Breakfast before long case...resident style

[AngkorWuT]

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I love sleeping in. Even if it means that I wake up 30 minutes before rounds or cases to

1. Brush teeth, 2-3 minutes
2. Change (please be non-clinic day, please be non-clinic day so I can just throw on scrubs), 3-5 minutes
3. Drink 2 cups of water, 1 minute and 30 seconds
4. Scarf down some sort of breakfast bar/fruit/etc., 5-6 minutes
5. 10-15 minute commute to hospital

So to all my fellow surgeons lurking, what is the healthiest and most efficient breakfast bar/food I can eat within 5 minutes to sustain me through a 10-14 hour free-flap case?

I've tried Nature Valley granola bars. Nature Valley breakfast biscuits. Clif bars. However, upon reading the ingredients and some web searching, none of the bars seem like it's really that healthy and all are loaded with sugar.

On occasion Oikos/Fage yogurt can be had in the 5 minutes before I hit the door.

Of these options, I think yogurt is the healthiest. Problem with the yogurt is that I can't really eat while I drive and it's tough to eat while walking on rounds. Thank god I don't have to pre-round anymore.

Help!

 

[KinasePro]

Greek yogurt is the GOAT breakfast choice before a long case. But if I can't scarf efficiently, then I'll do 2 high quality protein bars (Quest or something similar) and a multivitamin.

Protein shakes are great too, but I usually only resort to those on clinic days when there is a restroom handy. Definitely don't want to fill up my bladder before an 8 hour case.

 

[DoctwoB]

Cliff builder bars are the way to go if you need something quick. They're different from the regular cliff bars which are mostly carbs, the builder bars have 20 something grams of protein. Taste better too, especially the chocolate mint ones.

 

[themockjock]

Quest or something similar

Oh god Quest bars. I eat a completely unhealthy number of these things. I scrubbed a giant thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair the other day and my entire nutritional intake for essentially 24 hours took the form of Quest bars. Still felt full at the end of the case.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Why can't you eat yogurt while driving?

I do it every day, mixed with a little fruit or granola.

You could also mix up some eggs, with some veggies +/- more protein in a cup the night before and while you're brushing your teeth, put on a hot skillet; they'll cook before you're done dressing (I understand some people microwave them; I've not tried that).

 

[wholeheartedly]

can def microwave eggs easily


http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/article/muffin-tin-eggs-breakfast

burritos work well for grab and go as well

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

If it's that big of an issue you'd get your ass up a few minutes earlier and eat. I mean does ten minutes really cause that much of a problem?

 

[AngkorWuT]

If it's that big of an issue you'd get your ass up a few minutes earlier and eat. I mean does ten minutes really cause that much of a problem?

The time to eat us not the question I'm asking.

I'm asking what's the best breakfast bar to eat thats...

1. Healthy and not loaded with sugar
2. Protein loaded
3. Found at most grocery stores

I tend to not eat yogurt because I'm going to be hit with a blast of cold outside and don't like eating cold in the morning.

 

[LucidSplash]

I like KIND bars for snacks though not typically as an entire breakfast.

 

[dpmd]

You might just have to make your own. I did some baked oatmeal in muffin cups with extra protein in them one time that I could then keep in the freezer long term and microwave as needed. I too am not seeing the difficulty eating yogurt while driving (I do a homemade granola with extra protein in it as a topping-again can be made ahead of time and frozen, you don't even have to thaw it before eating). I also do big batches of diced veggies that I can keep in the fridge in single serving containers to microwave as needed and top with a couple of fried eggs (but you could also make a big batch of scrambled eggs and add it to the veggie containers if you want to cut down on time). Breakfast burritos that you make a big batch of and freeze would also work. I think you will find all of the commercial bars have pretty high sugar loads even if they also have good amounts of protein. You might just need to practice your car eating skills (I have eaten full meals before while driving a stick shift so yogurt in an automatic is easy).

 

[AngkorWuT]

You might just have to make your own. I did some baked oatmeal in muffin cups with extra protein in them one time that I could then keep in the freezer long term and microwave as needed. I too am not seeing the difficulty eating yogurt while driving (I do a homemade granola with extra protein in it as a topping-again can be made ahead of time and frozen, you don't even have to thaw it before eating). I also do big batches of diced veggies that I can keep in the fridge in single serving containers to microwave as needed and top with a couple of fried eggs (but you could also make a big batch of scrambled eggs and add it to the veggie containers if you want to cut down on time). Breakfast burritos that you make a big batch of and freeze would also work. I think you will find all of the commercial bars have pretty high sugar loads even if they also have good amounts of protein. You might just need to practice your car eating skills (I have eaten full meals before while driving a stick shift so yogurt in an automatic is easy).

Great suggestions from all. Trying to change my lifestyle for the better. My body's starting to feel the effects of 12+ years of crappy eating. Your homemade stuff sounds pretty good. Guess I'll start practicing my car multi-tasking skills 🙂

 

[dpmd]

Great suggestions from all. Trying to change my lifestyle for the better. My body's starting to feel the effects of 12+ years of crappy eating. Your homemade stuff sounds pretty good. Guess I'll start practicing my car multi-tasking skills 🙂

Or you could try eating between the time you do the h+p update on the patient and when they actually get to the room (that is when I eat now if I have a first case).

 

[mimelim]

Maybe it is being in Vascular, but I try to eat oatmeal every day. Simple, filling, easy to make, warm. Used to do yogurt while running out the door, but I think I get a longer kick out of the oatmeal.

 

[Gurby]

I discovered MealSquares recently and immediately became dependent on them for meals on-the-go where I need to be bladder-conscious: http://www.mealsquares.com/

It's basically a meal replacement bar, designed to be nutritionally complete so if you ate 5 of them you'd end up with 2000 calories and meet the RDA of vitamins/minerals. The ingredients are more wholesome-seeming than Cliff Bars or other similar products. In order, the ingredients are: oats, eggs, milk, dark chocolate chips, whey, beets, orange juice, rice bran, etc. One 400-calorie bar has 20g protein, 36g carbs, 20g fat, 5.5g fiber.

 

[MediCane2006]

Quest bar + one or two string cheeses is my go-to when I'm strapped for time and have a long case ahead. Almonds + string cheese or babybel cheese is also good.

If I have an extra couple minutes, scrambled eggs/egg whites with avocado and sharp cheddar cheese in a tortilla, but as someone who LOVES to sleep in this rarely happens

 

[PTAwesome]

Serious question: how do you eat yogurt while driving a car? The thought of digging into a container with a spoon and feeding my face with it while operating a vehicle sounds more dangerous than texting while driving.

 

[dpmd]

Serious question: how do you eat yogurt while driving a car? The thought of digging into a container with a spoon and feeding my face with it while operating a vehicle sounds more dangerous than texting while driving.

Yogurt cup in one hand held in a way where you can keep things straight with the wheel if needed (using the ulnar aspect of the hand on the wheel). Spoon in cup while turning or changing lanes. When on a straightaway scoop up a spoonful and put in mouth. No looking needed due to proprioception. Good vehicular alignment and power steering is helpul.

 

[Handinhand]

Maybe it's because I still have a younger metabolism, but, how in the HELL are you all surviving the day on a single yogurt or protein bar? When I was on my sub-i's and knew I probably wasn't eating lunch that day, I'd make a bowl of oatmeal and load it up with peanut butter, hemp & flax seeds and some crunchy granola, and eat a greek yogurt on my drive in and I'd still be hungry.

 

[dpmd]

Maybe it's because I still have a younger metabolism, but, how in the HELL are you all surviving the day on a single yogurt or protein bar? When I was on my sub-i's and knew I probably wasn't eating lunch that day, I'd make a bowl of oatmeal and load it up with peanut butter, hemp & flax seeds and some crunchy granola, and eat a greek yogurt on my drive in and I'd still be hungry.

When I am busy in the or on a long case i can make it but otherwise I always eat lunch. Even as a student my teams usually either made time for eating at the caf or there was an opportunity to run and grab something quick. And as a resident the really long cases were all with staff that built in breaks (so they would let me eat while they did stuff they had to do themselves and they would eat while i did some part they felt comfortable leaving me unsupervised during).

 

[Handinhand]

Also, for the people that like to eat their bars, I HIGHLY recommend Oat-Mega bars. Made with grass-fed whey protein, almond butter, fish oil, etc.. 14g Protein and 5g sugar per bar, and they taste amazing. You can pick them up at Whole Foods to try -- they're a little pricey (on point with the Quest bars, which I also like), but I think the quality ingredients they use justify the price.

http://givebar.com/products

... and no, I'm not a shill for them. I just really love these bars!

 

[witzelsucht]

Maybe it's because I still have a younger metabolism, but, how in the HELL are you all surviving the day on a single yogurt or protein bar? When I was on my sub-i's and knew I probably wasn't eating lunch that day, I'd make a bowl of oatmeal and load it up with peanut butter, hemp & flax seeds and some crunchy granola, and eat a greek yogurt on my drive in and I'd still be hungry.

fo real. i did the "power oatmeal" thing and barely got 4-5 hours out of it before feeling hungry and hypoglycemic. i gotta get some quest bars and megaoat bars or w/e...

 

[dpmd]

Oatmeal never holds me for long no matter what I add to it. Eggs and bacon lasts much longer when I have time to get them from the caf.

 

[Handinhand]

Oatmeal never holds me for long no matter what I add to it. Eggs and bacon lasts much longer when I have time to get them from the caf.

I've gotten good results with peanut butter and hemp seeds -- a lot of protein and fat that will sit in your stomach for a while.

Agreed with the eggs and bacon; however, I'm just a poor medical student so I need to make breakfast at home haha.

 

[PTAwesome]

Yogurt cup in one hand held in a way where you can keep things straight with the wheel if needed (using the ulnar aspect of the hand on the wheel). Spoon in cup while turning or changing lanes. When on a straightaway scoop up a spoonful and put in mouth. No looking needed due to proprioception. Good vehicular alignment and power steering is helpul.

Thanks for the excellent description, I could picture it clearly. Some people are better than others at multitasking and props to those who can do this safely. But another question arises: do you worry about a blob of yogurt landing in your lap or rolling down your chest as you ladle it in? Sometimes I drink a homemade smoothie on the road out of a Mason jar and occasionally I have a spill. When I think of it I grab a paper towel and lay it in my lap just in case.

 

[dpmd]

Thanks for the excellent description, I could picture it clearly. Some people are better than others at multitasking and props to those who can do this safely. But another question arises: do you worry about a blob of yogurt landing in your lap or rolling down your chest as you ladle it in? Sometimes I drink a homemade smoothie on the road out of a Mason jar and occasionally I have a spill. When I think of it I grab a paper towel and lay it in my lap just in case.

I always wore scrubs so it wouldn't really matter (if it was a big enough mess i would just change, we weren't supposed to home launder scrubs but that **** saves a lot of time in the morning so i would just throw on some home laundered or scrubs and say **** the police)

 

[Winged Scapula]

Yogurt cup in one hand held in a way where you can keep things straight with the wheel if needed (using the ulnar aspect of the hand on the wheel). Spoon in cup while turning or changing lanes. When on a straightaway scoop up a spoonful and put in mouth. No looking needed due to proprioception. Good vehicular alignment and power steering is helpul.

Greek yogurt too - thicker, less dripping. Can put on console, serve myself.

Alternative: drive with knees when serving self

 

[Winged Scapula]

I always wore scrubs so it wouldn't really matter (if it was a big enough mess i would just change, we weren't supposed to home launder scrubs but that **** saves a lot of time in the morning so i would just throw on some home laundered or scrubs and say **** the police)

Yeah, if you're wearing scrubs, no problem.

When in the office, I dress up, so keep paper towel in lap (but have been known to miss - had a pink strawberry stain on my white blouse a couple of weeks ago).

 

[Winged Scapula]

Maybe it's because I still have a younger metabolism, but, how in the HELL are you all surviving the day on a single yogurt or protein bar? When I was on my sub-i's and knew I probably wasn't eating lunch that day, I'd make a bowl of oatmeal and load it up with peanut butter, hemp & flax seeds and some crunchy granola, and eat a greek yogurt on my drive in and I'd still be hungry.

Sometimes just forget to eat/don't have time and don't think about it.

Occasionally I'd feel hypoglycemic but mostly don't notice it.

 

[dpmd]

Greek yogurt too - thicker, less dripping. Can put on console, serve myself.

Alternative: drive with knees when serving self

Yeah. Definitely greek yogurt unless you want to stir it up before you enter the car and then just slurp it up from the cup as you drive.

 

[LucidSplash]

Oatmeal and brown sugar and bacon. We get free food at work and this is a win all the way around. If the bacon is super crispy break it up and mix it in.

I tend to do Greek yogurt and bacon more often though. Not mixed.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Usually don't notice it until I sit down in PACU to put in orders and the op note. Then I get a mad rush of hunger, remember that I haven't peed in hours, etc.

Thankfully the PACU nurses are accustomed to this and let us pillage the snacks. Graham crackers, peanut butter, and Cokes make it better real fast.

Once you get to be an attending, you can command things like refrigerator with snacks in the dictation room! 😉

 

[dpmd]

Oatmeal and brown sugar and bacon. We get free food at work and this is a win all the way around. If the bacon is super crispy break it up and mix it in.

I tend to do Greek yogurt and bacon more often though. Not mixed.

Will try this with the oatmeal and bacon

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Usually don't notice it until I sit down in PACU to put in orders and the op note. Then I get a mad rush of hunger, remember that I haven't peed in hours, etc.

Thankfully the PACU nurses are accustomed to this and let us pillage the snacks. Graham crackers, peanut butter, and Cokes make it better real fast.

Graham crackers to scoop up the peanut butter is a snack of champions either right before or after a big case.

 

[LucidSplash]

Will try this with the oatmeal and bacon

Make sure you use the brown sugar too, just a little. It's like candied bacon.