Food: Lunch Boxes Aren't Just For Kids

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Lunch Boxes Aren't Just For Kids
Monday, September 04, 2006

By Simon Woodhouse

Lunch is for wimps - it's a hard sentiment to escape from in this full on, career-oriented world of ours. And it's easy to fall into the trap of a non-stop work day. You get in at 8 am, the phone starts ringing, the emails start arriving, everybody wants a piece of you and before you can turn around it's 3 pm and you're starving. What happens then? It's a quick trip to the vending machine to stock up on fat-laden, sugar-filled snacks that have got heart attack written all over them. Then by the time you get home you're too tired to cook, so it's a delivery pizza or a speedy dash to the nearest MacDonald's drive through. This is an easy rut to get stuck in, but you can get yourself out of it, and it doesn't take much effort.

Taking a lunch box to work might not be the coolest thing in the world, but neither is an unhealthy diet. And anyway, we're adults, shouldn't we have matured past the point of being victims to peer pressure. I've found any ridicule usually stops when your colleagues see you eating something really good, and when they learn you've made it for yourself your kudos rating goes up another couple of notches.

Preparing a lunch box doesn't have to be a chore, and once it becomes routine it'll hardly take anytime at all. If you're not a morning person you can always make it the night before and leave it in the fridge. As far as what to put in it is concerned, the world's your oyster, but I've found that like most other things, variety is the spice of life.

For most people a sandwich is going to be the main course. Now I'll admit sandwiches can be dull. If you're just going to use two pieces of white bread and one filling then you're going to get pretty fed up pretty quickly. Nowadays there is a vast array of different types of breads in the supermarket, and you can even try using tortillas if you want a complete change. As for fillings, I find something crunchy is usually the nicest thing to bite into. Salad greens are good for this, but try to avoid using too much mayo or other sorts of dressings as they're usually loaded with fat. Chicken and fish are good in a sandwich. Meat is ok, but steer clear of anything that comes out of a tin as it'll have been processed to death (not literally of course), and be full of water, sugar, salt and fat.

Fresh fruit is a definite winner in a lunch box. Throw in as much as you like, then when you're peckish around ten in the morning or three in the afternoon, you can reach for something that isn't going to clog up your arteries and add inches to your waistline. A basic rule of thumb would be to try and avoid anything that comes in a packet. Even if it says low fat on the wrapper, that doesn't mean it's low calorie. Low fat things are usually loaded with sugar.

If like me you always tend to cook too much for dinner, try using what's left over in your lunch box the next day. Most workplaces provide an employee microwave, so if you pack your leftovers in a suitable container, you'll be able to heat it up and eat it without too much effort. A word of warning though - microwave etiquette usually goes a long way to maintaining happy work relationships. Try not to overheat your food and thus have it explode out of its container and splatter the inside of the microwave. Also be aware that what smells good to you might not agree with everyone else in the office. And if it is a rather pungent dish, it's probably better not to sit and eat it at your desk.

The other thing I like about taking a lunch box to work is the fact I don't have to sit and eat it at work. If you've had a stressed out morning, and you're in danger of throwing your computer out the window if it crashes for the tenth time, pick up your lunch box, get out the building, drive or walk to the nearest quiet spot and sit and eat whilst staring at nothing in particular. This works wonders for me. Not only do I return to work somewhat de-stressed, but I've had a bit of fresh air and maybe some exercise too.

So lunch boxes are good, but don't become a lunch box bore. If everyone else in the office is going out for a lunchtime drink, don't insist on staying at your desk, eating your lovingly prepared food and then getting straight back to work. Leave the lunch box and go with them, because otherwise all work and no play will make you a dull person.

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