Are you making the right decisions at lunch?
It's a well known dilemma. You didn't have time to meal prep and now you are standing in the aisle of a small supermarket in your 30 minute lunch break frantically deciding what you should buy.
The problem is - it isn't a decision you can make quickly because there are probably at least three (possibly conflicting) parameters by which you are trying to make your choice.
You would like something tasty and filling that will satisfy you.
But you would also like it to be healthy. At least somewhat.
It also shouldn't be too expensive.
Perhaps you're also worrying about packaging.
And maybe you're trying to decide between foods produced locally and organic foods.
And maybe you're even wondering if it should be something gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or vegan.
To illustrate how this probably looks inside of our brains I thought I would make a chart - it doesn't actually help you make a decision but I think it's wonderfully enlightening to normalise how confused we all feel in that supermarket aisle at lunch time.
On my chart 100 points is given for the best possible score on a given parameter and 0 is the worst possible score.
So if I'm honest, I doubt you will ever feel like you're definitely making the right decisions at lunch. Which is possibly why you clicked on this article in the first place ;-)
Now, my job as a nutritional therapist is to help you feel like you are making the right decisions when it comes to food. So I've decided to compile my top tips for choosing your pack lunch.
What we'll cover:
A nutritional therapist's top tips for choosing a healthy work lunch
Work lunch ideas
Dessert ideas
UK ready meal suggestions
Denmark ready meal suggestions
A nutritional therapist's top tips for choosing a healthy work lunch:
1Never feel guilty. In my experience people are always doing the best they can in the moment they are doing it. Maybe later you could have chosen something healthier, or on another day you could have chosen something better for the environment. But if you didn't do that in that moment, then it was because you were already doing the best you could.
Think back to my chart - how could you possibly always do right by all those different parameters?
2Consider my 'golden rule'. In my one-to-one work with clients and my corporate workshops this rule invariable crops up.
My 'golden rule' is this: whenever you eat or drink something other than water and unsweetened herbal tea, make sure you are combining a source of fibre, a source of protein and a healthy source of fat. This prevents you from experiencing blood sugar spikes and dips, which can cause tiredness, mood swings, irritability and inflammation.
Examples of fibre: whole-grains like brown rice, rye, buckwheat pasta, fruits and vegetables with their peel on, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Examples of proteins: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, cheese, natural yoghurt.
Examples of 'healthy' fats: nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, eggs, meat, oily fish, cheese, natural yoghurt, coconut cream, sour cream.
3Choose what you want. If you know you want a sandwich, but you choose a salad instead you may feel unsatisfied for the rest of the afternoon. Take time to connect with what your body is craving in that moment and then try to meet those needs.
The important thing is to follow my golden rule when you do that. So instead of choosing a sandwich made with white toast bread choose a whole-wheat sandwich. Or if you've got time buy a loaf of rye bread and a tub of hummus then make your own sandwich.
4Decide about what you value. Taking some time (outside of the supermarket aisle when you're feeling frazzled and rushed) to decide on your priorities.
Is it most important to you that your food is organic, because you want to support that way of farming? Or do you find it more important that the food is grown locally to minimise the carbon footprint of food transport costs and to support your local farmers? Do you care more whether something is wrapped in plastic or whether it's organic?
How do all of those things fare when it comes to cost. Are you at liberty to prioritise the factors I've just described, or are you on a really tight budget which prevents you from prioritising those things at the moment?
Do you follow a particular diet, which means your choice is limited anyway? Then perhaps you need to focus your attention on finding the vegan/gluten-free/dairy-free options that work for you and you don't have the mental space to decide on the factors I've just described.
Take some time to list your priorities and make a choice. This will help you the next time you're in the supermarket. And don't worry if this changes from time to time - you have full permission to change your priorities.
As an example, I have decided that my priorities lie with supporting local agriculture over organic. This is because organic foods often come from across the world and are usually wrapped in plastic. Where local, none plastic wrapped alternatives exist I choose these as long as they fit into my budget.
5Remember what works. Figuring out 3 or 4 alternatives that work well for you is super helpful. This way you can enter the supermarket, grab the things you know you like and leave the supermarket.
Use my above 4 tips to figure out your favourites and remember them for next time you are in the supermarket :-)
Healthy ideas for your lunch at work:
In case you were hoping for a little more guidance and detail on how to choose your lunch, I've also compiled a list of lunchtime ideas. I would love if you comment below with some of your own favourites!
Rye bread with butter, hummus, sun-dried tomatoes and baby leaf spinach.
If you've got time to compile your own sandwich once back at work I highly recommend this combination. If you have the luxury of some fridge space at work you can store the remaining ingredients there and you're covered for the next few lunches too.
Seeded sourdough with mashed avocado and smoked salmon.
If you're not quite ready to eat smoked fish at work you can also leave out the salmon and replace it with some feta cheese ;-) . This lunch will probably cover you for some future lunches too (just like the option above) and it contains fibre (from the sourdough, seeds and avocado), healthy fats (from the seeds and avocado) and protein (from the seeds and salmon). This means it follows my golden rule and is therefore a winner.
A ready made salad with a side of oat cakes and hummus.
All of these should be easily available in most supermarkets.
Rye crisp bread with liver pate, pickled gherkins and carrots.
You would probably need to buy a whole jar of gherkins but you can always take this home with you or keep it in your work fridge for future lunches.
I realise this is quite a German lunch - but for any none Germans: trust me, it's delicious. Liver is also an excellent source of many nutrients and this meal once again follows my golden rule (fibre from the rye and carrots, fat and protein from the liver pate) so it should keep you nicely full for the afternoon.
A ready made soup with some oat cakes, rye bread or sourdough with butter or hummus.
My problem with shop bought soups is that I usually worry they won't keep anyone full for the afternoon, which can lead to energy dips or excessive snacking. By incorporating some oat cakes or bread and hummus you are upping the fibre, fat and protein content of the meal and therefore more likely to stay full.
Fresh pasta, gnocchi or rice noodles with pesto or some thai green curry paste and chicken strips.
Readymade chicken strips can usually be found in the cooked meats section. Fresh pasta, gnocchi and rice noodles can all be cooked by simply pouring boiling water over them and waiting a few minutes before straining away the water.
In need of dessert?
I have to admit, I have dessert for most meals I eat. Sometimes even at breakfast. The thing is though, by dessert I mean that I might have an extra piece of fruit after my meal, if I've had bread I will finish the meal with a sweet topping like peanut butter and honey, I might have a square of dark chocolate or a date filled with peanut butter.
Only on the rare occasion will I have a 'dessert dessert' like a home-made collagen rich jelly, home-made chocolate mousse or a slice of cake. Well... cake is not that rare, but the rest is pretty rare ;-)
So - if I'm honest, I find it difficult to have lunch at work without a little 'sweeter treat' to finish things off. In case you're the same, here are some of my favourites:
1A banana with a bit of peanut butter (yes, I recommend keeping a jar of peanut butter somewhere in your desk!).
2An apple with a handful of nuts.
3A small pot of natural yoghurt topped with berries and seeds (most supermarkets have a dried berry, nut and seed mix you can buy - just keep the leftovers where you're keeping your peanut butter ;-) ).
4Dark chocolate with nuts.
5Dates filled with a little peanut butter.
Healthy ready-made lunch options:
In case you don't have the time, space or inclination to put together your own lunch, I thought I'd round up some of my favourite ready-made products.
I'll link to them, so I will be mentioning brand names, but none of these are paid links. You may not be able to buy some of these options (depending on where you live) but perhaps it will help you assess the ready-made options available to you and help you choose your own favourites.
If you have a little bakery or deli near you, you can also consider getting a freshly prepared lunch from there. If it's a little walk away, see it as your opportunity to switch off from work a little and re-connect with your surroundings.
Ready-made lunches in the UK:
Deliciously Ella meals (and desserts)
If you live in England you've probably heard of Deliciously Ella (if not, I highly recommend you check out their podcast).
They sell delicious, nutrient-dense, vegetarian meals at Sainsburys and possibly some other supermarkets.
Examples are a cauliflower and lentil dahl, a sweet potato and black bean shepherd's pie, or a yellow Thai curry.
If you're hunting for dessert - why not try one of their fruit and nut bars or balls - like these almond butter and salted caramel cups.
Eight Food: nourishing family fare
This is actually not an option you will find in the supermarket, but I decided to include it for a few reasons:
These ready meals are developed by a nutritionist together with a chef to provide you with the healthiest meals possible (in the easiest way possible).
They offer meal boxes - where you can get a few meals delivered at a time. This means you could keep an emergency stash in your freezer to take with you to work when you haven't got anything else prepared. You can also sign up for a subscription to save on your meals.
They focus on using only natural ingredients.
Check out their slow cooker lamb tagine or their sausage hotpot (they have plenty of vegetarian options too).
Bol Foods: delicious pots and salads
Bol offers delicious veggie based meals, often combining traditional flavours with fresh greens.
Their food is not just delicious, they also focus on creating a sustainable business and fighting food poverty - so these meals tick off a lot of those decision parameters I mentioned in the beginning.
Why not try their fire roasted cauliflower tikka masala or their Sri Lankan sambar veg pot?
Hi Five Meals
This company from Lincolnshire has made it their mission to help you eat your five a day. Apparently, in the UK, only 22% of people manage that each day.
To address the problem each Hi Five Meal contains 5 portions of fruit and veg - brilliant.
Have a look at their Sri Lankan vegan gobit curry and their vegan Bolognese.
You could also check out their other range Scratch, which, like Eight Foods, delivers ready meals to your home.
Ready-made lunches in Denmark:
As you may know, after 4 years spent living in London whilst working for the UK National Health Service, I moved to Copenhagen to start up my own nutritional therapy practice. Since then, I've gotten to know the Danish supermarkets pretty well, so I thought I'd give some Danish ready meal suggestions for any Danish readers.
The Protein Kitchen
You can find these guys at 7 Eleven, Meny and Foetex (amongst other places) and they offer delicious, filling lunch and snack options.
They focus on natural ingredients and as the name suggests their meals and snacks contain good amounts of protein to help keep you full. Their bowls are also made of cardboard - which is an extra bonus on the packaging front.
I love their Thai chicken bowl with pineapple and brown rice, and their Nordic salmon bowl with quinoa.
Meyers
Meyers work together with Coop and produce a wide range of ready meals. Their packaging is not particularly low in plastic, but they offer a number of delicious, organic options.
Have a look at their meatballs in tomato sauce or vegetarian daal.
Hanegal ready meals
I often purchase Hanegal bacon and sausages, because they are one of the few brands that don't always have added nitrates. I love that they also offer ready meals.
Check out their Chili Con Carne or their Chicken Frikasse.
Wooden Spoon
Wooden Spoon are pricier than the other options I've listed here, but their foods are slow cooked, come in beautiful glass jars and the portions are probably big enough for 2-3 meals. Especially if you buy some fresh pasta or bread to serve the sauces/soups with.
Some examples of their meals include meatballs in a curry sauce and traditional Bolognese.
COFOCO Food (Copenhagen Food Cooperative)
You may have heard of or eaten in COFOCO restaurants. Well the good news is, in some supermarkets you can also grab their ready meals for your work lunch.
This company focuses on sustainability and good quality ingredients, cooked to restaurant standards. Profits from their restaurants are invested into planting trees. Many good reasons to try their meals :-)
Check out their Cannelloni and their Cassoulet.
What are your top tips for lunch time?
I'm always on the lookout for more tips on healthy and easy ways to have lunch at work - so please comment below with all of your wonderful ideas. I love to hear from you.
I hope this article will make your lunch breaks at least a little easier. If you've been struggling with creating the diet and lifestyle that you would like to be following, why not book in a free 15 minute telephone chat with me to see whether nutritional therapy may be able to help.
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