The Case for Always Packing a Lunch

Alright guys, we’re going to back to the basics today with a simple habit that can make a drastic impact on your health – packing a lunch.

I love a crazy wellness trend (probably more than most people), and while it’s fun to experiment and optimize with different supplements or wellness practices, we can’t forget the foundation – getting high-quality, nutrient-dense onto our plates as often as possible.

We have 3 (or 2 if you intermittent fast) opportunities to make healthy choices every single day, and the more you can put those healthy choices on auto-pilot, the better off you’ll be.

Here’s the thing, will power is a finite resource. And if at every meal, you’re relying on that will power to make a certain choice (like following a strict diet for example), it’s only a matter of time before you fail. It’s human nature.

This is why I’m all about a routine, and putting decisions like what to have for breakfast or lunch on auto-pilot. I’m not having an internal debate about whether I’m going to have a salad or pasta for lunch every day – I’m going to have a salad, because that’s my routine, and I don’t even think about it.

I’ve found the more we can shift what we eat from being active decisions to passive habits (assuming they are healthy habits) the easier it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Changing our habits is the key to changing our lives.

WHY PACK A LUNCH

1. Good for the wallet – a salad these days can cost up to $15 (at least in big cities), whereas a packed lunch can average $3-4 dollars – even using the highest quality ingredients. That is A LOT of money saved over the course of a year.
2. Good for your health –  since you’re saving money by not eating out, you can invest more in high-quality ingredients. Choose organic as often as possible (especially the dirty dozen foods) and invest in quality animal protein that’s both better for you and better for the environment. Always choose organic, pasture-raised / grass-fed / wild-caught proteins when you can. Avoiding factory-farmed meat is a huge motivator for me to pack a lunch everyday.
3. Good for your waistline – even if you’re frequenting the most ‘healthy’ restaurants, a restaurant meal is typically going to have more sneaky sugar (in dressings etc.) and often low-quality oils (inflammatory vegetable oils are still very common in most restaurant kitchens). Not to mention portion sizes are typically way bigger than what we’d pack at home

COMPONENTS OF AN ELYSE WELLNESS APPROVED LUNCH

1. Greens – adding a ton of greens to your lunch is important not only for getting a big dose of micronutrients, but also for VOLUME. Physically stretching your stomach is key for helping you feel satiated, and helps stop the release of ghrelin – a hormone that tells your brain your hungry & to keep eating. Stick with dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and arugula for the greatest nutritional punch.
2. Veggies – adding non-starchy veggies (I love roasted broccoli with garlic and cauliflower with turmeric) add fiber to help keep you full, without adding a ton of carbohydrates that can leave you with an afternoon slump.
3. Protein – having enough high-quality protein at every meal, and especially lunch, is key for helping keep you full through the afternoon. Aim for at least 20g – pasture-raised chicken or ground turkey, salmon, or grass-fed beef are all great options.
4. Healthy Fat – healthy fats will not only help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in your greens (vitamins A, D, E, K), but help slow down digestion ad elongate your blood sugar curve – key for avoiding an afternoon slump from a blood sugar crash.

KEEPING IT EXCITING

I’m probably an outlier here that I really can eat the EXACT same thing every day and not get sick of it. But in case you’re not as weird as me, here are some ideas for switching it up.

Change up the dressing

• Primal Kitchen Dressings – Primal Kitchen makes incredible dressings that use avocado oil, minimal sugar, and real ingredients. Their Caesar and Lemon Turmeric are my favs, but they have tons of fun ones like Greek and Seasame Ginger.
• Quality Olive Oil – I keep a bottle of California Olive Ranch Olive Oil in my desk at work to use as dressing.

Add crunch

• Nuts & Seeds – sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, diced almonds / cashews / walnuts are all great ways to mix it up while incorporating healthy fats
• Flaxers – these crackers took me I while to love (thought they tasted really weird at first TBH) but now that I like them, they’re perfect to break up over a salad in place of croutons
• Jilz Crackers – another great paleo cracker to sprinkle on a salad – warning – these are addicting

Switch up the protein / veggies

• There are endless combinations of different veggies and proteins to keep it from getting boring
  • Kale Caesar: kale, chicken breast, pepitas, Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing, avocado
  • Taco Salad: romaine + spinach, ground turkey, roasted carrots & bell peppers, pepitas, salsa, guac
  • Healthy Cobb: romaine + spinach, chicken breast, hard-boiled egg bacon, tomato, red onion, olive oil
  • Greek: romaine + arugula, chicken, olives, diced almonds, cucumber, tomato, red onion, Primal Kitchen Greek dressing

Do you bring a lunch to work or school? What are your favorite lunches?