One of the easiest ways to get off track when it comes to eating a healthy diet is being away from home. This may be especially true at work, since you most likely spend quite a bit of time there.
Typically, there are few nutritious food options available, and when those hunger pangs hit, it’s far easier to give into the temptation to chow down on an unhealthy meal or snack.
The obvious solution is brown baggin’ it. These tips and suggestions for great brown bag lunches can help you get started.
Leftovers are ideal
Whenever you cook a meal at home, store a little extra to use for your lunches. If you’ve got a microwave at work, it’s one of the easiest ways to enjoy a satisfying, warm and nutritious meal that will help you stick to your healthy diet.
Make lunches over the weekend for the following week
There are lots of things that can be cooked in large batches and stored (either in the fridge or freezer) to use throughout the next week. It saves a lot of time and trouble, and helps to reduce the stress of putting your lunch together when you’re caught in the morning rush. Preparing in advance makes things much easier.
Mix and match the following for a wide variety of healthy lunches:
- Make kebabs with your choice of meat and/or vegetables. This is even a good option if you don’t have access to a microwave, as they taste delicious cold, too.
- A salad with lots of leafy greens, avocado and other veggies, nuts and seeds. Don’t add the dressing until you’re ready to eat it. Bring a lemon and squeeze on fresh lemon juice, or some balsamic vinegar. Even mashed avocado makes a great dressing.
- Raw veggies with almond butter
- Hard boiled eggs
- Last night’s leftovers
- Free range chicken drumsticks
- Wraps – use romaine lettuce, kale or radicchio to make a healthy wrap. Stuff it with chicken or other meats (ideally organic and grass-fed) and/or veggies.
- Invest in a good thermos and bring a ready-to-eat homemade soup or chili
- Bring some snacks along to appease those in-between-meal hunger pangs, like a homemade trail mix consisting of nuts, seeds and dried fruit. A banana or apple with almond butter or a sweet potato pre-cooked and mashed up with a little coconut oil, cinnamon and sea salt is easy, satisfying and delicious.
Brown baggin’ it is one of the best ways to get closer to your health and fitness goals – you might just find that it makes the difference between success and failure, leading to a lifetime of better health.
-The Alternative Daily
