stomach. Stop using tobacco. Avoid high fat foods. Fat takes longer to move through the digestive system so food stays in your stomach longer. High-fat foods include using lots of cooking oil when cooking, whole milk instead of skim or 1 percent milk, regular fat cheese, deep fried foods and the fatty meats used in fast food hamburgers. Other strategies include avoiding foods that can irritate the esophagus. Irritants can include hot peppers, spicy foods, carbonated beverages and acidic foods like citrus or tomato juice. Avoid peppermint and spearmint, because these will relax the opening between the stomach and the esophagus.This allows stomach contents to be pushed up into the esophagus.Sit or stand for several hours after the last meal before bedtime to allow food to pass into the small intestine can also help. Invest the time to have healthier eating habits. The payoff is feeling better right now!

The discovery of antibiotics has been a major factor with our increased life expectancy. You have probably had an occasion to be on antibiotic therapy. Over the last couple of decades, misuse of antibiotics has led to bacteria that have become resistant to many of the current antibiotics. It is important to take your antibiotics as prescribed, not just until you feel better. Getting the best result from your antibiotic helps you get rid of a bacterial infection. There are a couple of nutrition related areas to be aware of regarding antibiotics. Some antibiotics will interact with certain minerals. These minerals include magnesium and aluminum, which are found in anti-acid medications. Other minerals that can interact with some antibiotics include iron, calcium and zinc. Check your supplements to see if these are included. Some ready to drink protein shakes can be fortified with these minerals. Calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and aluminum will interact with some antibiotics and make them less effective. You will need to take these minerals several hours apart from the antibiotic. Something else to be aware of is that antibiotics kill bacteria, both the good ones and the bad ones. Therefore, do not take an antibiotic at the same time you take something with probiotics in it like yogurt, kefir or a probiotic supplement. Your antibiotic can kill some of the good bacteria and not have enough left to kill all the bad bacteria. Take the time to read the insert that comes with your antibiotic. If you need further help, consult with your medical team, including your pharmacist. Taking your antibiotic correctly will allow your body to have the best chance to get rid of a bacterial infection.

There are a couple of nutrition related areas to be aware of regarding antibiotics. Some antibiotics will interact with certain minerals. These minerals include magnesium and aluminum, which are found in anti-acid medications. Other minerals that can interact with some antibiotics include iron, calcium and zinc. Check your supplements to see if these are included. Some ready to drink protein shakes can be fortified with these minerals. Calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and aluminum will interact with some antibiotics and make them less effective. You will need to take these minerals several hours apart from the antibiotic. Something else to be aware of is that antibiotics kill bacteria, both the good ones and the bad ones. Therefore, do not take an antibiotic at the same time you take something with probiotics in it like yogurt, kefir or a probiotic supplement. Your antibiotic can kill some of the good bacteria and not have enough left to kill all the bad bacteria. Take the time to read the insert that comes with your antibiotic. If you need further help, consult with your medical team, including your pharmacist. Taking your antibiotic correctly will allow your body to have the best chance to get rid of a bacterial infection.

Feeling fullness after surgery is quite a new experience. Feeling fullness after surgery is quite a new experience. Patients who have had surgery share with pre-surgery patients that “you will know” when you are full after surgery. Fullness changes after surgery. There are several ways that you might “feel” fullness. Some of our patients hiccup, sneeze or quickly sigh to indicate they need to stop eating. You may also feel fullness or pressure right below the rib cage, food may quickly lose its taste or you might have some nausea or heart burn. Post-surgery patients have also shared that they sometimes had to learn when to stop eating before they felt full, otherwise they will be overfull. Learning your own full signal may take a few tries, but you will quickly figure it out.

@joatsaint, Good question. It may be due to labeling laws. The manufacturer is allowed to round the data. So, fiber wouldn’t be listed as 1.2 gr, it would be listed as 1.0 gr. Thank you, Rene

Cutting back on carbohydrate foods is something you start when you enter our program. This is to help you start losing weight and shrinking your liver before surgery. For this posting, the discussion will be about “net” carbs. Many of our patients enter the program with diabetes and pre-diabetes. The benefit of finding the “net” carbohydrate of a food serving is cutting back on the total amount of carbohydrates you consume, which can lead to better blood sugar control and some weight loss. “Net” carbs have also been listed on food labels as “impact carbs” or “effective carbs.” The food label can be a source of confusion, because there can be several types of carbohydrates listed under the total carbohydrates. Fiber and half the sugar alcohols can be subtracted from the total fiber to calculate “net” carbs. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies don’t absorb and doesn’t raise blood sugars. Fiber is in plant foods (grains, beans, fruits and vegetables,) helps with digestion and leads to feeling fuller longer. Sugar alcohols are still part of the carbohydrate world, but don’t raise blood sugars as much as other carbohydrates like sugars and starches. Sugar alcohols are used to help a food product taste sweet with less ability to raise blood sugars. Sugar alcohols can be found in the ingredient list and may include sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, isomalt, erythritol, glycerol (can also be listed as glycerine,) hydrogenated starch, maltitol, lactitol or other ingredients that end in –ol. Be aware that sugar alcohols still have calories. Consuming too many sugar alcohols at a time can also lead to bloating and diarrhea. Click here for an explanation about how to calculate the net carbs from a high fiber food item. Click here for an explanation about how to calculate the net carbs for foods containing sugar alcohols. Keep in mind that the FDA has not approved a definition of net carbs. Your dietitian will work with you to find a carbohydrate goal to help you keep your blood sugars in better control and to start losing weight.

Our nutrition guidelines specifically mention incorporating skim or 1 percent milk when you do have milk. This is for milk that comes from cows. We get questions from our patients about what that really means. Milk that has no fat is also called skimmed, fat-free, non-fat or 0 percent fat. The USDA National Nutrient Database uses the terms nonfat, fat-free and skim as descriptors for milk with no fat. The fat content of the milk refers to the percentage of weight that the fat contributes to the serving size. It does not refer to the percent of calories the fat contributes. Each 8-ounce cup of milk, no matter how much fat, will have 12 grams of carbohydrate as milk sugar. Milk sugar is also called lactose. Each 8-ounce cup of milk will also have 8 grams of protein. An 8-ounce cup of skim milk has 80 calories. Milk with 1 percent fat is also referred to as low-fat milk and has 100 calories and 2 grams fat. Milk with 2 percent fat is also referred to reduce- fat milk and has 120 calories and 5 grams fat. Whole milk is also called vitamin D milk and has 150 calories and 8 grams fat. Most of the fat in milk is saturated, which can contribute to elevated cholesterol. Increased fat also means increased calories and a potential for dumping issues. Along with protein, milk also packs in calcium, potassium and water. There are several lactose free milks on the market if you are lactose intolerant. For those that enjoy milk, you are getting a nutrition-packed fluid. Next week’s tip will be an overview of the other milks on the market like almond and cashew milks. Stay tuned!

Yes, @Elode, I am an RD. Thank you for your question and I hope you find this information helpful.

Milk that has no fat is also called skimmed, fat-free, non-fat or 0 percent fat. The USDA National Nutrient Database uses the terms nonfat, fat-free and skim as descriptors for milk with no fat. The fat content of the milk refers to the percentage of weight that the fat contributes to the serving size. It does not refer to the percent of calories the fat contributes. Each 8-ounce cup of milk, no matter how much fat, will have 12 grams of carbohydrate as milk sugar. Milk sugar is also called lactose. Each 8-ounce cup of milk will also have 8 grams of protein. An 8-ounce cup of skim milk has 80 calories. Milk with 1 percent fat is also referred to as low-fat milk and has 100 calories and 2 grams fat. Milk with 2 percent fat is also referred to reduce- fat milk and has 120 calories and 5 grams fat. Whole milk is also called vitamin D milk and has 150 calories and 8 grams fat. Most of the fat in milk is saturated, which can contribute to elevated cholesterol. Increased fat also means increased calories and a potential for dumping issues. Along with protein, milk also packs in calcium, potassium and water. There are several lactose free milks on the market if you are lactose intolerant. For those that enjoy milk, you are getting a nutrition-packed fluid. Next week’s tip will be an overview of the other milks on the market like almond and cashew milks. Stay tuned!

A fair number of bariatric patients end up with lactose intolerance after surgery. Lactose is the sugar found in milk. A fair number of bariatric patients end up with lactose intolerance after surgery. Lactose is the sugar found in milk. During the rapid weight loss phase, you do lose some muscle mass. The digestive system is a muscle. When the digestive system loses a little of its muscle mass, it loses the ability to digest lactose, because we quit producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Lactose is the type of sugar found in milk. Fluid milk and foods made from this can contain lactose. Examples of these kinds of foods include ice cream, a glass of milk, instant hot cocoa and pudding.Yogurt and cheese go through a fermentation process that actually breaks down some of the lactose. That’s why people with lactose intolerance can eat some yogurt and cheese. Lactose can also be found in milk based protein supplements whether it’s the ready to drink or the protein powders. Milk based protein supplements will have the words whey, casein or milk in the ingredient list. Some protein supplements will actually state “Lactose Free” on the label. Lactose can also be found in a protein product when the milk-based protein is from a “concentrate” form of whey, casein or milk. The protein is the concentrated form of whey, casein or milk. However, the protein is not isolated from the lactose. For example, whey protein isolate may have up to 1 percent of its weight as lactose. Whey concentrate may have up to 52 percent of its weight as lactose. You can look at the Nutrition Facts Label to see if the protein product you choose has any sugar in it. If a type of milk or milk protein is listed on the ingredients, it could mean there is some lactose. A product that has 2 grams of sugar or less per serving are often safe to drink. If you are lactose intolerance, you’ve now got information to start looking for lactose in all the right places.

Planning your eating is an essential skill to have foods you need to be healthy after surgery. But let’s face, some days will fall apart. Unexpected situations come up and you will need an emergency stash of protein foods. Non-perishable protein foods are ideal to stock up at work, home, in your purse or backpack or in your car. Keep a clean shaker cup and single serve size of protein powder handy. All you need is water to mix. Keeping a ready to drink protein shake handy can be an easier alternative. All you need is to open and sip or find a cup of ice to pour the drink into. Small cans of tuna or chicken can be open and eaten right out of the can. There are also tuna and chicken salad kits that you can keep stocked at home or work. Softer meat sticks or meat jerky can be stashed in a desk drawer or locker at work. Brands include Ostrim (available at Owasso Nutrition Plus by Fit for her in Owasso or online) and Kratos High Protein Beef Bars (currently at Reasors). For meat sticks, find ones that have four grams of fat or less and at least seven grams of protein per ounce. High protein Quest chips make for a crunchy snack that can be stashed. These are currently available at GNC stores. Nuts deliver protein and healthy fat. Make sure you measure out the nuts, because that healthy fat leads to higher calories. One ounce of nuts is about ¼ cup. Measure this into snack size baggies or find the 100-calorie packs of nuts. Eating out of the container can lead to overeating. Protein bars are also great ways to get in some protein. Look for protein bars with more protein than carbohydrate like Pure Protein or Premier Protein. If you are driving about town, you can get protein bars and protein drinks at convenience stores like Quik Trip and Kum & Go. You can also stop at a grocery store and buy string cheese, light yogurt or an Oscar Meyer P3 snack pack. Keep a stash of plastic spoons in your car for eating yogurt. Time to stock up on emergency proteins!