Health Takeaways: Workplace Lunch Hacks
This is week two in the Health Takeaways series from our article 5 Scrumptious Work-from-Home Lunch Ideas. You can also read more about other workplace topics, like negotiating the parking spot at work.
Your lunch is a big part of your day. Before you go to work, make sure you eat a meal that’s better for you and your productivity. Follow our tips below for making your work lunch spot that much more productive!
Preparation is Everything
You can use your lunch break to prepare and prepare a work-from-home lunch. I know it seems simple enough, but there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Here are some tips to get you started!
Start with prepping vegetables. Check the weather forecast for when you will be in the office, then head to the grocery store for a variety of fresh veggies. Your goal should be to have your vegetables prepped by 11 a.m. so you can have your sandwich on time.
The last thing you want to do before you go to work is to grill your lunch. That means you have to get everything prepared and wrapped up. Set your time for midday and start creating the dish. You should have some ingredients on hand to just toss into a pot, or an instant sauce machine.
(For more idea ideas on how to prep your own lunch, see the 3 Scrumptious Ideas For Filling Healthy Eats)
Killing Segments and Pieces
Choosing healthy and tasty items is one thing, but what about the small pieces that make up the larger portion? That means you should have a plan to cut your lunch items into smaller pieces and enjoy what you have. Check out these tips to get started!
Step 1: Check all the ingredients to make sure you’re getting your nutrition. Look at a food label and read the ingredients of everything you’re about to eat.
You can also find this easy and free app on your phone that can tell you the nutritional value of items you’re about to eat.
Step 2: Write down the names of all the foods you have and identify them individually. When you’re about to eat, mark each name on your list to see if it can fit in your food processor. There are a few apps you can use to help you do this. The Food Emoji Emoji free app makes it easy to record every single bite and snack you eat. Its in-app menu lets you select the food items you have and set aside time to record everything.
Step 3: On the day of your work lunch, fill a colander or a mixer bowl with the items you’re making and add about a teaspoon of spices to each bowl. After you add the spices, pour your veggies into the colander. Put a lid on the bag and pour your spices into the colander.
Thinking Small
A lot of people associate the word “not” with that big lunch. It’s hard to eat something completely mindless when you’re at work, but using smaller dishes can help you enjoy your lunch time. Maybe that’s just a bag of trail mix with banana or a yogurt parfait. Use this recipe as an example.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 2/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- Scoop out the banana and set aside. This is where your flax seed kit comes in.
- Place the yogurt, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, flax seeds and banana into your processor.
- Process until smooth.
- Pour the mixture onto a platter and serve!
- It’s important to be mindful of your habits. Make a list of what you’re eating throughout the day and make a conscious effort to try something different every day.
