Tips to Eat Healthy in Residency
Written by Summer Bailey, MD
Starting residency is one of the biggest transition periods in a medical career.
When I started residency, I was great about meal prepping, bringing in healthy snacks, and moderating the food that I ate. However, having a hectic schedule prevented routine trips to the grocery store. Stress also makes it easier to eat more or less than you’re used to, which can lead to a vicious cycle. And let’s be honest - scrubs do a dang good job of hiding any weight gain that someone can experience (which I blame on the fabric and comfiness of a good pair!).
As a resident, I found myself making decisions with foods that I previously did not, leading me to gain over 40 pounds during residency. The work was taking a toll on my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This is why I took a step back from medicine after leaving my program. My main focus was to become my healthiest self to help my patients be their healthiest selves.
It’s important to follow healthy eating advice because we are giving that advice to patients. For example, this advice includes how many servings of food groups to eat, how to moderate eating, and even what types of food to eat. On my journey, I have learned that healthcare providers should practice what we preach. At the same time, no one is perfect and that doesn’t mean that certain foods and activities should be cut out. It is important to be aware of the impact that we have on our patients with our actions and to know that we also benefit from “practicing what we preach”. The more patients see healthcare providers as an example, the more likely they are to follow the advice given by a healthcare professional.
Here are some tips and tricks that I learned on my journey:
Find a food tracking app that helps you monitor what you eat: there are many apps similar to Weight Watchers such as MyFitnessPal, ITrackBites, and countless others that are free to download. Sometimes having a place to track everything you eat is a great place to help figure out just how much nutrition you put into your body. These apps can also track your exercise and other metrics related to your health.
Meal prepping: similar to setting aside time to exercise, I find it beneficial to set aside time to prepare food weekly. Residents typically get at least one day off a week (4 days a month), so on those days, try to set aside a couple of hours to grocery shop and/or prep food. Finding recipes or meals that you can prepare with little work or time that are healthy and taste good can easily be done. You can find simple recipes by Googling some of the foods you like. There are also social media pages dedicated to healthy recipes that are free as well!
Take healthy snacks to work: a resident lounge and hospital food cafeteria options may not have healthy food choices. Being prepared for these situations is the best way to set yourself up for success at work. Taking in fruits, vegetables, or other healthy snacks when you are on call and ordering healthier options for meals are ways to stay on track when you are away from home.
Lastly, as we tell our patients, it is never too late to start your fitness or healthy eating journey. It’s also ok to fall off track sometimes or to have days that aren’t as successful. When healthy eating and exercise become more difficult, try to brainstorm other ways to succeed on your journey. Do the best you can with what time you have, and be kind to yourself during this journey.
