Food on the Run!

Working the JOB  as many of us do …  the brown bag lunch quickly becomes  boring. Many meals are overridden with a bag of instantly gratifying fast food or a quick calorie loaded dinner within a  dine-in restaurant. The result is an increase in girth and weight seen by others as FAT.

I was one of those – gotta eat something now … no time to enjoy my food.. scarf it fast… tummy’s full  … back to work –  guys.

After trying to drag my 350 pound body frame back and forth across the office for six years, without collapsing to death in the process, I knew I was finished. Most of the time I ate a light breakfast and overall a balanced dinner. However, I realized it was the mid-day stress relieving … get out of the office and feast to fulfill lunches that were adding weight and killing me.

I adjusted my thinking of how I eat my lunch and within 18 months I have not only lost 130 pounds but also gained a full day’s worth of energy and stride around the office with a renewed confidence.  I feel better and am living my life healthier.

Lunch has become my time.

I find an enjoyable place to relax for an hour. My boring brown bag lunch is now a fresh garden salad enhanced with a favorite protein ( turkey breast, chicken, cheese, avocado, etc.) Rather than a carb-loaded soft drink I now brew a thermos of fruit herbal (unsweetened) iced tea.  My goal has been to substitute  3-4  routine lunches with low-cost,  garden fresh, healthy salads.

Relax and de-stress …. Go make a salad! 

I have grown a nice garden. Part of the health benefit of my mid-day salad is the relaxation I get making it. Before work I head to the garden to collect my lunch. I pull just what I need … a ripe tomato, green onion, small head of lettuce, a carrot, radish, baby zucchini and jalapeno’ pepper. After washing, tearing, chopping and slicing my fresh garden bounty I scour the cooler for protein i.e. cheese, roasted chicken, leftover roast, etc.  While preparing my salad my herbal iced-tea is steeping in my aluminum water bottle. I fill a recyclable storage container with my prepared salad and pack it in a nylon sack with an ice pack and my thermos filled with tea and ice.

I have taught myself to make my favorite salad dressings. They  are nearly 1/2 the cost of store-bought dressings and are made of natural, preservative-free ingredients.

It’s Lunchtime – Time to Relax!

At lunchtime, rather than eating at my desk or with some of my co-workers I make it a habit to seek out a quiet, peaceful place to relax and enjoy my  salad and tea. Taking time out for myself, on a busy day, while enjoying nature and a healthy lunch is noticeably adding years to my life.

It’s a simply delicious and healthy habit!