Patients sometimes pose challenges to me that at first seem impossible. This is one I get a lot. Someone comes to see me wanting to improve their nutrition, but they don't want to do any complicated food prep or cooking. Can I tell them what they should eat if they want to have only healthy convenience food? Before I give an answer, I want to give a bit more context.
Although I am the dietitian providing ideas, at the end of they day, it is up to the patient whether or not to be open to my suggestions. It is also up to the patient to decide if they want to be open to do things that they originally thought they can't do, such as cook, prepare meals, and eat new foods. When a patient has enough limitations on what they are willing to eat, there are limited options that I can give them.
Often, the patient may opt to do the work to expand their horizons on what they are willing to do or eat. So when a patient is, at first, completely unwilling to do any food prep, and they want to eat healthily with convenience foods, there are a reasonable amount of options. Of course, the options are limited and often don't meet the patient's standards of variety or taste.
With that introduction, here is a one day menu comprised of healthy convenience food.
Healthy One Day Convenience Food Menu
Breakfast: Plain instant oatmeal packet with hot water topped with frozen strawberries. Serving size container yogurt.
Lunch: Sandwich of a packet of tuna on store-bought whole wheat bread with prewashed salad greens added to the sandwich. Banana. Cherry tomatoes.
Snack: Baby carrots with hummus.
Dinner: Package of instant ramen with frozen mixed vegetables added to the soup. Top with store-bought hard cooked eggs.
Snack: Cheese stick.