If breakfast is the usual meal we like to skip everyday, then lunch is the most unavoidable meal of the day. Lunch is the meal that balances our day. But there are a few who likes to skip lunch no matter how busy their schedule would be. Especially, the working class since they cannot afford to miss lunch.
Health wise, most of us fail to obtain a nutritious lunch; that doesn’t mean that our stomach is satisfied, our lunch is healthy. Fast food could offer a delicious meal, but our health says otherwise. Cholesterol and sodium rich food are usually on the menu. That doesn’t give us that much to choose. If you are working 8 hours, mostly, an hour of lunch time is allowed.
Packing lunch from home is a good idea. However, we pack lunch in the morning where usually our time is pressured; this interferes with our judgment in choosing a healthy meal. What composes a healthy lunch? Here is a list that could define the true meaning of a healthy and nutritious lunch.
Get Ready For Lunch
Gourmet green salad with walnuts – spinach in the salad has zeaxanthin and lutien two phytochemicals that prevents the occurrence of muscle degeneration; a condition that can cause blindness to a person. Spinach also contains folate, important in reducing certain chemicals that could damage the heart. Walnuts are rich in omega-3 which is good for the heart and improves our mood.
Triple tomato bruschetta – tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, particularly when cooked. They also contain lycopene that prevents the risk of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and digestive tract cancer. Several conducted studies show that lycopene lessens the risk of heart attacks.
Chickpeas and turkey breast – chickpeas are a good source for isoflavones, also a cancer-fighting nutrient, while turkey breast is high in protein which is good for tissue building. Protein contains amino acids, which is essential to the human body.
Seedless grapes – the benefits of red wine could be obtained in seedless grapes without the alcohol. An antioxidant called polyphenols, and resveratrol that increase the good cholesterol in the body (HDL) is found in seedless grapes. Flavonoids present in seedless grapes could enhance arterial health, destroys blood clots, prevent heart attacks and stroke. Finishing a meal with seedless grapes is a good way to go.
Other Healthy Choices
Medium whole-grain roll
Waldorf chicken salad on the bed of greens
Sparkling water with lime
Nutritional facts we see in these foods would leave us speechless. This makes us think twice of ever skipping lunch. Avoid getting caught up in the pressures of work. With a meals like these, stress are gone.
