choose healthier optionsLunch can also be an important meal, and it's crucial that you know what you're putting into your body. Try to pack your own lunch as it can be a healthier option than buying something from the cafe. It would be best to stay away from fast-food restaurants, as the food there is usually high in trans fats and have low nutritional value. Packing your own lunch can be good because then you know what you're putting into your body.
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What to Include & the Serving sizes for lunch
- Fruits and Vegetables: 3 servings
- Grain Products: 2 servings
- Dairy: 1 servings
- Meat and Alternatives: 1 servings
What you can eat and why they're good for you
Sandwiches
- Sandwiches can be nutritional because it contains grains, vegetables, dairy and meat.
- The bread is the grains and it can be especially good for you if it is whole wheat. Whole wheat is significantly better for you than white, because white bread lacks certain nutrients that whole wheat bread has. Bread contains carbs that give you energy as well as fiber to help with digestion.
- The meat in the sandwich can provide the body with protein. Protein is good for the body because it helps build muscle, repairs tissue and helps with growth.
- Some fruits/vegetables you can add might be lettuce and tomatoes. These can be good for your body because these they contain certain vitamins and minerals that help your body to function properly. Lettuce contains vitamin A and tomatoes contains vitamin C. Vitamin A can help with your vision and skin, while vitamin C helps to protect your immune system and protects your body from cardiovascular disease.
- Also to include dairy in your sandwich you can add cheese. Cheese can be good in your sandwich because it contains calcium. Calcium helps with bone growth and it helps to sustain nice teeth.
- Yogurt: a healthy option to include in your lunch because the cheese in the sandwich might not be enough to cover the dairy portion in your meal. Yogurt contains calcium and so again, it's good for bone growth and helps to keep nice teeth.
- Fruit: a refreshing option to have during lunch. Fruits have many types of vitamins and minerals that help the body to function. For example: strawberries are high in fiber and it is an antioxidant. Fiber is good for digestion and antioxidants protect the cells in your body from free radical damage that comes from things like chemicals and pollution.