Sure, you
planned on making a salad every morning before work, but after three days of lettuce, you up and ordered a slice of pizza instead. Sound familiar? Makeover your lunch menu with these tips.
Switch up your proteins. “Incorporate lean meats and poultry into your lunch a few days a week (think along the lines of skinless chicken or turkey) or canned fish (tuna or salmon),” says
Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, author of
Nutrition At Your Fingertips and
Feed Your Family Right!. You can also go vegetarian with tofu or beans (lentils, black beans, and chickpeas are all good options).
Get your fill of fiber. Zied recommends using non-starchy vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and broccoli to beef up a salad and add fiber. Another option: Grill vegetables like eggplant, carrots, sweet peppers, and zucchini, and throw them in a container to make a “cooked” salad, or add them on top of a bed of lettuce.
Skip the bread. Instead of throwing low-fat peanut butter between two slices, spread it over an apple or scoop it into celery stalks. In the mood for tuna? Spread it over crackers.
Consider your containers. When you think of lunch, chances are a sandwich comes to mind. But what about that thermos in your cabinet? Soups and smoothies are easy to make and are a great way to pack in healthy fruits and vegetables.
Find more healthy recipes in our gallery! Check it out.
-- The Nest Editors
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