Always brown never white
Whether you are choosing your lunch from a sandwich bar or making it at home, always go for the whole grain bread, pitta and wrap rather than the white options. They are higher in fibre, which will keep you fuller for longer AND are better sources of nutrients, particularly the energy forming B vitamins.
As for the white pasta salad – banish them or be prepared for a snooze mid afternoon! Your blood sugar will crash to the floor. Pick a protein rich chicken salad instead.
Fizz free zone
Dump that fizzy drink – there is nothing good to be said for most of them. Think of the calories if nothing else, and if it is a ‘sugar free’ version - check out the label and see what other junk you are drinking.
By far the worst options are those loaded with caffeine such as the colas and energy drinks. That temporary high will always be followed by a big crash, which will get you nowhere.
Flavoured waters and juices also contain a surprisingly large amount of sugar. Read the label and know that 4g = 1tsp. You do the maths and see how many spoons of sugar are in a bottle… you’ll be surprised.
Stick to water if you can – and flavour it with citrus, mint and cucumber for a refreshing change if you’re at home.
Say no to gloopy mayo
Many sandwich bars slather everything in lashings of mayo, which is high calories and won’t help your waistline.
If you’re at home, natural yoghurt blended with fresh herbs makes a great low fat substitute that can be mixed with fish or chicken and salad.
Don’t forget the fruit
Need something sweet? It doesn’t have to be a chocolate bar or biscuit. Whole fruit is low in calories and high in fibre and will give you the sweet hit you need.
We all know that we should be eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but did you know that only 15% of the population eats this much – which means that it is likely that you don't. So make a piece of fruit a permanent feature in your lunch box.
Just can’t resist the sweet stuff…
If it just has to be chocolate and nothing else will do, then stick to 70% plus dark chocolate as this is fairly low in sugar – even better if it’s raw chocolate as this contains higher levels of antioxidants.
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