We’ve all done it: overslept and skipped breakfast or worked through lunch. Schedules get hectic and suddenly eating is dropped from our to-do list.

However, skipping meals undernourishes your body and mind, and can lead to at least seven health consequences:

• Decreased immunity, which makes you more likely to get sick 
• Overeating when you finally do eat 
• Decreased energy 
• Low blood sugar 
• Slower metabolism over time 
• Mental fogginess 
• Irritability (getting “hangry”)

So, why do we do it? We’ve all used the excuses: I got up too late. I’m not hungry. There’s nothing to eat. I don’t want to cook. My meeting ran long. I forgot my lunch. I had to drive my kids to practice.

Skip the excuses and create “emergency meals” to keep in your cupboard, car or at work. You don’t have to sit down to a big meal to get the nutrition you need. You can pack of lot of nutrition into a little plastic bag.

Try these emergency meal pack ideas:

• Mixed nuts such as almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts and walnuts 
• Mixed seeds such as sunflower, flax or pumpkin 
• Dried fruit such as apples, raisins, banana chips, figs, pineapple chunks, mangos and dates 
• Packs of whole-wheat crackers and peanut butter 
• Veggie pouches (found in the infant food aisle)

An emergency meal pack that includes ¼ cup mixed nuts, ¼ cup sunflower seeds, one box of raisins, one six-pack of whole-wheat peanut butter crackers, and one veggie pouch contains an amazing 690 calories, 68 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fiber and 19 grams of protein.

– Erin Wiedmar