What's for lunch? - If you have your lunch anywhere around 2.30 pm onwards you're in for big troubles in life and that is an affirmation. A good powerhouse lunch should be scheduled between 12 pm - 1.30pm that is when your body needs its fuel and you get to enjoy your food too. The primary lookout for any power lunch is how well can you kick your now slowly slugging metabolism for the next 5 hours and not go into a drowsy spell. A colorful bowl of salad comprising of good amounts of deep reds/ purple and greens with an ounce of high protein ingredients like oily fish, lean poultry, eggs, soy, cottage cheese or lean cheese should be your first handsome course. The idea of a heavy salad is to fulfill the need of high fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals in its organic raw form as much as possible along with a dosage of protein to balance the insulin secretion further. Do not go for any fat base dressing, stick to vino or vinegar variety. For a main course if you are into breads go for whole wheat or multi-grain and keep it lean, fresh as far as possible. If rice is on the menu for the day then make sure it is packed with a lot of veggies and lean meat or plant protein. This supplements the rice with high fiber and low glycemic index food that keeps the drowsy spells at bay. A good portion of meat or fish or other protein would be the size of a deck of cards which is either grilled or sauteed along with some veggies. Do not wash the meal with any fruit juice no matter how well its packed with vitamins and minerals it is but good food- wrong time- wrong reason.
Dissecting the power lunch - What is so powerful about the power lunch or a sample of it mentioned above? The low glycemic index foods that do not surge up the insulin levels in the blood there by regulating the slow and steady release of glucose to the tissues. This helps in many ways than just fat loss, it helps in slowing down gastric emptying and keeps you satiated for long. The metabolic push provided with the high fiber, high protein and adequately supplied antioxidants and minerals in the lunch boosts the body's energy for another 5 hours. Vegetables form the most important aspects in boosting the metabolic rate and not just the lean meat, fish or other protein, but the way the vegetables/ meat/fish are cooked are dominant in deciding the metabolic rate of the body too. Too much of fat or sugar while cooking could hamper the nutritional value and its content as well as slow down digestive process and metabolic rate. The more organic and light the ingredients of the lunch the more powerful it gets. The minerals & vitamins and phytochemicals in the salad that we mentioned are real role models to facilitate the entire working, digestion, assimilation of all nutrients of the lunch as a whole.
Hopefully you enjoy your lunch hour with a wholesome delicious meal. Bon Appetite!!
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