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With healthier eating being a priority, more and more people are packing their lunches. If you want to eat exactly what you like and what gives you energy, and you want to know for sure what's in your lunch, then brown-bagging is a great option. Planning your lunch puts you in total control of your midday carb counts. And, controlling what you put in your mouth is what your healthy low-carb lifestyle is all about at the end of the day, the beginning of the day, and the middle of the day!
You may like to go out with co-workers or friends occasionally for lunch. That's great so long as you watch for hidden carbs in seemingly carb-friendly lunch entrees.
The benefits of packing your lunch far outweigh the downside of taking the time to do it. With a low-carb lifestyle, packing your lunch at least a few days a week falls into that "try it, I think you'll like it" category. Anything new sometimes seems intimidating, and the thought of adding one more thing to your already overloaded schedule may make you tremble. But look at some benefits of toting your lunch and see what you think after your read them.
- Introducing flexibility: One of the great benefits about brown-bagging is the flexibility it allows. If you're buried in work at your desk, you can eat right there and then take a walk afterward. Brown-bagging also allows you to run errands at lunch. You can eat your lunch at work and still have time to run an important errand in the middle of the day.
- Enjoying variety: Variety is the spice — ah, yes! And who better knows the spice of your low-carb life better than you. Breaking up your work week and taking your lunch even a few days a week will add variety to your days. And if you can work in even a 10-minute walk, you'll enjoy variety and possibly relieve some stress at the same.
- Escaping: On the days that you don't have errands to run during your lunch hour, you can head go to a nearby park, take your shoes off, and enjoy lunch in your own little world. Take a book and do a little reading or make grocery lists or to-do lists. You're likely to feel refreshed after lunch in the park.
- Saving time: At first you may think, "I don't have time to pack a lunch." Just try it for a couple weeks and see how much time you'll actually save. You rush around all day at work because you never have enough hours in the day. But if your lunch is packed and waiting for you when lunchtime rolls around, you won't have to face the hastened pace of ordering and eating restaurant fare.
- Saving money: By packing a lunch each day, you probably save at least $4 per day, which is more than $1,000 a year. Bet you can think of something to do with that extra grand.
If you take hot soups in your lunch, then a thermos with a wide-mouth top is another must-have. Pouring soups in and out is much easier if you have the wide mouth as opposed to that skinny little opening in some insulated vacuum containers. If you have a microwave available at work, you don't need a thermos. Just pack frozen soup in your little lunch bag without any frozen bags, and by lunchtime, the soup has started to thaw and just needs a few minutes in the microwave.
 | Be sure to keep cold foods cold (below 40 degrees) and hot foods hot (above 140 degrees). Bacteria thrive best in the range of 40 to 140 degrees. Don't take a chance on eating food that could be hazardous to your health. |
 | If you have a low-carb friend at work, eating lunch with her once a week may be fun. Take turns — one week you bring the low-carb lunch, and the next week your friend brings it. You can either go to the park or eat together in the office lunchroom. You'll add a little variety to your lunch routine, and you and your friend can share your low-carb lifestyle tricks and tips. |
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