What can I take to work for a healthier lunch?

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Capital-Case-1461@reddit

Protein bars, low calorie/sugar free snacks of any kind and fruit.

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Different_Spread_256@reddit

Theres nothing unhealthy about a ham sandwich. Maybe swap out the cereal bar for a low fat and high protein yoghurt and have an apple or a banana.

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Both the bread and ham are likely to be excessively processed, so it's a relatively unhealthy option. Healthier options would be to make the bread yourself, or source from a decent baker. The most straightforward option is to make decent food at home and bring the left overs to work.

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Different_Spread_256@reddit

Cheers

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PopHead_1814@reddit

Processed meats are generally considered unhealthy. Having a slice of ham in a sandwich for lunch isn’t excessive so I get where you’re coming from, but it’s not an ideal filling.

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LaraH39@reddit

Is ham a processed meat? Spam is, hotdogs, maybe even some sausages but is ham not just... Ham?

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PopHead_1814@reddit

Yes of course it is, you surely didn’t think it’s sliced off the big like that ready to go did you?

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LaraH39@reddit

No. I think it's sliced from a ham. Processed means altered in some way.

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PopHead_1814@reddit

Ham is pig meat that has been preserved by curing and sometimes with smoking. Processed meat is any meat that has been preserved or altered in any way, ham and bacon and both processed meats and therefore unhealthy foods.

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LaraH39@reddit

No. Uncured ham is a thing. Very much so. And no, processing by curing or smoking isn't unhealthy, processed meats with preservatives and made from scraps like chicken nuggets are unhealthy. But if I buy a fish and smoke it and eat it, that's not unhealthy.

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_whopper_@reddit

Uncured ham is marketing speak for cured in a more ‘natural’ way. It’s still cured.

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LaraH39@reddit

No... I buy a ham from my butchers once a fortnight. It's uncured. I cook it.

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Flyawaylittlemonkey@reddit

Is the ham also steamed, and a patented Skinner family recipe?

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LaraH39@reddit

I don't get this comment.

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PopHead_1814@reddit

‘Uncured’ ham is actually cured but using a different method ([source](https://www.tenderbelly.com/blogs/foodie/what-is-uncured-ham-really), it’s still processed. If it wasn’t processed at all it would be pork, not ham. What do you think the difference between pork and ham is. As for the not healthy bit, we’ll I’ll leave you to look into that in more detail if you so desire, if you want believe ham is healthy unprocessed meat then go ahead, you’d be wrong but whatever.

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mdzmdz@reddit

Is that unhealthy diet wise or unhealthy because you think the processing is going to give you cancer?

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HurricaneEllin@reddit

I give my husband a portion of whatever we ate the night before plus an apple and some form of sweet snack, normally homemade something or other.

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Princes_Slayer@reddit

There is only my husband and I, so I very often make dinner for 4 so we both get a big healthy lunch the following day. Could be pasta, rice, salad or even mini roast dinner

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frogdances@reddit

470ml Thermos Food Flasks are perfect for putting that in. It'll keep hot stuff warm for a good 6 to 8hrs, cold stuff cold about the same amount of time.

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mdzmdz@reddit

Personally I'd skip the crisps/cereal/chocolate and just make a second sandwich. Also use brown bread. Alternatively consider a meal replacement shake. If you have any diet requirements such as diabetes check the ingredients list though as some have a lot more sugar than others.

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mattamz@reddit

I have huel and it makes me need to pee all the time which isn’t great when I work in a truck. Along with me waiting 9 hours and it been in a warm bag it’s not the best for it.

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frogdances@reddit

> I have huel My condolences. I'd rather cut my balls off with a rusty spoon than endure that crap. I work in a truck. I take grapes with me to exercise my pie arm whilst I'm driving down the road, take some soup or if we've had pasta bake etc the night before that in a food flask, banana, a couple of skinny bars and some Wotsit/Quaver crisps because they're far lower fat than potato crisps. Whole lot comes to about 600-650 calories.

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dibblah@reddit

Won't help with the weeing, but if you put it in a thermos it'll stay cold/hot/however you like it despite the warm bag

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mdzmdz@reddit

The wee?

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V0lkhari@reddit

Wee = piss in UK. I need to go for a wee, I want you to wee on my face, etc.

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OneRandomTeaDrinker@reddit

Swap the cereal bar for a protein bar, swap the crisps for some fruit or carrot sticks maybe with hummus, or a cold hard boiled egg. Cooked chicken would probably be a healthier sandwich filling than ham, if you buy the no added sugar/salt/water, literally just roasted then packaged stuff, or roast your own. Chicken with chopped up raw pepper and some lettuce in a wholemeal tortilla wrap with curry mayonnaise (like coronation chicken without the raisins) is a pretty healthy sandwich.

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andreeeeeaaaaaaaaa@reddit

Salad if you have a fridge at work

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Extra-Rain@reddit

I'm cutting down on bread and swapping it for a salad. It was really good! Bed of lettuce with ham, avocado and coleslaw on top. You can do all sorts with a salad, just be careful on what sauce you use

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Kittlebeanfluff@reddit

Use real wholemeal bread, seeded as well would be even better, The fewer ingredients in it the better. Drop the processed meat as a filling, go for someone else. Replace the crisps, chocolate and cereal bars with portions of fruit, at least one of those portions a berry of some sort, blueberries would be best. A portion of mixed nuts. Walnuts, chashews and almonds for example. Buy unsalted/unroasted nuts. You don't need extra salt and shit oils in your diet.

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Reasonable-While1212@reddit

Love the ham sandwiches meself, a bit too much, with cheese and Norwich mustard. Ate it every day for years. So what I do now, is vary it a bit. Make a salad with lettuces, tomato, olives, feta cheese. Green pepper you can put. Oil and vinegar, get it dressed. With that, couple of pita bread and a pot of hummus. Any hummus will do. I like Ramona, but whatever. Some grapes for dessert. You are being healthy and it's nice.

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TameIver@reddit

I see a few people suggesting yoghurt - if you do go with this make sure it's natural Greek yogurt. 'Low fat' yoghurt compensates by adding a lot of sugar, which is way worse for you. Also apples, oranges, pears and nuts are good alternatives to crisps/chocolate.

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dedido@reddit

I like a nice big bowl of sand

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EntropyKC@reddit

Sorry but are you seriously asking what is healthier than a kitkat that you can take to work?

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The-Vision@reddit

Skip the crisps and bring fruit instead.

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chinese-newspaper@reddit

Boiled eggs

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mdzmdz@reddit

Not in work, please.

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Iwantedalbino@reddit

I take my 5 a day, a packet of micro rice and a packet of cold meat. I have some sauces (sriracha, sweet chili) etc. at work and that sees me through

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Impulse84@reddit

I do the same. 75g of cooked brown rice and I throw some turkey and broccoli in it, then throw on some Franks's hot sauce.

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IgotAseaView@reddit

Take some mixed nuts if that’s your thing

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BellumEtPacem@reddit

A Greggs, from a store that's 26 miles away.

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TimGJ1964@reddit

How about some couscous. I've just done some soaked in chicken stock and with some finely sliced Spring onions and a handful of Tesco luxury fruit and nut mixture (cashews, raisins etc.) stirred through. You can mix in fruit, nuts etc., and if you have it, strips of beef, chicken etc leftover from the Sunday roast?

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PopHead_1814@reddit

That sounds fairly healthy and balanced anyway. If you want to be healthier drop the crisps and choc/cereal bar and snack on some nuts/seeds type thing instead. If you meant healthier than the sandwiches then make some salads, I tend to steam some greens and broccoli up for mine and add some protein (tempeh usually), beans/chickpeas and seeds and that makes for a quick and easy lunch salad.

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AutumnSunshiiine@reddit

Crisps, KitKat and cereal bars aren’t healthy. Processed meat (ham) isn’t healthy either. Lots of cheese also isn’t particularly good for you — in moderation it’s fine, for the calcium. OP doesn’t say if white or brown bread. Most supermarkets sell chicken salad sandwiches and they tend to be on brown or malted bread, not white — better choice than the two options listed. Snack wise they have fruit pots, vegetable packs with a dip, yoghurt pots (some healthier than others), rice-based “crisps”, nuts… I’ve seen eggs and spinach pots before too for the snack element of a meal deal.

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PopHead_1814@reddit

I’m aware of that. But you can eat unhealthy items as part of a rounded and balanced healthy diet. I packet of crisps a day for lunch is completely harmless. OP would be better picking between 1 of the 1 unhealthy option.

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glumanda12@reddit

Whole grain bread and some fruit/nuts instead of chocolate

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stealthw0lf@reddit

IMO keep the sandwich and add more fruit or veg, and more protein. I used to take graze nuts as an alternative to crisps and then switched this to unprocessed raw nuts. I take a greek yoghurt pot, and a small pot of fruit (mainly berries). Supermarkets will do pots of fruit, individual pots of yoghurt, portions of celery and carrot sticks, and small pots of mixed nuts. The idea is to replace certain aspects of your lunch with healthier alternatives. Mixed nuts or veg sticks can replace crisps. Fruit and yoghurt can replace the cereal bar and chocolate bar.

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redhead_bedhead_25@reddit

A pasta/quinoa/cous cous salad, a protein bar, hummus and crackers, whole fruit, chopped mixed fruit salad, plain water (with a slice of lemon in) This is the kind of stuff I buy if I'm pushed for time.

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envirogym@reddit

Healthier sandwich filling suggestions! Mashed chickpeas with spices and some spinach Tuna and cucumber Marinated and cooked chicken breast with salad Otherwise it depends on what you mean by 'healthy'! If you're trying to cut down on ultra processed foods, I'd recommend swapping to *real* sourdough bread, aka, one where the ingredients is just flour, salt and water. I'd also suggest swapping out the crisps for salt and vinegar rice cakes, or maybe some lentil chips or roasted edamame beans for extra protein If you're looking to lose weight, maybe use sandwich thins or a wrap for fewer calories and ditch the snacks I also always take a piece of fruit to work!

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envirogym@reddit

Lately I've been enjoying batch cooking quinoa and having it with roast veggies (beetroot, carrot, broccoli, whatever i have in), tofu and salad with my choice of dressing. You could swap out the tofu for salmon or chicken

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CENBURRY@reddit

I eat smaller snacks through the day. Fruit when I get in. Usually an orange or a banana. Some almonds between then or lunch. A protein yogurt. 2 cans of mackerel fillets for lunch. And then a protein shake for the afternoon.

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Now_Villager@reddit

Sandwich is fine. Swap the KitKat and cereal bar (one step from biscuits) for a combination from apple or banana with a handful of pecans, almonds or walnuts, pumpkin seeds or small light plain Greek yogurt (twice the protein of a normal yogurt so keeps you feeling full longer).

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makiiholic@reddit

Soup you like, and a side dish or two that you also enjoy. Will fill you up like crazy, healthier (calory wise, and probably healthier by type too), and probably half as cheap as the lunch you just listed. Asda for example, they have a wide range of soup. I pick up some cooked meats or gyozas to spice it up a little, add more if I really get hungry.

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rcohsieara@reddit

Fruits that are easy to take on the go like apples, oranges plums, peaches, pears that kind of thing. Carrots or celery or sugar snap peas and hummus. Popcorn, but be mindful of what type you get. Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese. The sandwich itself is good, wholegrain and sourdough breads have some additional nutritional benefits. If you want to have less red meat you could have chicken or turkey.

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ac0rn5@reddit

Maybe try changing the crisps for flavoured rice cakes?

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D1789@reddit

Can’t go wrong with a decent soup at lunchtime!

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