ONE Habit That Will Transform Your Health

There are loads of ways to improve your health. This one really takes the cake since it helps you save money at the same time. Once you get started, you’re likely to notice that you feel better, and you might even find that it’s a lot easier to lose weight, if that’s among your goals. Here it is: Pack your lunch instead of eating at restaurants and fast food places.

Why Make Your Own Food and Pack Your Lunch?

We all know that homemade food takes time and effort. But when you make it a habit, you’ll enjoy a number of important benefits.

• You choose the ingredients: Do you know what’s in the foods you’re ordering at restaurants? Even though some restaurant foods are simple and healthy, most contain plenty of added sugar, sodium, preservatives, and other things you’d be better off without. McDonald’s fries, for example, contain more than 10 ingredients. You can make your own oven fries at home with potatoes, your favorite healthy oil, and whichever seasonings you prefer.
• You’re in control of the portion size: Restaurant portions are notoriously outsized! We have a tendency to eat everything on our plates, and this often means overeating. When you make your own food and pack it to go, you’re in complete control over the amount that you’re eating.
• You have more options: If you love a certain food or you want to try something different, you can get it ready ahead of time and enjoy it when the time comes. You don’t have to settle for whatever happens to be available nearby.
• Packing lunch gives you more time to eat: If you have a set amount of time for your lunch break and you tend to go out, you’re spending quite a bit of your allotted break going to/from the restaurant, ordering, and waiting for your meal to arrive. I don’t know about you, but this used to stress me out! Packing lunch gives you a lot more time to relax, eat, and maybe even refresh yourself with a quick walk around the block before you have to get back on the job.
• You will save money: How much do you spend on lunches in a week? I used to average between $50 and $75 depending on what I was eating. Today’s number is closer to $25 and I’m enjoying premium foods that I make from scratch, far better than what I was getting when I ate at nearby restaurants. Your savings might be more or less depending on what you prefer – but they’re definitely going to add up over the course of weeks, months, and years. My household saves an average of about $250 per month even though we’re eating better. It’s enough to cover our car payment!
• Better nutrition: We know what our bodies need to thrive, but for some reason, we have a tendency to allow restaurants to undermine our plans to do better by ourselves. You deserve the very best in nutrition and when you take a few minutes to pack your lunch each evening, you treat yourself with loving care.

Tips for Getting Started

Sure, you could start making classic brown bag lunches with a sandwich, an apple, and a bag of chips, but there are better, healthier ways to go that won’t leave you feeling tempted to ditch your homemade lunch in favor of something tastier from the restaurant down the street.

1. Come up with a plan. My favorite thing to do is create a weekly menu with dinners that everyone enjoys. We make plenty of food for dinner, including items for the next day’s lunches. This might mean leftovers sometimes, or it might mean yummy sandwiches and tasty snacks. We pack our lunches before we eat dinner. It takes just a minute and it’s great to feel like you’ve gotten something accomplished toward the next day’s goals.

If leftovers aren’t your thing, consider picking a day or two to do some meal prepping with whatever it is that you enjoy most for lunch. Get creative and try to add lots of variety into your lunches! It’s a great way to stay motivated while treating yourself to good nutrition.

Kids lunches might include lots of cut-up veggies and fruits, whole-grain bread or tortillas, and yummy fillings they can put together, so nothing gets soggy. “Fun” additions are helpful here – the occasional cookie, pretzels, and other things they enjoy, so they don’t feel left out when they see what other kids are eating for lunch. Be sure to check your child’s school lunch policy regarding nut products – some schools don’t allow kids to bring peanut butter to school, for example, out of concern that a child with an allergy might accidentally come in contact.

2. Because salads are a huge part of our diet, we go all out in this department. I am a huge fan of salads in a jar. You start with the dressing on the bottom, then you add the toppings – usually, the protein portion if it’s a meal salad, or maybe some nuts and seeds if it’s a side salad. The chopped veggies are next in line and then the greens go in on top. Certain toppings might need their own little container. If you like croutons, for example, you might want to put them in a little bowl of their own. This method prevents things from getting soggy, plus it’s a lot of fun to see how envious co-workers look when you whip out your salad at lunch time! When you’re ready to eat, simply empty the jar into a bowl and enjoy.

3. Decide how to transport and store your lunch. This is a big deal! You might have a refrigerator at work or you may have to keep your lunch cool another way. Small coolers, cooler bags, and insulated lunch bags are fantastic. Add a reusable ice pack to keep your food cold and you’re all set. Remember to put the ice packs into the freezer each evening while you’re prepping your lunch.

4. Dedicate certain containers to lunches so you always have what you need. You can use whatever appeals to you! Glass bowls with lids are our go-to since they’re microwave-safe.

5. Find a way to ensure that everyone remembers their lunch. For me, that’s lining up lunch bags on the counter near the coffee maker. Lunch containers go into bags while the coffee is brewing, and we take them with us on the way out the door. 

How and When to Eat Lunch Out

As you probably know, extreme action rarely works in the long term. The all-or-nothing mindset rarely leads to success! That’s why you should give yourself permission to enjoy a favorite lunch out every now and then. Here are a few tips for deciding how best to approach dining out at lunchtime.

• Make a deliberate, conscious choice to eat out on a certain day. Plan for it, and plan to enjoy the experience as well as the food.
• If there is a specific day of the week or month when coworkers tend to gather at a certain place, don’t feel as if you have to deny yourself the pleasure of an enjoyable lunch. A healthy social life is an important part of good health overall! If old food options contain a lot of sugar or other substances / ingredients that you’d like to avoid, simply make new choices. Most restaurants offer good salads with healthy toppings, along with other basics such as steamed vegetables, fish, and more.
• Try to decide what you’ll have in advance, so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time poring over menu options. Many restaurants offer menus online, so you can browse in private, decide what’s best for your plan, and order quickly.
• Big portions are a well-known issue when dining out. This isn’t a big deal when you’re having a salad with healthy protein and dressings on the side, but it is definitely an issue if you opt for pasta or something similar. Look for smaller lunch portions or ask to have half your order wrapped up in advance so you don’t overeat. Know the macros on what you’re eating, so you can serve yourself a reminder in case you are tempted to have a huge portion.
• Make room for an occasional treat if it’s what you really want. Have a burger or a few fries, but remind yourself that this is a treat, not a re-emerging habit. If you are concerned that old habits may rear their ugly heads, then consider making healthy versions of these foods at home so you can enjoy them without worry.

A daily or near-daily habit of packing your own lunch won’t transform your health overnight, but you’ll enjoy the benefits as time passes. Like all healthy habits, this one takes a little bit of time and effort. Set yourself up for success by planning ahead and you’ll find that it’s one of the best decisions you ever made.