Healthy eating in your lunch hour |
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While we have full control over what we eat at home, it can be much more difficult when we’re at work. There’s the temptation of the vending machine, high-fat choices in the cafeteria, and all the tasty take-away food outside the office door. However, with a little planning, your lunch hour can be a time to stock up on nutrients and refuel healthily to keep you performing at your best all afternoon.
Build your lunchbox
When planning to take lunch from home, base it around the main food groups to ensure good nutrition. You could also take some snacks to help you avoid unhealthy foods from the vending machine.
Start with fuel foods
Foods from the grain group are an important refuelling pit-stop in our work day. Try different breads, such as pita breads or tortillas, or use cous cous, pasta, or rice in a tasty salad. Choosing whole grains will help maintain energy levels for longer.
Add meat and beans
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dry beans, and nuts add flavour and protein to our meals, and often valuable iron and zinc. Good choices are:
Enjoy dairy foods – desserts, drinks, and more
Low-fat dairy foods are easy to include at lunchtime, and a great source of calcium. Try:
Fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and all but avocado are virtually fat free. Easy ways to supersize your fruit and vegetables are:
Don’t forget a drink
It’s important to fit in enough fluid; dehydration at work can sap brainpower. However, most of us don’t need the extra calories that come from sugary drinks. Try fruit teas, sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon, or diet soda. You could include a glass of 100% fruit juice or fruit smoothie if you don’t fit much fruit into your diet.
Eating lunch outside the office
If you eat in the work cafeteria or buy food elsewhere, look out for healthful options on the menu. Try to choose foods that are low in fat, sugar, and salt, and don’t forget to add some fruit and vegetables for extra nutrients as well as filling fiber.
If there are no nutrition labels, such as at cafeterias, think about the ingredients the foods are made of, and how they’re cooked. For example, creamy soups or bacon sandwiches are likely to be high in fat, as are fried fish or sautéed potatoes.
When buying pre-packaged foods check the Nutrition Facts Label. Look particularly at the % Daily Value for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium, all nutrients to eat less of. Also check the values for fiber and vitamins and minerals, nutrients to eat more of. As a guide, if a food contains 20% Daily Value or more of a particular nutrient it is high in that nutrient. If the food contains 5% Daily Value or less it is low in that nutrient.
Consider your choices
Take the time to think about your eating habits at work. If you’re regularly choosing fatty or sugary foods, changing to more healthful lunches could make a real difference to your weight, health, and even workplace performance.
For more diet, health, food and fitness information visit www.weightplan.com
Tags: Diet, fruit, low fat, lunch, lunchbox, Nutrition, slimming, Top Tips, vegetables, weight loss
Build your lunchbox
When planning to take lunch from home, base it around the main food groups to ensure good nutrition. You could also take some snacks to help you avoid unhealthy foods from the vending machine.
Start with fuel foods
Foods from the grain group are an important refuelling pit-stop in our work day. Try different breads, such as pita breads or tortillas, or use cous cous, pasta, or rice in a tasty salad. Choosing whole grains will help maintain energy levels for longer.
Add meat and beans
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dry beans, and nuts add flavour and protein to our meals, and often valuable iron and zinc. Good choices are:
- cooked dry beans such as lentil soup, baked beans, and bean salad
- moderate amounts of lean beef, turkey, or chicken
- tinned fish like salmon or tuna
- boiled eggs.
- They make great sandwich fillings, and tuna can be mixed with a small amount of cottage cheese or low-fat mayonnaise for a baked potato filling.
Enjoy dairy foods – desserts, drinks, and more
Low-fat dairy foods are easy to include at lunchtime, and a great source of calcium. Try:
- shredded reduced-fat cheese on pasta salad
- cottage cheese or reduced-fat soft cheese with crackers or vegetable sticks
- complete your lunch with low-fat yogurt or
- wash lunch down with a low-fat milkshake, hot chocolate, or smoothie.
- Fill up on fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and all but avocado are virtually fat free. Easy ways to supersize your fruit and vegetables are:
- enjoy a mug of vegetable soup
- add crunch to sandwiches and rolls with plenty of salad
- add a side salad or tuck some crunchy raw vegetables such as snow peas, carrot, or celery sticks into your lunchbox
- finish lunch with fresh fruit salad topped with low-fat yogurt.
Don’t forget a drink
It’s important to fit in enough fluid; dehydration at work can sap brainpower. However, most of us don’t need the extra calories that come from sugary drinks. Try fruit teas, sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon, or diet soda. You could include a glass of 100% fruit juice or fruit smoothie if you don’t fit much fruit into your diet.
Eating lunch outside the office
If you eat in the work cafeteria or buy food elsewhere, look out for healthful options on the menu. Try to choose foods that are low in fat, sugar, and salt, and don’t forget to add some fruit and vegetables for extra nutrients as well as filling fiber.
If there are no nutrition labels, such as at cafeterias, think about the ingredients the foods are made of, and how they’re cooked. For example, creamy soups or bacon sandwiches are likely to be high in fat, as are fried fish or sautéed potatoes.
When buying pre-packaged foods check the Nutrition Facts Label. Look particularly at the % Daily Value for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium, all nutrients to eat less of. Also check the values for fiber and vitamins and minerals, nutrients to eat more of. As a guide, if a food contains 20% Daily Value or more of a particular nutrient it is high in that nutrient. If the food contains 5% Daily Value or less it is low in that nutrient.
Consider your choices
Take the time to think about your eating habits at work. If you’re regularly choosing fatty or sugary foods, changing to more healthful lunches could make a real difference to your weight, health, and even workplace performance.
For more diet, health, food and fitness information visit www.weightplan.com
Tags: Diet, fruit, low fat, lunch, lunchbox, Nutrition, slimming, Top Tips, vegetables, weight loss