Healthy choices for your next lunch can keep your waistline down for good.
We can’t go a day without lunch when we are working. Without a hearty meal to fuel our exhausted brains, how do we even last till it’s time to clock out? In the pursuit for value and convenience, healthy choices for lunch seems restricted. However, it is necessary to treat lunch equal like breakfasts and dinner. This is to prevent your body and health from being mistreated and onset of health problems will soon come.
Make Small Changes
Rome is not built in a day, this certainly applies to eating habits of every person as well. Drastic changes can turn out to be uneasy given the short adjustment time. Therefore, if you intend to make the change, take baby steps to allow yourself get used to it.
If you dine out…
Make it less sweet
Complete your order with this: Less sweet, please! Kurang manis!
It is recommended that women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day whereas it is 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men. It is important to cultivate habits to avoid consuming sugary drinks such as soft drinks, canned coffee, iced Milo, and others. Your body can do better without them.
To quench your thirst, what if you settle for plain water? Simple and it works, no? However, if you insist to getting something to wash the food down, opt for the less sweet variety.
Take extra vegetables
Make your lunch an opportunity to meet your daily intake of vegetable servings. A study recommends everyone to consume 10 servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The reduced risk of diseases translates to longer life expectancy.
It’s difficult for one to invest time to cook after work, and the cost of eating out for dinner can easily add up. Therefore, while you are dining out for lunch, why not increase the amount of vegetables? Vegetables are full of fiber therefore it can help to you full and prevent constipation.
Avoid extra fat
Fat can be hidden in plain sight. Gravy and salad dressing are arguably the innocent-looking culprits that can ruin a diet. Rice is the staple food of most Asian people and it is delectable when paired with gravy. Humble plain rice is given an upgrade when it takes the flavour of mouth-watering chicken, fish, and beef.
Keep the gravy intake low and substitute salad dressing with healthier alternatives such as honey and lemon juice. Practice moderation and avoid drowning the rice in gravy. Food can still taste great without hefty amount of fat and diet guilt afterwards.
If you pack your lunch…
Packing lunch from home is an excellent method to control calorie intake. Perhaps the biggest payoff is that it grants you the biggest control over what you consume.
The above suggestions certainly apply if you dine out once a while. It may be inconvenience that lead you to forgo your lunchbox. However, some may also agree that lunchbox with a lack of food variety is the cause for food boredom.
To curb food boredom, it is recommended to create a mix of food combo in your lunchbox.
Sandwich: It can be as simple as peanut butter & jelly. You may also research for sandwich recipes online and go Martha Stewart all the way.
Side of vegetables: Tomatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and the list go on. It’s not hard to find at least one type of vegetables that suits your taste buds.
Fruit: One portion should suffice and there’s plenty of options you can select, just like vegetables.
Snack: Satisfy your cravings with something less damaging to your health such as nuts and onigiri.
This allows one to experiment with a wide variety of food to find a balance that he/she likes. It may appear that a lot of work is needed to prepare a lunchbox. However, can you really put a price on your health?
Health is wealth, there’s no better way to put it. Treating your body well even while you are working can go a long way. Food gives joy to people, but it can be pretty damaging to health when poor choices are made. Eat clean and neat for lunches and your body will thank you when you retire.
