Category: nutrition, food, eating

How to (not) eat like a doctor

Our diets may be the most important factor affecting our health but we physicians are notorious for eating poorly. We don’t intentionally make poor food choices, but we fail to intentionally make good food choices. Most of the time, poor eating habits are tied directly to our training and work

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Our diets may be the most important factor affecting our health but we physicians are notorious for eating poorly. We don’t intentionally make poor food choices, but we fail to intentionally make good food choices. Most of the time, poor eating habits are tied directly to our training and work.

a large hospital

too busy to eat well

Doctors in training- medical students and residents- have no control over their schedules so they often don’t know when, where, or what they will eat. We don’t do much better when we start practicing.

When we are an hour behind schedule (yes, we are well aware that we run late and we don’t do it just to ruin your day) and an emergency patient walks in, we just accept “there goes a decent lunch”, if we get to eat lunch at all.

I’ve learned from my patients that physicians are not unique this way. In the midst of busy lives with work, school, kids’ activities, church, clubs and just maintaining life, food often gets low priority on our schedules

a vending machine with snack food
Too often, doctors’ meals are something we eat from one of these.

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planning to eat well

So, to help you with this dilemma, I am sharing advice from another physician blogger, Mary L. Brandt, MD who writes wellnessrounds. She is a Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics and Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine and pediatric surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital .

Her blog mostly addresses issues pertinent to medical students and residents but in this post she outlines a 5 step plan for healthy eating that anyone can use.

5 steps to healthy eating

  1. Make a plan
  2. Make a shopping list
  3. Shop once for the week and (when you can) prep ahead
  4. Use your day(s) off to cook things that might take a bit more time and freeze some for other days
  5. Keep a few “instant” healthy meals in your pantry
bottle of olive oil
Olive oil is a healthy choice for cooking at home.

Think this sounds like a lot of work? Well, it is, but so is being sick, or trying to lose weight after you’ve gained too much. Or as Dr. Brandt says in her post (speaking to medical students and residents remember)

“If you can learn how to take out a gallbladder or care for ill patients in the ICU don’t you think you can learn how to sauté a few vegetables???”

Dr. Mdary Brandt

Here is a link to her plan to help you start eating well-like a doctor.

Eating Well at Work 

exploring the HEART of eating well

Dr. Aletha

7 health habits we all need

Decluttering and simplifying our lives may reduce stress and increase satisfaction. While minimizing material possessions is vital, we should also focus on cultivating essential habits: prioritizing sleep, nutritious food, meaningful connections, generosity, physical and mental activity, and genuine communication.

updated September 28, 2025

Articles, blog posts, and social media messages suggest we have too much stuff and that our lives would be better with less stuff. This philosophy goes by different names- decluttering, simplifying, minimalism.

These idea promise less stress, more peace, and more time to enjoy activities that give us pleasure and satisfaction.

I could not agree more and am trying to apply the idea to my life and home. But there are some things we need more of.

We need habits that promote renewal, energy, fitness, and wellbeing. By decluttering, simplifying, and changing our priorities, we will have more time to develop them.

 

SLEEP

Too many of us treat sleep like a luxury or a waste of time rather than as the necessity that it is. Some of us need more quality sleep; many people are chronically tired due to undiagnosed sleep disorders  such as obstructive sleep apnea which aren’t recognized without medical evaluation.

FOOD

We need  to eat more nutritious food- fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meats, dairy- anything that isn’t processed or full of unnecessary sugar or excessive fat.

Eat a variety of fresh foods every day
Eat a variety of fresh foods every day

 

vending machine with junk food
And eat less of these, if at all.

 

CONNECTION

We need to spend more time with our family and friends, keeping in touch physically and emotionally.

family playing a card game
We had fun learning a new board game, a favorite family activity.

 

GENEROSITY

We need to cultivate generosity and give more, whether it’s of our money, time, talent or possessions.

Contact the veterans' crisis line for help.

 

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

We need to move often , including sports, exercise, chores, walking, even just standing up more than we sit. Here are guidelines recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Man climbing up a rock wall
Rock climbing may be too extreme for you, but we can all find something we can do and enjoy.

 

 

MENTAL ACTIVITY

We need to read, learn new skills,  start or resume a hobby, learn another language, maybe even start a blog. You might even want to read about health; here are some suggestions.

statue of boy reading a book
Children and adults can develop a reading habit.

 

 

CONVERSATION

We need authentic communication with other people.

Social media, phone calls, text and email messages substitute when necessary, but they don’t replace face-to-face time with others.

 

 

 

 Which habits do you need more of?

Which of these resonates with you?

What will you need to change to make room for any of these in your life?

What will you gain if you have more of it in your life?

How will you get started?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring the HEART of Health

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Dr. Aletha