What is a healthy lunch? What do you have?

[SpringSunshineandTulips]

I’m not keen on soup. Was about to have a ham and salad sandwich but watching the calories at the moment - although the bread is the 50 50 bread so could be worse.

I really get stuck with lunches and then want crisps too. I need something low cal but filling.

Jacket poatoes? Hummus and veg? What sort of calorie count are you aiming for?

Salad with tuna mayonnaise (low fat), perhaps a banana and a handful of nuts to keep you full and add extra protein

I've had a ham salad sandwich and some lemon cheesecake 🙂

I like crackers (specifically ryvita seeded thins) with light Philadelphia abs cucumber.

Added bonus of zero preparation

I’m now in the obese category and need to make sure I’m losing weight now. I’ve flick down I guess I’ve been having crumpets / wraps / hot cross buns and that sort of thing. With some crisps and fruit. Just seem to have lost track of a healthy but filling lunch option. Jackets are good when I’m home. I will have a salad sometimes too but don’t really want a salad every day. I may have the ham salad sandwich today but need to have a few lunches to hand that become habit, if you see what I mean.

@Arianrhod01

Salad with tuna mayonnaise (low fat), perhaps a banana and a handful of nuts to keep you full and add extra protein

This sounds yummy. Going to add to my list.

Sainsburys skinny burger, in a roll with tomato and 20g cheese = 415 calories. I love burger lunch days.

@Hereforthedramaz

I like crackers (specifically ryvita seeded thins) with light Philadelphia abs cucumber.

Added bonus of zero preparation

The crackers sound nice. I used to buy cracker breads which were great. May buy some more and have with a salad.

I just had smoked salmon with a blob of cream cheese on a mountain of spinach. I put some cashews in there too, to keep me full up until teatime. Prob 400 cals total.

I'm having this same issue with lunches! I find that adding a cupasoup to whatever else I'm having helps to fill me up. The volume of liquid I suppose! And it helps the lunch to last longer too, so that by the time it's finished, my brain had registered that I've had enough.

I've just had an omelette, loads of veg in it and a few prawns. Low cal, filling and good for you.

@InDubiousBattle

Jacket poatoes? Hummus and veg? What sort of calorie count are you aiming for?

Hummus and veg sound nice too. Not sure it will fill me up enough and stop me reaching for the crisps though.

These are all fab ideas. Thank you.

Soup and a roll
Boiled egg and two revitalise
Occasionally a couple of oatibix

Always have berries with fat free Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of seeds for dessert.

I need to lose some weight too but it’s not happening.

Ryvitas,not revitalise!

Wraps for me, usually chicken and salad, sometimes egg salad. Sometimes i will make extra roasted veg (brocolli, corn, carrots etc) and sweet potato the night before and reheat a portion in the microwave with an egg (just a spritz of olive oil).

I also have snackier days, so might have apple and some peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, yoghurt, fruit etc

Hummus and Ryvita with lettuce, tomato and red onion.

Sweet and salty popcorn for a snack.

Fruit salad - blue berries, strawberries, pineapple and grapes.

Cheese, fruit, couple of oatcakes and a salad.

Cut up veg, hummus, rolled up bits of charcuterie.

I also like open-faced sandwiches on crispbread, eg. I'll make a tuna or chicken salad by mixing tuna with some mayo, chives, celery, spring onions, lemon juice and then spread it on a ryvita with dill on top. Cucumber sticks on the side.

Omelette - tomato, cheese

I often have eggs - either egg salad with tomatoes, or an omelette

A can of tuna - with light mayo, put in little gem lettuce leaves, with tomatoes - like a little wrap type things.

A wrap pizza- use a tortilla wrap as a pizza base and add whatever toppings you fancy

Laughing cow blue cheese triangles, with crackers/ryvita/rice or corn thins.

Tuna and rice salad- mix some rice with some tuna, light mayo and then mix in whatever veg/salad you’ve got - cucumbers, tomatoes, sweetcorn, peas, grated carrot, spring onion etc.

I follow keto so lunch for me today will be chicken thighs and veg

I also sometimes have;
Salad
Omelette
Soup (though this can add up my carb count quite quickly)
Ham and Cheese together

For work packed lunch I went through a phase of making a big pot of couscous mixed with finely diced roasted peppers, red onion, carrots, courgettes, spring onions, leeks, parsley - whatever I had to hand. Then I'd add a side salad, a few cubes of low fat cheese, a sprinkle of raisins. So tasty.

Then I went through a phase of eating chana massala, again I'd make enough for a week and take it to work in a flask with a pot of side salad. Great for protein, very filling, insanely tasty.

Don't forget a massive bottle of water maybe with a squeeze of lemon in

Admit I've slipped during covid lockdowns and weight has piled on.

Also drink a big glass of water before you eat. I find it helps my brain catch up faster to my stomach feeling full, and often when I feel hungry I'm actually thirsty. Eating salty things like crisps doesn't help with that either.

I need to practice what I preach, today's lunch has been a chunk of banana bread with a nescafe.

Mixed green salad with smoked tofu, quorn vegan ham and raspberries and blueberries for dessert. not very filling but healthy.

I batched cooked a lentil daal at the weekend so I've been eating that for lunch all week.

376 cals, 60.8g carbs, 3.3g fat, 12.9g protein.... then I add a tub of 0% greek yoghurt for extra protein...

keeps me full up until dinner