Lunches That Ruin Health and More-Reverse Diabetes Newsletter

Lunches That Ruin Health

If you’re reading this now, you likely are the type of person who tries to eat healthfully. Typically, people like us focus first on having a well-balanced, reasonably portioned dinner. Then we take on breakfast, making sure to eat something healthful each morning, like oatmeal or yogurt. Next, we clean up our snacking habits: fewer of them, but better quality, without all the sugar and refined carbs. 

But even the most health-diligent among us often don’t focus much on lunch. Particularly on weekdays, we tend to not think about a midday meal until it’s upon us, at which point we’re starving. Too frequently, we dash out in between meetings or commitments, grab the first appealing thing we see, and head back to our tasks while we mindlessly chow it down.
Don’t get caught in lunch limbo—the midday meal is just as important as breakfast and dinner. When you neglect to pay attention to what you eat at lunch, you set yourself up for disaster at dinner. Here are a few ways to avoid pitfalls.

Don’t be fooled by wraps. They might look like a healthy alternative to a sandwich, but a tortilla can be stuffed with a startling amount of meat and cheese. Not to mention, the tortilla itself is usually made with hydrogenated oils or worse, lard. Though they look thin, the monster tortillas many restaurants and cafeterias use to make a wrap deliver up to 350 calories and barely any fiber. Compare that to the 140 calories and 4 grams of fiber you get from two slices of whole-grain or oat-bran bread. From a health perspective, you’re often better off with a regular sandwich.

Avoid the steam table. These are the hot foods sitting under plastic sneeze shields at delis and grocery stores. Leave aside the murky origins of the food and the likelihood that it has been packed with sugar and salt to enhance the flavor. Worry more about its prolonged exposure to heat. Hours under a heat lamp (or above a steam table) degrade the nutrients and break down the fiber in the food. Often, your meal is so soft that it’s essentially predigested. As a result, your gut will quickly convert the food into glucose, spiking your blood sugar. A better alternative: Make a meal from the salad bar instead. 

Beware fast food. What’s more normal than a burger, fries, and soft drink for lunch? Sadly, that can be a quick 1,000 calories, much of it from extremely high Glycemic-Index, low-nutrition foods. If you must go fast food, opt for grilled chicken, say no to mayonnaise, get the smallest possible fries (or better yet, a salad), and drink water or milk.

Watch out for no-produce meals. So many standard lunches have zero fresh fruit or vegetables (we don’t count that single lettuce leaf on your sandwich as a serving). Remember: You should try to get at least two full servings of produce as part of lunch. A small salad and a piece of fruit are perfect daily choices. Make them a habit.

Lean on leftovers. One of the fastest, easiest, and most satisfying ways to enjoy a healthy lunch is to eat a healthy dinner—the leftovers, that is. Meals like vegetarian chili, whole-wheat pasta with veggies, or chicken stir-fry make excellent lunches the next day.

Treat yourself to pizza. For fast and easy good carb choices, a slice (not two) of cheese or veggie thin-crust pizza is a surprisingly good option. The glycemic load is low, and the cheese will help fill you up. If you can find a place that offers whole-wheat or cornmeal crust, that’s even better—it’ll leave you feeling even more full and satisfied.

Don’t eat at your desk. Lunch is the meal you’re most likely to eat on-the-go, whether that’s in front of a spreadsheet or between running errands. But eating this way is likely to make you feel deprived. Even if your body registers that it’s had sustenance, you’re likely to think later that you deserve a food reward for your diligence. That’s when a high-carb treat is most likely to upset your day. A candy bar at 2 p.m. leads to a bag of chips at 4 p.m. followed by a pre-dinner snack at 6 p.m. Avoid this trap: Make time in your day to stop and enjoy what you’re eating. Savor the taste and the way the flavors mix on your tongue. That’s the way to find true satisfaction from your food—and prevent overindulging later on.

Featured Recipe

Spring Salmon and Asparagus
Tender young vegetables and succulent salmon make this a healthy dish that looks lovely and is easy to prepare. And it’s even better when fresh asparagus are available.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 skinless salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each)
2 leeks, thinly sliced
8 ounces asparagus spears
1 cup sugar snap peas
4 tablespoons dry white wine
1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives for garnish

Preparation:
1    Run your fingertips over each salmon fillet to check for any stray bones, pulling out any that remain. Arrange the leeks in a single layer in the bottom of a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray. Lay the pieces of salmon on top. Surround the fish with the asparagus and snap peas. Add the wine and broth and season lightly with salt and pepper.
2    Place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and bring broth to a boil, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook the fish and vegetables until the salmon is pale pink all the way through and the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 14 minutes. Sprinkle the chives over the salmon and serve.

Per serving: 34 cal, 10 g fat (2 g sat), 8 g carbs, 26 g protein, 2 g fiber, 70 mg chol, 99 mg sodium

Great Ideas

You probably already do a lot of these “exercises” without even knowing you’re burning calories. So give yourself a pat on the back—and try to do even more activities just like them. Here’s how many calories you burn in 30 minutes doing typical odds and ends around the house. By comparison, you burn roughly 40 calories in 30 minutes of sitting still.
Raking leaves                 147 calories
Gardening or weeding    153 calories
Vacuuming                      119 calories
Cleaning the house         102 calories
Mowing the lawn             205 calories
Playing with the kids       136 calories
Strolling                           103 calories
Biking to work                  220 calories

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