Having a healthy lunch at a good restaurant during office hours is an expensive habit most people can’t afford. The tendency is to choose fast-food meals, candy bars, and in some cases, even no food at all. A lot of people think that having a healthy lunch at work without spending too much money on it is almost impossible or very time-consuming but there are solutions that prove otherwise.
Proper eating habits have numerous health benefits, they don’t apply just to people who are trying to lose or gain weight. By having a balanced meal plan, you will feel better, look better, have more energy, and become less prone to developing health conditions.
Getting that healthy meal even at work
The negative effects of eating in front of your computer
First of all, people who have lunch at their desks are prone to overeating because they focus on their work tasks and not on the food. In this manner, they will not pay attention to how fast and how much they are eating.
Secondly, they deny themselves of a well-deserved break. Lunch break is not just your right, it is your chance to relax, stretch your legs, and enjoy your meal so you have enough energy to do your job properly once it’s over.
However, there are cases when you can’t leave your desk so you should at least get up every hour or so and walk for a couple of minutes to get that blood pumping and release the tension in your muscles. When you eat at your desk you shouldn’t do anything else except that. This may require a bit of focus, especially if you have developed a habit of working and eating simultaneously. It is also recommended you clean your desk before eating since most people tend to overlook this aspect.
Prepare the lunch yourself and bring it to work
This is the affordable solution to eat healthy; you’ll know exactly what’s in your lunch, since you made it yourself. There are plenty of easy and quick recipes you can make at home in the evening and store them in the fridge until next day, for example, grilled chicken breast, seafood, tuna, boiled vegetables, pasta and others.
When you lack the time or energy to prepare cooked foods you can always go for something that requires little preparation such as a salad with low-fat dressing, hummus & raw vegetables, cheese or smoked meat. Last but not least, it is very important that your office lunch also contains a fruit.
Eat healthy but not too much
So you may eat only healthy foods but don’t forget, these still count as calories. The whole point in taking a lunch break is to pay attention to your meal. Chewing your food slowly will make you feel full by eating less, and it also works as a natural relaxant.
Eating snacks throughout the day is not bad, but only if you eat healthy ones. To avoid temptation, ensure you have a sufficient stock of nutritious foods such as fruits, yogurt and nuts.
All meals are important
Eating breakfast will give you enough energy until noon and prevent extreme hunger that can make you overeat at lunch. If you don’t have time to eat it at home, you should consider also packing breakfast for work, besides lunch.
