Trying to make time for a nutritious lunch during the workday can feel like a losing battle.
Between meetings, deadlines and a never-ending stream of emails, many of us give in to the convenience of fast fare — or worse, skip the meal altogether.
But no matter your schedule, a balanced lunch deserves to be a priority. “Food is a biological need,” Maya Feller, a dietitian nutritionist in New York City, said, “and I know that sounds straightforward, but we all behave as if it’s not.”
When you skimp on lunch, your blood sugar dips. That zaps your energy, focus and stamina, said Lina Begdache, a dietitian nutritionist and associate professor of health and wellness studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton. And low blood sugar takes your mood “from happy and motivated to hangry and stressed out,” she said.
So how can you make time for lunch? And what should you be eating? We asked nutrition experts for their strategies — and asked our colleagues at New York Times Cooking for some winning recipes that you can easily prepare in advance.
It’s All About Balance
The goal with a midday meal is to consume the right mix of lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. That generally works out to about 25 percent protein, 25 percent unsaturated fats and 50 percent complex carbohydrates, said Erin Palinski-Wade, a dietitian nutritionist in New Jersey.
“That framework will help you to feel full and give you sustained energy so you don’t have those blood sugar spikes and crashes later on in the day,” she said.
Complex carbohydrates (found in foods like brown rice and whole wheat bread) are better choices than simple carbohydrates (like those in white rice and white bread) because your body won’t “convert them into sugar immediately, and then run out of energy,” Ms. Palinski-Wade said.
Because complex carbohydrates are rich in fiber, they’re harder to break down, so they move through the intestines more slowly, keeping you fuller for longer and providing a steadier stream of energy.
Adding sources of lean protein (like grilled chicken, fish or black beans) and unsaturated fats (like avocado, olive oil or nuts) will slow digestion even further, helping you stay satisfied and productive for the rest of the afternoon.
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