The Importance Of Lunch And Snacks: Nourishing Your Body And Boosting Productivity

Suman Agarwal is a nutritionist and has worked with a wide number of clients, getting them on the right path to health and wellness. Suman talks about why lunch is important and also why we should not ignore healthy snacks.

Lunch is a very important meal because it provides us with the energy that we need to get through the second half of the day. Skipping lunch is not a good idea, and neither is eating junk food. A good lunch is well balanced with all the required nutrients and keeps you feeling full and satisfied during the day.

Working professionals don’t pay much attention to lunch during their busy days and often eat unhealthy food or pack something convenient from home that is not very nutritious like instant noodles.

Here Are Some Good Vegetarian And Non-Vegetarian Lunch Ideas:

A simple lunch can comprise of whole-wheat rotis, dal, and sabzi (vegetable curry). You can change the type of dal or use chana or rajma and cook a different vegetable every day. Non-vegetarians can have chapati with chicken or fish curry and a vegetable or salad.

Khichdi is a good, wholesome meal by itself. For more variety, you can also add idli sambar to your weekly lunch plans. Wraps are a convenient option when you are on the go. Vegetarian wraps could include mung, rajma or chole while non-veg wraps could have chicken or egg. Don’t forget to add some fresh vegetables to your wrap for added vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

Why You Need Snacks

Snacks prevent you from getting hungry in the evening. If you have had lunch at 1.00 PM, then it is important to have a snack at around 5.00 PM. Healthy snack options include sukkah bhel without puri and sev, whole-wheat bread sandwiches, nuts, biscuits like Marie or cream cracker, and fox nuts (makana).

Enjoy your evening snacks with a cup of tea, coffee, green tea, fennel tea, or any other type of herbal infusion. To prevent hunger pangs and binge eating, always carry a healthy snack with you if you are going to be in the office or on the move. Eat at intervals of every four hours so that you don’t get too hungry during the day.