With hardly any time to mull over the calorie count of lunch, little attention goes to the fact that what people are eating. People just grab anything from the foodstuffs available in cafeteria to quickly fill their stomachs before the next important work is taken up. Even this, very often, takes the shape of a brainstorming session with colleagues.
The health conscious can do better than this. Taking along your packed lunch from home, keeps you firmly in control of the quality and quantity of your food intake. Take a diet that gives you vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fats and the much needed energy to help you keep up with the pace of work without getting sapped. Packing a healthy lunch from home need not be a tedious and time consuming task. Here are some nutritious options you can consider.
1. Soups
Prepare in more quantities over the weekend. Freeze for use during the weekdays. Thaw a portion for use when required. Make ample use of vegetables to give you proteins, vitamins and minerals. To make it more nutritious, add whole grains. Use brown rice, barley or whole-wheat pasta. Take as a part of the meal or as a meal itself. Keep the fat content low. Avoid the use of cream. Incorporate high fiber ingredients to turn the soup into a more filling, low fat and low calorie meal. Use homemade broth or the low in sodium canned variant. Keep the fiber content high with vegetables such as beans. Pack in an airtight container or thermos. An insulated container helps keep the soup warm for long.
2. Sandwiches
This is a no-fuss, easy to prepare and healthy option for lunch. There are plenty of options available for nutritious and delectable sandwich spreads. For the base of the sandwich, replace white bread with whole grain options. Opt for whole wheat or whole grain bread. Pita pockets and tortillas are also nutritious alternatives for increasing the fiber and complex carbohydrate content of your lunch. Avoid meats with high fat content and sodium. You may opt for one of the various lean meat alternatives available such as chicken, ham or turkey. Puree cottage cheese to use as spread. Enhance the flavor of vegetables with this low calorie cheese variant. Use hummus with sliced vegetables as a filling on tortillas. Add lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and mushroom in ample amounts. To make the nutritious sandwiches even more delectable, use herbs such as celery seed. Opt for low fat mustard in place of mayonnaise.
3. Salads
Salads have always been known as a nutritious alternative to other high calorie lunch options available to you in the cafeteria. These are easy to prepare in a little time. Pack the cut vegetables and the toppings separately. Opt for lettuce and chicken salad with carrots and shredded cheese. Bean and pasta salad and whole wheat pasta salad are also good options. Add fresh vegetables, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, peas and other ingredients that make your salad rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Choose low-calorie toppings that do not have a high fat or sodium content. Go for a low fat cheese, boneless chicken and keep the dressing light. Use a zipper sealed bag to pack.
4. Veggie burgers
Use whole wheat hamburger rolls. Add tofu, tamari, low fat cheese along with vegetables to prepare a nutritious and delicious vegetable burger for a quick bite in the office. Increase the vitamin and mineral content of your meal with avocado strips and bean sprouts. Go generous on the vegetable content to make sure that your diet has enough nutrients to provide you energy and to allow your body to function well.
5. Kabobs
These come as a low fat source of protein. You can opt for these in place of meat to keep excess fat off your lunch. The low fat cheese in these kabobs is an extremely good source of protein and calcium. Use cheddar or mozzarella cheese with vegetables. To make sure that the kabobs are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, use different kinds of vegetables. Mushrooms, cucumber and tomatoes are the ones used in general. These kabobs are nutritious, delicious and give you enough calories to keep you energetic throughout the day. With these as lunch, you can avoid gaining weight.