Lunch is the forgotten stepchild of the meal day. We spend a
fair amount of energy planning dinner, and we (sometimes begrudgingly) spend
some energy making sure we eat breakfast. But more than one of us has looked at
the clock at noon, realized we are hungry and then scarfed down whatever was
available and easy.
Too often, that means fast food, vending machine food or –
for some people – nothing at all. And this is truly unfortunate. Nutrition
experts tell us again and again that eating three meals and two snacks a day is
the surest path to good nutrition and a balanced diet. And even if you are
eating lunch, a hamburger and fries doesn’t get you very far on the path to
good nutrition.
So, how do you change this? Lunch is a tough one for people
who work outside the home. Sure, you can pack leftovers from dinner, but what
if there aren’t any or you didn’t like dinner in the first place? Making a
sandwich and adding some fruit sounds easy, but that’s just one more thing to do
in the morning and if you’re in a rush, it’s one of the first chores you’ll
discard.
Here are some tips to bring lunch back into focus on busy
weekdays:
*Do plan for leftovers, if possible.
If you like what you’re making for dinner and think you
wouldn’t mind having it for lunch tomorrow, set aside some before everyone else
gets fed. Put it into the fridge and your family will never know a portion of
the entree is missing. Best of all, you’ve already done the work. Add a piece
of fruit and yoghurt and there’s lunch tomorrow.
*If you must have fast food, stay away from fries, most hamburgers,
anything breaded and fried and most salads.
Yes, I said salads.
Sure, you’ll get some nutritional content from the lettuce and all the other
goodies on the salad, but the dressing might have as much as 30 grams of fat in
it, most of it is saturated fat. Stick with light dressings or even keep a
bottle of dressing in the fridge at work. Otherwise, stay away from fast food
salads (and they’re never that good anyway). Try a grilled chicken sandwich,
sans fries.
*If you’re out and about running errands and get hungry…
, stop at 7-11, and grab a bottle of milk, some trail mix or
a granola bar and a piece of fruit. It might not be gourmet, but it will get
you through to a small snack later and then dinner.
*Keep lunch items at work.
There are many things
you can keep in your desk that are shelf-stable and still healthy. How about tuna
packets and crackers? How about some fruit in its own juice? Nuts, trail mix
and granola bars are all good choices. Stay away from sodium-laden canned soups
and noodle bowls. Not only can they provide you with more than the maximum
sodium you need for one day, they also won’t provide the complex carb and
protein boost you need to get you through the afternoon and keep you from
stalking the vending machine later for an unhealthy snack.
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