Healthy Lunch Ideas
Healthy lunch ideas. What makes a healthy lunch? Healthy Lunch Recipes for a healthy lunch.
Lunch is an essential meal of the day. Nutritional research thus far has all pointed to the importance of having a proper lunch at fixed times every day. Here are important ideas for a healthy lunch:
Healthy Lunch Recipes 1: Go for whole foods
Typical refined or fat-laden processed foods are the worst sources of energy. They will only create short-term energy spikes followed by sharp lulls. Instead, select whole grains, low-fat dairy products, beans and legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables – whole grains are the best sources of high sustained energy.
More suggestions from Cooper: fresh arugula, Bibb lettuce, bok choy, Boston lettuce, red cabbage, chard, cilantro, cress, cucumber, dill, Belgain or curly endive, escarole, fennel, garlic, scallions, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, mushrooms, mustard greens, red onions, Vidalia onions, parsley, bell peppers, pimientos, radicchio, radishes, red-leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, shallots, spinach, tomatoes, watercress.
Healthy Lunch Idea 2: High Protein
Go for high-protein as far as possible – In a study by Lieberman and Spring at MIT, college students were either given high-protein turkey sandwiches or high-carbohydrate sandwiches for lunch. Those who had turkey sandwiches performed faster and more accurately on tests of coordination and mental skills throughout the afternoon.
Healthy Lunch Recipes 3: No Fries
No fries – Eating french fries is one of the most potent ways to lull yourself to sleep after lunch. Skip them altogether if you want to avoid the mid-afternoon dip.
Healthy Lunch Recipes 4: No Soda
No soda – Next to fries, this is the next most potent cause of the mid-afternoon dip.
Healthy Lunch Recipes 5: Low Fat
Low to medium fat – As Wurtman notes, ‘Fat seems to slow other processes, like thought or movement. It makes people very lethargic. During the long digestive process that follows a high-fat meal, more blood is diverted to the stomach and intestines and away from the brain.’
High-fat lunches tend to cause fatigue later on. In order to maintain your mental alertness, opt for low to medium fat lunches as far as possible.
