One of the most challenging aspects of trying to pursue your best health and improve your overall wellness is figuring out how to make your lunch break through the week work for you. Trying to think through making healthy lunches for work can seem daunting and a little intimidating, but the good news is that it’s easier than you think.
Here is everything you need to know about how to make healthy lunches for work that can help to give you energy and keep you focused!
Why is Lunch So Important?
Lunch is one the most important meals of the day, and for millions of people in the workforce, it’s one of the easiest to exercise bad habits on. The problem with lunch throughout the workweek is that it presents a bit of a challenge. The truth is, you only have so much capacity and energy and chances are if you are working long hours then finding the time to create healthy and sustaining lunch plans might be difficult.
It May Seem Easier to Skip
There are a couple of ways that lunch can become something that takes away from you more than it gives, and avoiding that is the challenging part. One of the worst things you can do is make the decision to skip your lunch meal altogether. It makes sense that on a busy day this might seem like the best option. You’ve been up for hours already, the workday has your mind buzzing, it may just seem easier to grab a quick snack and keep trucking.
When we don’t supply our bodies with the necessary sugars, carbs, and proteins that it needs during the middle of the day, this can more adverse effects than benefits. While a quick snack or a meal substitution like a protein shake may be an absolute necessity some days, skipping lunch regularly can have a negative impact on your day.
Skipping Lunch Isn’t Good For Your Brain
Your brain is one of the largest organs in your body and consumed an incredible amount of energy every day to function. For many of us, by the time lunchtime rolls around, that fog we might be starting to experience could be an actual lack of nutrition. Eating a balanced, healthy lunch helps to keep your entire body and mind fueled so you can have a productive day.
Skipping Lunch Promotes Over Eating
Another adverse effect of skipping lunch is that it can encourage overeating at night. The morning and evening are two of the most crucial times for you to control how much and what you eat. When you wake up you are leaving a fasting state and introducing your body to the energy it needs for the day, which is why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day.
At the end of the day, however, you are preparing your body for another state of fasting. So this means you have to be careful about what you eat because it can greatly impact your sleeping patterns and overall rest. Having a balanced, healthy lunch can help to avoid feelings of extreme hunger that could lead to overeating.
3 Healthy Lunch Ideas
- Lean Protein and Fibrous Carbs
- Fish and Vegetables
- Turkey and Pasta
The good news is that having balanced, healthy lunches during your work week that doesn’t make you feel overloaded and avoid the carb-crash, is more ease than you think. Here are 3 ideas for what to bring for lunch!
Lean Protein and Fibrous Carbs
One of the best, easiest, and most delicious work meals you can always bank on is a lean protein like chicken, paired with carbs that have a good amount of fiber like rice. The benefit to lean protein and carbs that contain fiber is that this meal helps you get the protein, carbs, and sugars you need without feeling bloated, carb-heavy, or sleepy afterward. Not only that but there’s no end to the different ways you can season and prepare this meal so it can always feel fresh.
Fish and Vegetables
Fish like salmon are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are some of the most important kinds of dietary fat to get. Not only that, but fish can be a satisfying, delicious protein that can help you feel full without feeling heavy. Pairing fish with vegetables helps you get all your vitamins and minerals, and keeps fiber in your diet.
Turkey and Pasta
If you have a more physical job or physical habits like midday workouts, then you’ll need more carbs to replenish your energy. Pairing delicious, gluten-free, pasta with lean turkey is a great way to carb up when you need to and still avoid a heavy lunch that can take away from your day.
Conclusion
Finding ways to keep your mind and body energized with healthy, fit lunches is not only doable but delicious. With these three lunch ideas, you can keep your work lunch productive, energizing, and delicious all year round.
