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Meal Ideas for Work

Eating well at work takes thought and planning. It's tempting to buy food from a vending machine or go out for fast food. By slowly incorporating new ideas for work meals, you can enhance nutrition and watch caloric intake. Eating wisely takes a little creativity and determination to find good choices.

  1. Picture Healthy Meals

    • If you can't picture a healthy meal, it's hard to create one. Picturing 4 oz. of protein, two 1/2 cup servings of vegetables and/or fruit, and a whole grain bread is a good starting point. You might take low-fat cheese, a small can of tomato juice, an apple and whole-grain crackers to work for a balanced meal.

    Learn What Travels Well

    • Small pull-tab cans of chicken, fruit in small cups or in their skins, protein drinks, and packaged nuts with dried fruits (trail mix) travel well. Prepare a salad occasionally, too. Store your salad in a plastic container to grab before you leave for work. Pack strips of chicken on the side to add to the salad.

    A Small Car Cooler Offers Options

    • Taking meals in a small cooler with ice provides more options. For example, you can take a very small container of cottage cheese to work. Bring a small can of peaches to mix in. Even leftover casserole from dinner will travel well if tightly wrapped and placed in a cooler.

    Lose Weight by Eating Color

    • Avoid white foods---white sugar, white bread, potatoes---to lose weight and stay healthy. Instead, think color. Orange carrots, red apples, and purple grapes offer good nutrition. Avocadoes, tomatoes, summer squash and celery are all good choices as well.

    Buy Good Containers

    • Buy a durable stainless thermos to take homemade soup to work. Invest in high-quality plastic plates with dividing sections and heavy snap-on lids to take dinner leftovers. It's easier to stick with any weight-loss diet if you bring foods from home---boiled eggs, slices of fruit, low-fat vegetable soup or very small portions of your favorite foods.

    Stock up Ahead of Time

    • Buy bags of nuts, trail mix, fruits, low-fat cheese sticks wrapped individually, green tea drinks, cans of tuna or chicken, or individual packets of oatmeal to fix in the office microwave. You'll be tempted to grab a high-calorie Reuben sandwich or vendor pizza slice, if you don't have the right foods coming with you from home.

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