Typical Brown Bag Lunches

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Typical Brown Bag Lunches

• Sandwich
• Chips
• Soda
• Dessert

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Nutritional value of a typical brown bag lunch

• Usually low in
• Fiber
• Vitamins and minerals
• Usually high in
• Fat
• Saturated Fat
• Sodium

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What should our lunch contain?

• Fruits
• High in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and
  fiber
• Vegetables
• High in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and
  fiber
• Low fat dairy products
• High in calcium, vitamins A D, protein
• Whole grains
• Good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals
• Lean protein
• Limited fat, sugar, and sodium

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Complex Carbohydrates

• Whole wheat or whole grain tortilla, pita, or
  bread
• Whole wheat pasta salad
• Bran muffin
• Brown rice (or side dish made with brown rice)

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Vegetables

• Cut up fresh veggies
• Have a salad
• Make a low fat dip for veggies
• Stuff wheat pitas or tortillas with veggies
• Broccoli florets
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber sticks
• Pepper spears
• Cherry tomatoes
• Snow pea pods

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Fruit

• Fresh whole fruits
• Fruit salad
• Add fruit to plain yogurt.
• Try a Fruit plate w/ yogurt or cottage cheese.
• Add lemon juice to cut up apples to prevent
  browning

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Protein

• Choose lean protein sources
• Lean meat skinless, boneless chicken or turkey,
  90 lean ground beef, lean deli meats
• Fish
• Beans and legumes kidney beans, chick peas,
  lentils, great northern beans, black beans, pinto
  beans.
• Peanut or almond butter (in small amounts)
• Nuts and seeds.

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What to limit

• White bread
• High fat deli meats (salami, bologna, pepperoni)
• Regular chips, high fat crackers, and snack
  mixes.
• Little Debbie cakes, cookies, sugary beverages
  (soda, juice drinks, sweetened tea)
• Processed foods (canned or packaged soups,
  dinners)

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Planning Ahead

• After purchasing fresh produce, cut it up in
  advance and place in baggies.
• Pack your lunch the night before or get up 15
  minutes early.
• Allow yourself enough time to think about what
  you are packing.
• Ask yourself if your lunch includes at least 3 of
  the 5 food groups.
• A good guide ½ of plate vegetables, ¼ of plate
  whole grain starch or starchy vegetable, and ¼ of
  plate protein source. Add a fruit and low-fat
  dairy product to your lunch to include all 5 food
  groups.

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Healthy snack ideas

• Low fat granola or granola bars
• Whole wheat/grain crackers
• Nuts (1/4 cup or small handful).
• Rice cakes
• Dried fruit
• Dry cereal
• Home-made trail mix

• Low fat yogurt
• Baked chips or sun chips (over regular chips)
• Apple or banana
• Graham crackers
• Air popped popcorn
• Veggies w/ Low fat dip
• ½ turkey sandwich w/ veggies on whole wheat/grain
  bread
• 100 calorie packs

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Sample meal ideas

• Whole wheat pasta salad (whole wheat pasta w/
  lots of vegetables, low fat cheese, and lean meat
  (chicken) and drizzle w/ light vinaigrette) (1
  cup)
• Mixed green salad or other vegetables of choice
• Strawberries (1 cup)
• Light Fit yogurt (Add a little grape nuts or
  low fat granola for crunch).

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Meal ideas

• Chicken salad Sandwich or wrap
• Whole grain bread, pita, bun, or wrap
• Chix salad cubed or pulled chicken, light or FF
  mayo, grapes, slithered almonds (or chopped
  walnuts), chopped celery
• Add romaine lettuce (or mixed greens), red onion,
  and diced tomato.
• Cucumber and tomato salad w/ 2 T of light
  vinaigrette dressing
• Orange pinwheels
• 100 calorie pack pudding.

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Meal ideas

• Create a Taco Salad
• Cooked 90 lean ground beef (or dice up leftover
  lean chicken) add small amount of taco seasoning
  to meat- Put meat in separate container- keep hot
  or heat meat in microwave
• Mixed greens, diced tomatoes and onions, shredded
  reduced fat cheddar cheese, diced bell pepper- in
  plastic container- keep cold
• At work mix meat and salad together, add small
  bag of sun chips and salsa
• Mixed fruit or berries
• 1 or skim milk

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Mix it up

• Try small bagels, pita bread, rolls, multigrain
  bread, raisin bread, or English muffins to make
  sandwiches.
• Make chicken and tuna salad w/ light mayo and add
  things such as grapes, almonds, walnuts.
• Create your own trail mix high fiber cereal
  (such as oat squares, cheerios, Life, frosted
  mini wheats), add dried fruit (raisins,
  cranberries, blueberries), add almonds or
  walnuts.
• Have cereal for lunch.

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Mix it up

• Use hummus as a sandwich spread in place of mayo
  or add to a veggie wrap to make a Greek veggie
  wrap.
• Use spicy mustard or salsa as a sandwich spread.
• Instead of raw veggies all the time, pack lightly
  steamed or grilled veggies (eat steamed veggies
  hot or cold).
• If you must have something sweet, pack a small
  square of dark chocolate.
• Add thin slices of apples w/ cinnamon or sliced
  bananas to peanut butter sandwich.

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Seasonings

• Ideas for flavor without adding a lot of sodium
• Lemon or lime juice on cooked vegetables, meat,
  or fish.
• Vinegar (different varieties available).
• Garlic, pepper, powders (garlic powder, onion
  powder), herbs (parsley, basil), spices.
• Scallions, hot peppers such as Chile peppers.
• Salsa (some salsa may be high in sodium so look
  at the label).

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Other Healthy Alternatives

• Light or fat-free mayo, sour cream, cream cheese,
  and salad dressing.
• Bake or grill foods and avoid frying. Limit
  amount of fat for pan frying.
• Soft, tub margarine vs. butter.
• Herb seasoning, fresh herbs vs. salt and seasoned
  salts.
• Artificial sweetener instead of sugar if
  restricting calories or use only a small amount
  of sugar.

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• Your stomach shouldnt be a wastebasket
• Anonymous

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Ohh, Ill just order out!

• Wendys Classic Single w/everything
• 410 calories
• 19 fat grams
• 7 grams sat fat
• 70mg cholesterol
• 910 mg sodium

20

• Taco Bell Taco Salad with Salsa
• 790 calories
• 42 fat grams
• 15grams sat fat
• 65 mg cholesterol
• 1670 mg sodium

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• BK Double Whopper w/cheese
• 1060 calories
• 69 fat grams
• 27 grams sat fat
• 185 mg cholesterol
• 1540 mg sodium

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Testing your knowledge

• What is one thing a TYPICAL brown bag lunch
  usually contains?
• Name one thing that needs to be included in a
  healthy lunch?
• Are beans and legumes considered a lean protein?
• Name a healthy snack
• Give me a sample healthy lunch.

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Containers

• www.coolgear.com
• Fit Fresh
• Portion plate
• Staples, Target, Bed Bath Beyond