An easy way to eat healthily and save money is to pack up your lunch and take it with you. That way you are in control of what you are eating and not relying on trying to find healthy foods when you are out and about. Sometimes it’s easy to be full of good intentions about what to eat but then you walk into the staff canteen and spot the burgers or the pie and chips and your willpower disappears.
It is important to make sure your lunchtime meal is well balanced as well as healthy. The best way to do this is to include some carbs, some protein and some veg or salad. Pop in a drink and an ice pack and you’re good to go!
Carb ideas
This is a good place to add some fibre to your lunch by choosing the wholemeal or wholegrain options where you can.
• Wholemeal mini pitta bread
• A couple of slices of french baguette
• Sliced brown or high fibre white bread – small loaf
• Mini tortilla wrap
• Half a Ciabatta
• Small wholemeal or granary roll
• Toast (if your workplace has a toaster)
• Wholewheat crackers
• Jacket potato (if your workplace has a microwave to cook it)
• Cold pasta – for a pasta salad
• Rice or couscous for a salad</strong
Protein food ideas
Generally this would be the filling in the bread of your choice or the topping on the jacket potato.
• Lean ham
• Cooked chicken without the skin
• Sliced beef, pork or lamb (could be leftovers from your evening meal)
• Thin slices of smoked salmon
• Tinned tuna or salmon
• Cottage cheese or low fat soft cheese
• Low fat hard cheese – thinly sliced or grated
• Sliced hard boiled eggs or egg mayonnaise (use small amounts of low fat mayonnaise)
• Baked beans (if you can heat them up or like them cold)
Vegetable Ideas
Vegetables/ salad can be added to your sandwiches or taken to eat on the side.
• Carrot or celery sticks
• A mini bowl of cherry tomatoes
• Add salad to your wrap, sandwich, or roll
• Take a Tupperware dish with a side salad in it – lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and celery for example
• Sliced peppers and cucumber
• Add finely chopped red onion, chives, cucumber, tomatoes and flat leaf parsley to your rice or pasta for a tasty salad
• Add in a small tin of sweetcorn – it’s better cold than you might think
• Make vegetable soup and take it in a flask – remember the crunchy crackers or wholemeal bread on the side
Fruit ideas
Fresh fruit is the easiest thing to grab and add to your lunchbox – apples, bananas, oranges, Satsumas, plums, pears, nectarines, grapes etc
Other options could include:
• Sliced strawberries
• A little bowl of blueberries or blackberries
• A dish of fruit salad
• A small tin of canned fruit in natural juice
• Dried fruit
• Ready sliced fruit – melon, pineapple and mango
• Sliced Kiwi fruit
• Melon balls
• Be adventurous and try some exotic fruits
Dairy product ideas
Lunchtime is a good time to add a dairy product to your diet to provide your body with some of the calcium it needs.
• Low fat yoghurt
• Low fat fromage frais
• Mini carton of skimmed (red top) on semi-skimmed (green top) milk
• Small pot of low fat cottage cheese as your filling
• Individual snack pot of low fat soft cheese ( nice with crackers)
• Small matchbox size portion of low fat hard cheese
Healthy Drink Idea
Don't underestimate the calories that can be saved by choosing a healthy drink with you lunch
• Bottled water – you can refill it from the tap
• Low fat milk
• Pure fruit juice (check so sugar has been added)
• Low calorie or diet fruit squash
• Fruit tea bags for making at work
Pack your lunch into a cool bag or lunch box and remember to pop in an ice pack to keep the food cool and fresh. This is especially important in the summer months when the warmer weather could make your food go off more quickly
