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A HEALTHY HEART!
We all know the mantra - eat 5 fruit and vegetables each day, exercise, don’t smoke and limit your alcohol consumption but it’s not that easy during the working week. A deadline looming means we have to work through lunch and end up grabbing a packet of crisps and biscuits to sustain us, the good old British weather stops us going for that much needed run after work or a company dinner ends up in ten glasses of wine instead of the intended one. We can’t all live in the perfect Gwyneth Paltrow world but a little bit of willpower at lunchtime can help save our waistlines and look after our hearts.
A staggering 86% of us confess to eating lunch at our desks or on the go but a study by the University of Surrey claim that ”Al desko diners run the risk of increasing their food intake later in the day which can lead to weight gain and obesity.” When we are away from our desks and distractions, our brain registers that we are eating a meal and as a result we will feel fuller and less likely to snack later on in the day. Eating at our computer means our brain is concentrating on the task at hand and therefore is diverted away from registering the meal. The study also found that people who ate while walking around went on to later consume five times more calories than those who ate while sitting down with a friend.
The best time to eat lunch is between 12 and 1 o’clock, roughly 3-4 hours after you have eaten breakfast (try not to skip it!). Don’t eat too many carbs as they encourage lethargy or sugar as you will feel the crash later on, opt instead for a nourishing mix of vegetables for vitamins, some fats and protein such as fish, chicken or cheese. Whatever you choose, don’t miss lunch as your blood sugar levels will plummet making you feel sick and shaky. Before you order a pizza or pop out to the local coffee shop for a sandwich, why not treat your tastebuds to some of the following nourishing foods?
Soup is packed full of vegetable vitamins and warming in the cold winter months. For the optimum effects, make your own and bring it into
£2,500
spent a year on work snacks. The average commuter spends more than £10 a day on lunch, takeaway coffees and
other food.*
Bread and pasta can be great foods at lunchtime as they release energy slowly but choose wholegrain options and don’t over indulge. Choose low fat options for fillings and don’t forget the vegetables for a super vitamin fix.
If you suffer from an afternoon slump that has you reaching for coffee and a biscuit, the chances are you aren’t eating the right foods at lunchtime. If you can’t get through the afternoon without snacking, don’t pick foods that give you an instant lift like chocolate as you’ll regret it later. You need to eat approximately 600 calories at lunchtime to avoid the 3 o’clock loss of concentration so many people experience.
Heart disease claims 17.3 million lives worldwide every year and high cholesterol and obesity from poor eating are major contributory factors so now is the time to be healthy at work and young at heart!
*Source: The Daily Mail
work but otherwise check that a shop bought one doesn’t contain too much sugar. Salads don’t have to be as boring as the word might suggest. Mix it up with lots of greens like spinach or kale, red coloured vegetables like red peppers or beetroot for extra antioxidants and avocado or blueberries for brain health. Add some protein such as chicken, tuna or feta cheese for extra flavour. Avoid high calorie dressings that contain lots of sugar and fat.