Gamers by stereotypical definition are in a category of people who neglect their bodies and eat shitty food (read: fat). Jag told me to write about anything I wanted and since it is my birthday I want to address something that is important to me. Nutrition is something we all groan at but it doesn’t have to be so.
As a gamer 30 minutes is an eternity to prepare food and 10 minutes might as well be /gkick from your guild for abandonment. How are we supposed to maintain our awesome lifestyle and not fill out our clothes like we are pregnant? Gamer food needs to be EXTREMELY fast and filling. Whatever food is prepared needs to be able to be consumed at your desk or within a five minute window.
The Shopping List.
Drinks. If you must drink soda drink the zero calorie or diet kinds. This is the easiest change you can make and will drop pounds over time. Ultimately the goal is to not ever get calories from liquids. You can also keep crystal light and water bottles at your desk (You never have to leave! *Achievement Unlocked*). Carrot juice or any other VEGETABLE based juice combination is the best choice for those: open the fridge and look for something to take a swig of moments.
Snacks. Keep the bag within arms reach if you want. Even if you consume the entire bag of any of these in one sitting it will be far less harmful than munching on day old Jack in the Box tacos, left over pizza, or whatever you had laying around from the last time you ventured outside. Rice cakes (flavored -I like chocolate), Pirate’s Booty, and Nuts (I like almonds but just make sure they are the raw kind you get from the dispenser and not some can of salted death kind. I love honey roasted too but it isn’t a staple.)
In the Kitchen. You left your desk! Congratulations. Now that you have made it into the kitchen the clock is ticking. Here are my favorite quick eats that require nothing but a microwave or nothing at all.
Corn tortillas, salsa, cheese, and some meat (1 slice of reduced/low fat anything works. I like turkey) -wraps. Put them together and microwave ALL of them at the same time to make this a very quick prep. The corn tortilla has become a staple of mine as it is a guilt free container for other things. Use any combination you like to make three quick quesadilla style eatables.
Steam-ables are relatively new to the world but they are quickly becoming something that everyone who has a busy schedule should pay attention to. This is the longest thing you will have to prepare that doesn’t actually require you to do anything but run back and forth from your computer to the microwave and the time it takes to dump it on a plate (if you get that far). Most all of these take 5 or 6 minutes at the most to heat up. This is where you will get the bulk of your nutrition from. There are a TON of varieties but be careful as they are offering complete meals in this form and they are TO BE AVOIDED. Get the raw vegetable kinds and drizzle with low sodium soy-sauce or salt and pepper to taste.
Handhelds. The best snack you can run to the kitchen and grab is a piece of fruit. A bushel of bananas can last a while, you can buy apples by the bag, grapes, peaches, or even a fruit party tray will last a couple days -get what you like. Most all fruit is brain food as well so you will be sharper and not such a dunce. Watch your waist line go down and the frags go up!
The goal is to avoid eating spoons fulls of peanut butter, chugging chocolate milk, eating a handful of cookies, cakes, candy, not EVERYTHING in the pantry is meant to be consumed on the fly. There are no EASY routes to making a healthier you. There is no pill for laziness, no book you can read, and no class you can take that makes you get off your ass to make the effort. You have to decide. Is this who I want to be? Is this someone I can be proud of? Good Luck! I’ve made this something of a mission for myself so if anyone requires further tips I’d be happy to share.
