Eating a healthy lunch can be difficult for busy people, but planning and packing ahead can help. Fresh fruits and vegetables, peanut butter on whole-grain bread, and make-ahead salads are good options. Access to refrigerators and microwaves expands the possibilities. Skipping lunch or opting for convenience store food is not a healthy option.
Eating healthy is an increasingly popular goal, and while eating healthy at every meal is important to an overall balanced diet, lunch is a meal that is sometimes difficult to prepare and often skipped. The busier a person is at work or at home, the more difficult it can be to fit a healthy lunch into their schedule. Packing lunches for work or school is sometimes done with less attention than other meal planning, and it’s often easier to have lunch on the go, even if it ends up being a less healthy option. To round out healthy eating habits, plan or pack a healthy lunch ahead of time and consider these healthy lunch ideas.
Packing a lunch for work or school largely depends on the storage and preparation options available. While workers can enjoy the convenience of a refrigerator and microwave in their office, schoolchildren don’t have this luxury. Since many children are picky eaters and don’t always eat the lunches prepared in their school cafeteria, parents should help their children meet the daily dietary guidelines by providing healthy foods.
Some healthy lunch ideas for packers include fresh fruits or vegetables that won’t spoil at room temperature. Whole apples, bananas, carrots, and celery sticks are good options. Peanut butter on whole-wheat or multi-grain bread or spread on celery will satisfy protein requirements, but won’t spoil without refrigeration like deli meats. Prepackaged cereal or granola bars are healthy dessert options. To wash it all down, pack water or low-calorie fruit juices or encourage your kids to buy milk at school.
For packers who have access to refrigerators and microwaves, healthy lunch ideas become a lot more versatile, but they still need to be quick. Yogurt and cottage cheese are good dairy options and require no preparation. A make-ahead salad with chopped vegetables and even boiled chicken or eggs is another healthy lunch idea that is eaten quickly. If you prefer a hot lunch, try the low-calorie, microwave-ready soups. Those who are also concerned about calorie intake can drink water with their lunch to increase their feelings of fullness without adding calories.
If you can make it home by lunchtime, you can make any of these healthy lunch ideas, as well as a few others. Deli meats and cheeses served on multi-grain crackers with a side of pretzels, instead of fries, are a healthy lunch option, as are steamed vegetables and whole-grain rice or pasta.
Although lunch should be quick on most days, skipping lunch or stopping at the nearest convenience store or convenience store is not a healthy option. There’s no need to sacrifice healthy eating due to time constraints if you plan ahead and use the same healthy judgments you apply to other foods. In addition to being better for your health, there are other advantages to planning and implementing healthy lunch ideas, including having more energy throughout the day and saving money over eating out.
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