By Marie Dufour, RD – Pitfalls litter the lunch hour; pitfalls at the office cafeteria, at the school refectory, at the corner eatery, at the elegant business lunch restaurant; brown-baggers and vending machine fans, drive-through drivers and Starbucks addicts, we all struggle with lunch. Few are those who have the luxury of a well-planned, home-cooked meal. Yet, most of us can have a healthier lunch experience.
For decades now, the Mediterranean diet has been heralded as one of the healthiest nutrition plans in the world. I venture that it’s not only the WHAT of this diet but it is also the HOW. Mediterranean-style eaters have a tendency to take their time to eat, even at lunchtime. A pause… Slowing down allows us to reduce stress, which in turn reduces our cortisol output and allows us to burn energy more effectively, store less fat. So, let’s have a sit-down lunch–and I don’t mean behind the wheel!
PLANNING is everything. If we plan our TV shows and weekend entertainment, why not our lunches? Planning strategies include:
- Office and school cafeteria: check out the weekly menu and make your selection the day before. If the menu doesn’t match your eating plan, bring your own lunch.
- Corner café and restaurants: have your list of pre-selected eateries and be familiar with their menus. Ask for healthy choices. As a consumer, you have the power to motivate restaurateurs to offer healthy menus.
- Vending machine and fast-food windows: select fruit, yogurt, whole-wheat sandwiches, salads, hard boiled eggs, and avoid chips, sodas, candy and high-fat items.
- Pack your own lunch the night before. Use a cooler with blue ice and pack the foods that match your eating plan. Add a mid-morning snack (apple, yogurt, banana, or crackers) to keep the cravings away.
Lunchtime is a pause in the day, a time to recharge nutritionally and mentally. It’s not a time to play the hunter-gatherer game behind the wheel, wondering where-oh-where is the Mammoth. Sit down, open the cooler, and enjoy. It’s good for you!
* Drink And Eat With A Purpose (DEWAP) is the nutrition lifestyle program I have developed for the DOMINO HEALTH FOUNDATION.
Filed under: diet , childhood obesity, community nutrition, diet, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, lunch, Marie Dufour RD, Mediterranean Diet, weight control, weight loss
