Lunchtime Blues

How you can make your boring lunch healthy and satisfying.

Fact: Lunchtime is where most people consume an excess amount of carbohydrates. Loaded sandwiches, cheesy pizza and Chinese food takeout during lunch are the pitfall of many people’s diets. However, who has time to think about eating healthy when they are on such a tight schedule? It doesn’t have to be as difficult as people make it seem. There are many little changes that people can make in order to prevent their lunches from being gut busters.

What can you do? Lunchtime provides an opportunity in the middle of a busy day to relax and feed your soul. Why wouldn’t you want to give it the best possible food? Personally, I think sandwiches are easy, portable and delicious, but it’s really easy to take something healthy and turn it into a disaster for your diet. Instead of loading your sandwiches with mayo and cheese, consider adding spicy or honey mustard for a tangy bite of flavor and moisture. Furthermore, don’t shy away from adding greens like romaine lettuce, arugula or watercress. They help add vitamins and minerals, besides being a perfect complement to most sandwich fixings. As always, I can’t stress how important it is to use whole grain bread. It’s a major calorie saver, and an added layer of flavor. My favorite bread for an on the go sandwiches is Pepperidge Farm’s Light Style Soft Wheat Bread (45 calories per slice, 8 grams of protein and 0 grams trans fat).  I recommend toasting it for an extra crunch.

Show me how! Now that you are armed with these great tips in your arsenal, how can you put them into practice? It’s simple! Make sure you stock you pantry and refrigerator with the right tools to accomplish this task. I advise you to avoid buying things you know are not good for you to limit the temptation. Does that mean you can’t splurge on a piece of pizza every now and again? Of course not! It’s just important to remember that we are creating a lifestyle, not diet plan. So, with that, try this delicious lunchtime recipe for Veggie Pita Pockets courtesy of The Food Network.