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Top 10 Healthy “Convenience” Foods

July 31st, 2011 Leave a comment Go to comments
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This a guest blog post by Sharon Palmer, RD

Drive-thru hamburgers, microwavable pizza pockets and bags of chips—these are the foods that probably come to mind when you think of convenience. For busy people on the run, convenience usually means fast food fare, pop in the microwave processed foods, and grab and go packs—foods typically laden with calories, fat, refined carbs and sodium—and low in vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients.

But it’s time for a food attitude adjustment; convenience is not just limited to low-nutrient food choices. Plenty of healthy foods can be easily stored and whipped up in minutes in the time it would take you to pick up takeout.  The supermarket is home to a number of convenient whole foods that can help you turn out healthy meals in minutes; here are my top picks.

1. Fresh fruit. The world’s original “fast food”, fresh fruit such as apples, pears, bananas, peaches and oranges comes with natural grab and go packaging.
2. Bagged salad greens. Just toss a bag of pre-washed salad greens into your shopping cart and you’ve got a quick side salad for dinner. Or make salad your entrée by adding chopped cooked chicken, fresh vegetables and a splash of olive oil.

3. Fish fillets. Top an individually frozen fish fillet with herbs, garlic and lemon, throw it under the broiler, and serve it with a side of grains and salad for a quick, tasty meal.

4. Whole grains. Place whole grains such as quinoa, bulgur, brown rice and wheat berries into a rice cooker with water (according to package directions), push the button and walk away. Then toss the steamed grains with cooked lean meat, herbs, garlic, and chopped vegetables for a delicious, nutritious dinner.

5. Yogurt. Throw a cup of yogurt into a briefcase or enjoy it as an after-dinner treat.

6. Frozen vegetables. While there’s nothing better than fresh vegetables, if you’re in a rush just pop frozen vegetables into the microwave and you’ve got a healthy sidedish in a flash.

7. Canned beans. Rinse a can of beans to remove sodium by up to 36 percent and stir them into salads, sidedishes, soups, and stews.

8. Canned tomatoes. Stir a can of low-sodium tomatoes into pastas, soups, sauces, stews, and casseroles for fast comfort food.

9. Nuts. A handful of nuts like almonds, walnuts or peanuts makes a perfect nutrient-rich complement for lunch on the run.

10. Oatmeal. The perfect solution for breakfast; just pop it into the microwave and add milk, nuts and fruit.

Sharon Palmer is a registered dietitian and food and nutrition writer. Visit her website www.sharonpalmer.com

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  • http://twitter.com/Amy_Rey Amy Reynaldo

    A baggie of assorted nuts and dried fruit bits (chocolate chips optional) makes a great protein-rich snack, and it’s so portable.

  • LeaG

    What a great demonstration that you don’t have to rely on processed foods to have quick delicious food! Whole foods can be fast and simple too!

  • Kscofield

    My favorite fast-food snacks: a baggie of pumpkin seeds with pine nuts and dried craisins; a spoonful of sesame seed butter spread on a banana; a smoothie with any kind of frozen fruit + rice milk + nuts, seeds or nut butter! 

  • Mary Lou Sharp

    My favorite trick is a last minute vegetable salad. Put a cup or 2 of frozen vegs in a to go container with some rice vinegar and soy sauce. By lunchtime the vegs are defrosted but still cold, marinated, and delicious

  • kangax

    Beef or turkey jerky (preferrable antibiotic and nitrite -free) is a great snack as well. Pure protein, almost no fat, or sugar.

    Also, cheese (like mozzarella sticks).

  • http://homeremediesmd.com Home Remedies MD

    I love fruit because it is very easy to access and you don’t have to cook it before you eat it.

  • Lisa

    At the risk of sounding like the slap chop guy, I have to say: I love nuts. They’re great in salads with some raisins and salsa.

  • Jim Cooper

    Agreed, except that bagged salad greens taste terrible. They are stale and tough most of the time. Better to just pick up some lettuce, and lots cheaper, too.

  • Dina Rose

    You can also make steal cut oats by putting the oats and boiling water in a thermos before you go to bed.  They’ll be ready (and sometimes even still a little warm) when you get up in the morning.

    Real food… conveniently.  I love it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kenleebow Ken Leebow

    Here are two amazing convenient food/recipes that are so easy to make and taste great … They can be a meal or a snack … These are staples in my refrigerator … enjoy …

    Quinoa recipe …
    http://bit.ly/mX1MRB
    Edamame recipe …http://bit.ly/lxEtJo

  • http://www.facebook.com/cactuswren Susan Cactuswren

    Today, August 3rd, is (in the US) National Grab Some Nuts Day.  I *could* not make this up.

  • http://www.collegiatefitness.com Bobby

    Oatmeallllll. I used to hate it but not it’s a staple food for me in the morning, especially when I’m going to be stuck in class for a few hours. Convenient and incredibly filling…the perfect combo.

    Great post!

    • http://www.collegiatefitness.com Bobby

      now*, woops

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2EQIUHCOVYGXRVO76AJBGNQEUI Charles Roland

    Foods rich in vitamins helps in reducing the problem of high blood pressure, diabetes and other high cholesterol’s problems. Almond is rich in vitamins and helps in preventing most of the diseases. homeremediesfider suggest to take 8 glass of water per day for reducing cholesterol in the body.
    Home Remedies for Cholesterol

  • http://dubturbobeatmakerx.com matthewhoggard9588

    Awesome blog post by Sharon Palmer!! The information you allocated here about top
    10 healthy “Convenience” foods is really healthy. I read the blog
    post carefully and gather vital info, which will be good for me. Nice put!!
    Keep it up.

  • kacat

    What about the risk of BPA exposure in canned foods?

  • Joannaschlosser

    I enjoyed all of these suggestions with the exception of using a microwave to heat foods and the canned tomatoes. The tomatoes absorb toxic chemicals from the lining in aluminum cans, just found that out recently. Quick fix: buying canned tomatoes in glass jars.