Healthy Lunch Ideas

Healthy lunch food need not be a meager affair. Soups, salads, meals, and even desserts should feature as part of your healthy lunch meals. Do not let the lack of a healthy lunch recipe send you scrambling to the pre-cooked aisle. Scour health magazines, food journals, and even online sources to create your own list of healthy lunch recipes. Make sure you have a wide variety of flavors, different ingredients, and exciting cuisines that will help you build healthy lunch choices. Buy seasonal fruits, fresh vegetables, both dried and fresh herbs, and fragrant spices. Stock your food pantry with lean protein, eggs, and dairy such as plain or flavored yogurt, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, and wholegrain breads. Do not buy perishable items in bulk. You may get bored of certain foods, and they will go to waste if you do not use them immediately. Lunchtime cannot be time consuming. It is possible for you to have easy healthy lunches without sacrificing taste or flavor? Soups and salads are versatile and filling and make for quick healthy lunches. Homemade vinaigrettes can dress up salad greens in an instant without the added sodium or fat from creamy, store bought dressings. Add a few croutons, shredded lean chicken or turkey, and a dash of salt and pepper to make a healthy lunch on the run. Think ahead and make large batches of healthy lunch food such as soups and stews. You can refrigerate them and reheat for a quick healthy lunch. No time for a sit down lunch? No problem. Pack yourself a wholegrain sandwich with veggies and meat you prefer. Cut back on the cheese and sauce for a healthy meal. Treat yourself to some fruit and yogurt as a dessert to complete a healthy lunch.

Healthy Lunches for School

• Healthy lunches for kids should contain nutritious meals that will provide your children with energy for school and after school activities. Add an extra snack or two for additional sports activities or study hours.
• Sandwiches are a great idea for lunchtime. They are easy to pack in the morning rush hour and provide essential nutrients such as carbohydrates from the wholegrain bread, lean protein from meat or egg fillings, and fat from their favorite toppings. While peanut butter jelly sandwiches maybe your child’s favorite, resist the urge to pack the same lunch every day. Vary it up with meat and sauce fillings, go easy on the cheese and mayonnaise, and remember to include toppings such as cucumber, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and so on. You can also roll any of the meat and vegetable fillings into tortilla wraps, stuff pita pockets, or create calzones with pizza dough.
• Pack in side dishes such as a small container of vegetable or fruit salad, which go well with a sandwich or wrap. A mix of crisp vegetable sticks with ranch dressing on the side, zesty coleslaw, or baby potato salad is a nice accompaniment with sandwiches and wraps.
• Leftover dinners such as casseroles, lasagna, soup or stir-fried vegetables may also work as healthy lunch ideas for kids. Make sure you pack in healthy portion sizes and add a hard roll or whole grain crackers to complete a healthy lunch. Chicken noodle soup, chili or hearty stews also make healthy lunch options.
• Ensure that you pack in a healthy snack for kids too. You may choose from frozen or plain low fat yogurt, fruit or fruit salad, granola bars with chocolate or air popped popcorn. You may also pack flavored milk, fruit juices or hard cheeses and cracker to tide their hunger until dinner. Homemade trail mixes with nuts and raisins, dried fruits such as dates, prunes and cranberries keeps them munching on healthy foods. Swap dried banana chips in place of greasy, salty potato chips.
• Encourage your kids to eat a healthy breakfast before starting school and pack in a lunch sack to make sure that your child eats right. While brown bags are a standard choice for sandwiches, invest in an insulated lunch box that will keep food fresh and intact. Plastic seal sandwich bags will prevent leakage while separate containers for hot and cold food will ensure that you can pack a good mix of lunch foods for your child.

Healthy Lunches for Work

• One-box store bought lunches may seem like an attractive option. Check the food labels carefully for lean cuisine or low fat options. However, remember that processed and pre-packaged foods are usually high in sodium, sugar and fat. Add to that a list of preservatives, and you are looking at high fat, high carbohydrate foods. Skipping lunch or eating out should not be your only choices.
• Start with healthy lunch recipes for work such as soups and salads. Add a side of whole grain bread or cold pasta salad and you can have a delicious, healthy homemade meal.  
• Pack in a bag of frozen vegetable sticks such as carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli, and so on. Most of these vegetables will stand your commute to work and even defrost by lunchtime. Carry a low fat salad dressing or dip in a separate bag or container to avoid ruining your fancy bag. Better yet, invest in a fashionable lunch tote that will make carrying your healthy lunch to work even more fun.
• Sandwiches, wraps, pita pockets, pre-cooked rolls and thin crust pizza with healthy toppings of vegetables and low fat cheese make healthy lunch recipes for work
• Microwaveable soup mixes or pasta appetizers that maybe cooked in a pre-packed box are also great lunch ideas for work.
• Searching for a healthy lunch recipe that maybe carried to work? Get inspired by one-pot meals such as chili, red bean, and rice or a hearty Louisiana style gumbo or jambalaya. If they are healthy lunch foods cooked in one pot, they make healthy lunch recipes for work too. Baked dishes and leftovers such as casseroles and lasagna can easily transfer into plastic containers for work.
• Do not forget to pack in a healthy snack such as fruit or juice to beat the mid-afternoon hunger pangs. You can even treat yourself to a square of dark chocolate to sweeten a chaotic workday.
• Eating out ‘healthy’. A business lunch or eating out with colleagues is unavoidable. However, you can still stay on track and eat healthy with a few tips. Order a fresh salad with appetizer instead of a whole meal. Burgers and sandwiches take a healthy turn when you skip the cheese and dressing and focus on lean meat and vegetable toppings. Go grilled versus fried and ditch the soda. Do not feel obliged to eat everything on the plate. Get a to-go bag for snack time. Offer to share a large portion with a colleague. The trick to eating healthy is to submit to temptation in moderation. If you must have the chocolate shake, fries or a fruit pie, order a small portion or split with a friend.