Healthy meals for truck drivers is a huge issue. I know – I have been one for the past 10 years! A lot of what I share in this post is going to be my personal experience. Approximately 1 out of every 100 people in the United States is a truck driver, so hopefully this can be helpful to some truck driver somewhere.
Truck drivers face serious health challenges. Truck drivers live an average of 17 years less in the United States than the general population. And that’s a big problem.
Yes, it’s a dangerous job. There can be accidents. However, only a very small percentage of deaths among truck drivers is accident-related. It’s mostly the conditions that go along with the trucking life – one of which is the lack of availability of reasonably-priced healthy food “on the road.” What can be done about this?
Bring/Prepare Your Own “Normal” Healthy Food
There’s no getting around this! If you buy all your food at truck stops, it will be very difficult to eat healthily. It’s also going to be expensive. Truck drivers are not usually poverty-stricken, but if you have to buy all your meals at truck stop restaurants, you might get that way! So from both the “healthy” and “budget-friendly” points of view, bringing food with you from home, or getting healthy normal home-style food from Walmart, for example – is absolutely essential.
I’m often out for 1-2 weeks at a time with the driving job that I have. I try to leave home with enough food with me in the truck to cover my needs for a week. If it’s 8 days to 2 weeks, however, then it’s difficult to have enough food. I will have to buy food.
In the area in which I travel – mostly in the United States – I have discovered which Walmart stores are accessible and allow trucks to “stop and shop.” It’s not nearly every Walmart – a quick call ahead can be useful, or check a trucking app or Google Maps.
Plan
If other truck drivers experience life as I do, you need to be prepared food-wise for all eventualities. This is why it is great to think ahead and plan your food for the next few days, at the very least. So many things can change last minute. There can be breakdowns, delays at shippers or receivers, bad weather that closes roads, etc. You don’t want to be caught without food, especially without healthy food!
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Keeping It Simple
The last I checked my truck, in any case, it doesn’t exactly have an amazing kitchen facility that is fully stocked and equipped with all the latest stoves, ovens, cookware and gadgets! Most truck drivers have a smaller microwave that doesn’t draw too much power from the inverter, and possibly a mini-crockpot. If you are going to need to be making or preparing all of your food in the truck you’re going to have to keep it simple on the cookware front. And hopefully, your truck is equipped with a mini-refrigerator – these days, most are.
Personally, over the last while, I’ve pretty much made do with a toaster and a coffeemaker (and of course, a fridge/freezer), and I’ve gotten along fine. I’ll talk about that in the next section.
What Has Worked for Me
I don’t personally require a lot of variety in my food every day. I can eat the same thing for a long period of time before I get tired of it, so what I did might not work for you, but here are some things that I have done over the last few years. I use one approach for awhile, then another.
Instant Brown Rice, Onion Soup and Vegetables
This is very “not expensive.” For this I use the mini-crock pot. Instant brown rice comes out amazingly when cooked in a mini-crock pot for 1:30 to 1:45 hours on the highest setting. I use canned vegetables. To make this very delicious dish in the truck, I put in equal parts rice and water (including liquid from the can), half a packet of dried onion soup, and a 10 oz can of canned peas or green beans. (Other vegetables/beans also work well.) I can eat this for many days in a row without getting tired of it! All you need is: instant brown rice, water, dry onion soup, and canned veggies! (Anything that works in a truck will also work in a home kitchen – just saying!)
Whole Grain Bread, Nut Butter and Low-Sugar Jam
This is super-easy! Take several loaves of good whole-grain bread – which is both good and good for you! I like to use a nut butter other than peanut butter, but if you use peanut butter, it’s probably more economical. Then I like the good-quality low-sugar jams (both healthier and more flavorful). You can eat easily eat like this for days! It takes almost no preparation, either – and it’s super-satisfying!
Whole Grain Bread, Nitrate-Free Ham, Sliced Chicken or Turkey Breast, and Mustard/Mayonnaise/Salad Dressing
I personally use mustard and Miracle Whip-type salad dressing. I eat these in sandwich form, of course. I can easily handle that for a week! Nitrate-free meat is not the cheapest meat ever (but healthier). I buy it at Costco in bulk – it’s not so very expensive when you buy it that way. Variation: Hummus with whole grain bread! If I’m doing hummus, I buy the large multiple-container packs from Costco.
Soft Corn Tortillas and Refried Beans
This is the “kick” I’m on right now! I heat the tortillas in the toaster. When they pop up, I put a dollop of refried beans on them, fold them over – delicious! If you buy your corn tortillas at Walmart in the United States, this “meal” is unbelievably budget-friendly. A few dollars will get you a lot of tortillas and refried beans! Eat as needed to stave off hunger pangs throughout the day.
Additional Food
This isn’t quite all I eat. In the morning for breakfast, I make a mixture of greens, protein powder, oatmeal – and I add Metamucil for regularity. I also add a few frozen blueberries (my entire small truck freezer is dedicated to nothing but blueberries!), and add Diet Cran-Cherry (other flavors are also great) juice, and a small snack size or squeeze tube of applesauce. I stir it all up – my morning mainstay! Plus I make enough coffee to fill a 24-oz cup.
In the evening, I often have a cup of frozen blueberries and a half cup of oatmeal, and pour juice over it – before going to bed.
I hate to admit it, but there is one thing else I eat too much of, which is neither cheap nor all that healthy – gum! Most drivers can relate, I’m sure – it can be a lifesaver, though.
Conclusion
So – that’s “how I roll.” It might not be you, but maybe my ideas can spawn some creativity on your end that works for your body and food likes. If you have and use a microwave, you can of course microwave potatoes, sweet potatoes, and frozen vegetables. Of course you can also buy and eat all the microwaveable pre-prepared frozen dinners – but that would be both less healthy and more expensive.
If you are a truck driver, or know one, or are related to one, feel to share any ideas that work for you in the space below!
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