Although a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day, a healthy lunch is not far behind. Since more than half of the day remains, it’s important to fuel up with a healthy lunch to ensure maximum productivity and enjoyment.
Skip lunch, and your body and mind will not operate at their full capacity. This is especially true if you skip breakfast since your body wouldn’t have had any nutrition for 12-14 hours by the time you eat lunch.
Your second-largest meal of the day should be lunch. Dinner should be your smallest if you want to control your weight. Breakfast should be your biggest meal. But it should still be a healthy breakfast.
Much of what I will describe for a healthy lunch can be used to prepare a healthy dinner, but I recommend reducing the portions of all ingredients by 20-30 percent.
You can also adapt my healthy lunch recipe to how you order a healthy meal at a restaurant or select it from a salad bar. Whoops! I give up some of my ingredients. You can really blow your diet and health goals at a restaurant, and especially a salad bar, if you don’t know what you’re doing.
The salad dressings, cheeses, meats, pasta, and other sides you find at restaurant salad bars can put more bad fats into your body than a double cheeseburger, a large French fry, and a shake!
The healthy lunch that I am about to describe contains all the healthiest ingredients I could identify. It includes high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, and fiber. Some of the ingredients contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, which promote heart and cardiovascular health and help prevent cancer.
My Healthy Lunch
- Health nut salad (as I call it) with cabbage slaw; broccoli slaw; carrots; celery; unsalted dry roasted peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds (Pepitas); warm salmon, turkey breast, chicken breast, tuna, or tofu; avocado; and cherry or grape tomatoes. Seasoned with ground red or black pepper. (Full recipe below.)
- Vegetable or fruit juice (unsweetened) – Vegetable mixture (juiced or store-bought): apples, carrots, celery, broccoli, beets, and tomatoes. Fruit mixture (blended with banana, strawberries, and melon or store-bought): blueberry, pomegranate, acai berry, and/or cranberry. 4 oz. (When I make these with my juicer or blender, I sometimes save some for a mid-afternoon energizer.)
- Filtered water with a splash of lemon juice or homemade super water.
- Dessert is either fresh or dried unsweetened mango, papaya, dates, non-sorbate (preservative) pitted prunes (plums), or grapes.
- No coffee. Gave it up!
Health Nut Salad – Recipe
Download recipe below.
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 1/2 cups of cabbage slaw. I use pre-cut in 14 oz. bags.
- 2/3 cup of broccoli slaw. I use pre-cut in 12 oz. bags.
- 1/4 cup of diced or chopped celery.
- 1 1/4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 1/4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
- 1 teaspoon unsalted peanuts.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted chopped walnuts.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted slivered almonds.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted sunflower seeds.
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted pumpkin seeds.
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red or black pepper or similar seasoning.
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup diced or broken up salmon, turkey breast, chicken breast, tuna, or tofu. I used the premium canned version of these or refrigerated extra-firm tofu.
- 1/2 diced small (Hass) avocado.
- 5-7 (based on size) cherry or grape tomatoes.
Equipment
- Large (deep & 6-8” wide) salad bowl.
- Medium-sized microwave-safe cooking bowl.
- Microwave-safe cover. (I use a plate.)
- Heat protection pads or gloves.
- Cutting board.
- Multi-purpose kitchen knife.
Preparation
- Add 1 1/2 cups of cabbage slaw to a large (deep & 6-8” wide) salad bowl.
- Add 2/3 cup of broccoli slaw.
- Add 1/4 cup of diced or chopped celery.
- Add 1 1/4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- Mix olive oil with other ingredients thoroughly.
- Add 1 1/4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
- Mix vinegar with other ingredients thoroughly.
- Add 1 teaspoon of unsalted peanuts.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon each of unsalted chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon ground red or black pepper or similar seasoning.
- Mix seasoning with other ingredients thoroughly.
- Place 1/2 – 3/4 cup of diced or broken up salmon, turkey breast, chicken breast, or tofu in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle on some seasoning if you want (chili powder is best), cover, and microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 minutes. Heating brings out the flavor and cooks in the seasoning. Drain before adding to the salad. Tuna is served at room temperature or cold. Notes: (1) Adding seasoning is optional. (2) Liquid seasonings are not recommended as they make the recipe watery.
- Add meat or tofu.
- Mix in meat or tofu.
- Add 1/2 diced small avocado on top.
- Add 5-7 (based on size) cherry or grape tomatoes on top.
Details
You don’t have to measure each ingredient exactly or include every item. If there are ingredients that you like or don’t like, increase, reduce, or eliminate them. However, I encourage you not to remove ingredients simply because you’ve never eaten this particular combination of foods before. Be bold! Try it!
Recipe Download
Get a copy here: Health Nut Salad – Recipe
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You can get into the habit of eating a healthy lunch by just doing it without internal debate and learning about the benefits as you go along.
To your health and fitness.