We are often told about the mistakes we are making with our diet
and nutrition choices but less frequently are we given any real direction on
what we should actually be eating in order to achieve the weight loss results
we are looking for. Lunch is a classic example of this - we are told what to
avoid and how much fat and / or calories popular lunch choices contain, but
less often the specific details on what we should be packing and ordering. So
if weight loss is your goal, here are some of the best lunch time options to
help guarantee success.
Soup and a sandwich
When we want to lose weight we often go too hard too fast and
grab a simple soup or salad and call it lunch. The issue with this is that
while soup is a good choice, unless it contains a decent portion of meat, you
will be hungry again an hour or two later. A much better option is a bowl of
vegetable soup as well as a small sandwich or wrap. Not only will the vegetable
bulk in the soup help to keep you full but the serve of carbs and protein via
some egg, tuna or chicken on a sandwich or wrap will fill you for several
hours. The key is to make sure the sandwich or wrap are small, not the jumbo
size serves we generally have access to in food courts.
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| A few leaves aren’t going to keep you full. But a balanced salad will. |
A substantial salad
I am not talking about a few leaves and a tin of tuna here,
rather 2-3 cups of salad ingredients along with a palm sized portion of protein
such as chicken breast, lean lamb, salmon or a couple of eggs and a decent
serve of carbs via a slice of wholegrain bread, ½ - 1 cup brown rice, sweet
potato or beans. Most importantly, a serve of good fat from some olive oil
dressing or 1/3 - ½ small avocados will again help to keep you full for several
hours. And remember that you are always better to make your own salad as food
court options tend to be packed with extra fats and calories coming from cheese,
nuts and lashings of dressing.
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| Go with brown rice sushi and you’re on the right track. |
Japanese
Now our go to with Japanese is generally sushi rolls and while
they are relatively low in calories, they lack the protein and bulk to keep you
full for 3-4 hours as a well-balanced lunch should. A much better mix is to
include just 1-2 brown rice rolls, but load up with sashimi, Edamame and
seaweed salad so you achieve a low calorie, high protein lunch that will
satisfy you until late afternoon.
Leftovers
The beauty with leftovers is not only that they are cost
effective but you can completely control your calorie intake and as it is lunch
you can also include a decent serve of carbs via rice, pasta or potato without
impacting your weight loss attempts. You may have also noticed that enjoying a
hot meal at lunch is much more satisfying than a comparatively unappealing
salad or sandwich that you have been used to grabbing for years if not decades.
Good options include stir fry with brown rice, a serve of pasta with tuna and
salad or mini frittata muffins and salad.
Stuffed Potato
Chances are you have never thought about eating a potato for
lunch let alone at work but if you consider that a single potato is a perfect
portion of carbs; you can cook it in minutes in the microwave and then stuff it
with your favourite protein - tuna, salmon, chicken or beans and top it with
delicious sides such as avo, cheese, a little sour cream, chilli or mayo and
serve with salad, a stuffed potato goes down as one of the cheapest and most
filling lunches there is. Contrary to popular believe it is not a humble potato
that makes us fat, rather its well-known cousin's hot chips and buttery potato
mash that are linked to weight gain.
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