Don’t just buy something at school, pack a healthy lunch
Three parts of a balanced diet:
- Carbohydrates should amount to 225 to 325 grams for a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet.
- Proteins should amount to 56 grams per day for men and 46 grams per day for women.
- Fats should amount to 44 to 78 grams for a 2,000-calorie-per- day diet.
These three sources supply 90 per cent of the dry weight of the diet and 100 per cent of its energy.
Four food groups in your lunch:
- Vegetables — rich in vitamins/minerals, fiber, and calcium.
- Fruits — rich in complex carbs vitamins, and fiber.
- Whole grains — provide fiber, carbs, vitamins, and protein.
- Meat, legumes, dairy, and nuts — contain fiber, carbs, fats, protein, and minerals.
Grabbing lunch on campus is easy, but with a little planning your lunch can be a healthy way to save money.Five healthy lunch ideas:
1) PB & banana sandwich
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Ingredients
- 2 slices of whole grain bread
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 1 small, ripe banana; sliced
Recipe
Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread. Place banana on top. Close sandwich. Eat.
2) DIY smoothie
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Make a balanced smoothie by adding at least one item from each category into a blender:
- Base (1/2 cup): Fruit juice, milk beverage, tea, coconut water, rice beverage.
- Fruit (1/2 cup): Apple, banana, blueberries, mango, papaya, peach, raspberries.
- Vegetable (1 cup): Beets, leafy greens, squash, carrots, celery, pumpkin, broccoli.
- Protein (⅓ cup): Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein powder, silken tofu.
- Healthy fat: 1/4 cup avocado; 1–2 tablespoons chia, hemp, or flax seeds; 1/8 cup nuts.
- Other ingredients: Cocoa powder, extracts, herbs, honey, wheat germ.
3. Tuna-stuffed pita
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Ingredients
- 1 piece of whole grain pita bread
- 1 can of light tuna; drained
- 3 red grapes
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 2 lettuce leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
Recipe
In a bowl, mix together the tuna, grapes, mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt), salt, and pepper. Stuff into pita with lettuce and enjoy.
4. Quinoa and tomato salad
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Ingredients
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup of mozzarella cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
Recipe
Boil quinoa with vegetable stock. Mix cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt and pepper into a bowl. Once quinoa is cooked strain and rinse with cold water and place in a bowl. Pour the other ingredients on the quinoa and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Eat.
5) Veggie wrap
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Ingredients
- 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
- 1 avocado; peeled and pitted
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of hummus
- 1 bell pepper; sliced into strips
- 1 slice of cheese
Recipe
Smash the avocado, olive oil, and salt and pepper together. Place all ingredients in the tortilla, wrap, and enjoy.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.