Healthy eating on the go – why it is so hard in Switzerland
Half past six in the morning, Zurich main station. You are standing at the kiosk, your stomach is rumbling, and the choice consists of a croissant, a chocolate bar and an oversized soft drink. Sound familiar? Then you are probably one of the roughly one third of working people in Switzerland who regularly eat their main meals away from home – according to the Swiss Health Survey by the FSO.
The real problem here is not a lack of places to eat. It is a lack of good options that are quickly available.
According to the FSO, working people in Switzerland commute on average around 30 minutes each way (source: FSO, commuter mobility). An hour a day in which meals are often improvised – at the station, at the petrol station, between two meetings. The menuCH study by the FOPH and the FSVO has shown that snacks and meals between meals on the go are frequently too high in energy, sugar and fat, while at the same time containing too little vegetables, fruit and dietary fibre (source: FOPH – menuCH study). This has consequences: studies, including some published in the British Medical Journal, associate regularly reaching for highly processed snacks with an increased risk of excess weight and metabolic disorders.
What «eating healthily on the go» really means
When many people think of healthy eating on the go, they picture dry rice cakes and tasteless salad. That is a misunderstanding. It is not about going without, but about clever decisions in the moments when you are under time pressure.
The Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE) recommends balanced meals on the go too: at least five portions of vegetables and fruit a day, enough protein and wholegrain products. Sounds ambitious when you are sitting on the train? It is not – with the right preparation.
What many people underestimate: a single snack decision hardly matters. But if you eat on the go on 220 working days a year, small decisions add up to a big effect on your eating habits.
Meal prep and clever strategies for commuters
The SGE stresses that meal prep – cooking in advance and taking meals with you – is one of the most effective strategies for eating healthily on the go (source: sge-ssn.ch). But hand on heart: not everyone has the energy in the evening to cook for the next day.
So here are approaches that really do work in everyday life:
- Cook a larger portion on Sunday evening – quinoa salad or roasted vegetables, for example – and spread it over three days.
- Always keep a handful of unsalted nuts and a piece of fruit in your bag. It sounds banal, but it stops you reaching for the chocolate bar.
- Deliberately replace sugary drinks: the WHO recommends limiting the consumption of free sugars to under 10% of total energy intake (source: WHO, Guideline on Sugars Intake) – a single sweet drink can blow that figure on its own.
- When there is no time to prepare anything, a shake can be a practical solution: the Herbalife Formula 1 Shake Vanilla provides around 220 kcal and about 18 g of protein per serving, plus 23 vitamins and minerals – and needs only water or milk.
The protein content in particular is relevant: the EFSA confirms that a high-protein diet contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass and keeps you full for longer (source: EFSA, authorised health claims on protein). Anyone who starts the morning with plenty of protein reaches for emergency solutions less often at midday.
The drinks trap – the thing nobody talks about
A lot is written about eating on the go. Surprisingly little about drinking.
Yet drinks are often bigger calorie bombs than the meals themselves. A latte with syrup, a bottled iced tea, an energy drink in the afternoon – 300 to 500 calories that barely fill you up quickly add up. If you are looking for a low-calorie alternative to sugary drinks, you could try Herbalife Herbal Tea Lemon, for example – it is easy to take with you in a thermos flask.
Water remains the best choice, of course. But variety helps you stick with it.
Eating on the go and still pursuing your weight goals
Many people who want to lose weight do not fail at the weekend or in the evening at home. They fail Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. – because the environment on the go barely supports healthy routines.
A few principles help:
- Plan at least one meal a day that you control yourself – whether pre-cooked or as a balanced breakfast before commuting.
- When you eat out, choose dishes with visible vegetables and a protein source. Order sauces and side dishes separately.
- Give up the idea of «never mind today, I will make up for it tomorrow». Regularity beats perfection.
What counts here is not the single perfect meal. It is the sum of many reasonably good decisions over weeks and months.
A practical checklist for your bag
Before you leave the house in the morning, a quick check: water bottle with you? A high-protein snack packed? Do you know where to find a sensible option at lunchtime? Three simple questions – and your day already looks different in nutritional terms.
Eating healthily on the go is not a project that requires discipline. It is a question of preparation – and, to be honest, also a question of how seriously you take yourself amid all the appointments, trains and to-do lists. Discover suitable products for your day on the go at myherbal.ch.