Nowadays, everyone is busy running around. As a Dietitian, I want to challenge you to prepare quick & healthy lunches everyday. Today, I am going to share with you my 5 top ideas for healthy delicious lunches to pack for yourself.
What? Pack my lunch? Why?
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You know what’s in your lunch when you make it yourself
A good example for this is Tuna salad sandwiches. Fish is a very healthy option to eat during pregnancy. In fact, it is recommended that pregnant women eat two servings of fish per week. However, safe fish to eat are low mercury fish such as canned light tuna. You can choose Light Tuna to make a delicious sandwich at home versus buying tuna subs at a vendor.
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Take out foods are higher in sodium, fat, and calories
They are also lower in nutrients due to the way they are cooked or the ingredients chosen. For example “crispy” chicken sandwiches at most food vendors means they are deep fried. Instead, make a chicken sandwich using your leftover baked or stewed chicken.
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It is more expensive to eat out in general
You end up paying more for less healthy options.
For those days when you don’t have an option to warm up your food. These cold sandwiches/salads are yummy and filling!
Here are my top 5 quick ideas for you:
- Use a variety of legumes. Try mixed bean /veggie salads. They are filling and high in protein.
- Put hummus, cucumber, and avocado on whole wheat bread to make a delicious sandwich.
- Try boiled eggs added to salads or make an egg salad sandwich; replace eggs with Light Tuna for variety.
- Spice up your salads by adding different kinds of nuts /seeds as well as dried fruits. Use pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried figs, dried apricots, dried cranberries, or fresh apples/grapes to make your salads interesting.
- Use the chicken you cooked the night before to make a chicken sandwich.
Share your healthy lunch ideas by commenting below.
