Bread contains gluten; gluten is one of the most common food intolerances that people eat. Food intolerances create inflammation that destroys your gut and sensitises your immune system. See here for more on this:
Inflammation and food intolerance
When I put clients on a gluten free diet they immediately lose weight – most of the time this is water weight, or that swelling and inflammation around the bowels that gives you that bloated pooch belly.
The fillings found in these mass produced sandwiches are full of processed foods. Processed foods contain cancer causing chemicals.
Processed foods contain cancer causing chemicals
I once worked in a sandwich making factory when I was a teenager and I can tell you stories of what went in the sandwiches. We would pick up food off the floor, take food out on the bins at the end of the conveyor belt etc… to get orders made. If for just hygiene alone avoid them.
Sandwiches are generally made with margarine – a chemically altered and toxic vegetable oil.
Dietary truths or marketing disinformation? Margarine or butter?
So how can you improve the food you eat at lunch whilst out at work? You just need a little bit of planning and preparation and you can make nutritious healthy meals every time. Base your working lunches around these five rule:
Step 1: Protein source
Always chose your protein first. This can be leftover meat from the weekend roast, cold cuts from the previous evenings cooking or tinned fish. However avoid processed sandwich meat like the plague. Aim for a good 100g serving.
- Roast beef
- Roast chicken
- Roast lamb
- Tinned sardines , mackerel or salmon
- Hard boiled eggs
- Goats cheese
- Spicy chorizo
Step 2: Vegetables
These should mainly be raw and include all salad leaves and salad fillers. Make the bulk of your lunch from vegetables.
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Blanched asparagus
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Beetroot
- Olives
- All salad leaves such as spinach, watercress, rocket or lettuce
Step 3: Starch
This should form a smaller part of your lunch but can add bulk to the meal. You do not have to have starch at all but it adds some variety.
- Quinoa risotto
- Seeded brown rice
- Bean cakes
- Lentil dhal
- Spicy chickpeas
- New potato
- Rice cake
- Gluten free / buckwheat pasta
Step 4: Sprinkles
These can add taste, texture and variety to the meal.
- Toasted seeds
- Nuts
- Parsley
- Spring onion
- Chives
- Mint
- Capers
- Sun dried tomato
- Artichoke
Step 5: Dressings and condiments
Ditch the ketchup and lashings of mayo, instead use healthy oils, nut butters, seed butters and lemons as dressing to add that zing.
- Salsa
- Hummus
- Tahini
- Pesto
- Lemons / limes
- Oils
- Mayo
- Vinegar
|
Protein source |
Vegetables |
Starch |
Sprinkles |
Dressings |
|
Roast beef Roast chicken Roast lamb Tinned sardines Tinned mackerel Tinned salmon Hard boiled eggs Goats cheese Spicy chorizo |
Carrots Radishes Blanched asparagus Avocado Tomato Beetroot Olives All salad leaves such as spinach, watercress, rocket or lettuce |
Quinoa risotto Seeded brown rice Bean cakes Lentil dhal Spicy chickpeas New potato Rice cake Gluten free / buckwheat pasta |
Toasted seeds Nuts Parsley Spring onion Chives Mint Capers Sun dried tomato Artichoke |
Salsa Hummus Tahini Pesto Lemons limes Oils Mayo Vinegar |
Simply chose one food from each column to make a meal. You can see that there are hundreds of different meals you can make from the above foods so there is never an excuse of boredom or lack of variety.
Example
Strips of roast chicken with salad leaves and radishes, a small serving of cold new potato with some humus and chives.