What’s in your lunchbox?

What makes a great lunch? Is it something new, colorful, warm, hot, sweet, spicy, or one that comes neatly packed in a tupperware container? As a personal trainer and fitness nutritionist, I would say yes to each of these lunch characteristics. However, with a full schedule, time is a rarity in my household and making the time to create healthful meals is a challenge. There are many benefits to eating a healthy balanced meal mid-day, and Fit Chow helps me do just that without any time consuming preparations!

Eating in the middle of the day reenergizes your body and continues to provide your body with the energy it will need to stay productive throughout the rest of your workday. In addition, eating lunch (or small frequent meals) helps to keep your metabolism revving. It is a common misbelief that skipping meals to cut calories may help propel your weight loss. However, this strategy rarely produces long term, sustainable weight loss. In actuality, people who skip meals tend to weigh more than people who eat often throughout the day (according to Weight Control Information Network). Skipping lunch (or other meals/snacks) can rev up your appetite, causing you to over indulge in poor food choices.

Eating lunch is important, but what you are eating has equal importance! Some foods pack more nutritional value than others. Combining protein and complex carbohydrates (fruits and veggies) will give you a long-lasting source of energy. At Fit Chow we have combined our expertise in nutrition, health and fitness with Chef Curry’s exceptional cooking skills to create meals that fit this criteria perfectly. Ideally, a healthy lunch should be balanced with protein, complex carbs (fruits and veggies), and healthy fats. By simply packing 4-6 oz of the protein of your choice (1/2-1/3 of the protein in a container) and 4 oz (or 1/2 a container) of vegetables, you will have rapidly created a nutritional lunch to fuel your body through the rest of the work day. We have worked to create options for you that take guessing on healthy choices at fast food restaurants out of the equation.

So, take a lunch break and nourish your brain with healthful foods such as the foods Fit Chow Atlanta provides and I guarantee it will lead to a better and more productive afternoon!