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15 Lunch Mistakes That You Should Strictly Avoid

Listed here are a few mistakes that we often make with our lunch. Check them out.

By Shabana

Food is an important part of our existence. It is important to have three proper meals a day in order to remain healthy and active throughout the day.

Though breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, its successor, the lunch is equally important. Taking a break from work and having a peaceful and healthy lunch is very important, especially in office.

Lunch breaks are designed at the exact time when our body needs a mid-day boost of energy and nourishment after breakfast. Around mid-day, our body experiences a sluggishness which is a result of rise in blood sugar. Eating lunch will help stabilise the blood sugar and increase concentration. It also keeps your metabolism active.

lunch mistakes to avoid

A lot of people often skip lunch as they are busy with work or travelling. It is important to have a proper lunch wherever you are. Taking a break from work and having a proper meal is the basic requirement of our body.

Cooking Mistakes That Can Cause Weight GainCooking Mistakes That Can Cause Weight Gain

Not having a proper lunch leads to sluggishness and snacking on unhealthy food. Also, eating a late lunch will interfere with the digestive system and cause health issues. There are many other lunch mistakes that should be avoided.

Here is a list of mistakes to avoid during your lunch time:

1) Eating Out Every Day-

1) Eating Out Every Day-

It is the most common mistake that should be strictly avoided. Restaurant food often is not fresh and contains additives and other substances which have the potential to harm the body in the long run. Also, cleanliness is another issue. Though it is okay to eat out, but remember to restrict it only in the time of emergencies. A simple home-made meal is better than any restaurant food.

2) Eating At Your Desk-

2) Eating At Your Desk-

Studies have revealed that a work desk contains 3 times more germs than a toilet seat! That is enough to discourage you to eat at your desk. Our working desks are ground to many microbes that have an opportunity to enter our body through the food we eat as it is not cleaned that often. Being as convenient as it is to eat lunch at your desk, it should be completely avoided.

3) Scrolling Through Your Phone While Eating-

3) Scrolling Through Your Phone While Eating-

Mobile devises are the biggest enemy of humans. We use them every day and just can't seem to stay away from them. It is of common habit to use these during lunch too. The surface of all mobile phones is a home to many micro organisms. Thus, their usage should be prevented during lunch time. Also, being distracted while having food, will lead to over-eating as your brain fails to register the fact that you are full.

4) Adding Dressing To Your Food-

4) Adding Dressing To Your Food-

Adding extra ingredients to your food to suit your taste palate, is a huge mistake to avoid. Over-dressing your salads will reduce its crunchiness. Too much spice or olive oil will destroy the nutrients present naturally in the food. Avoid it and try going natural as much as possible. It might take some time but it is all worth it.

5) Eating Too Late-

5) Eating Too Late-

Eating late is worse than skipping lunch altogether. Eating late will make you sluggish and more prone to accidents. Also, when you finally make time for lunch after a long gap, there are higher chances of over-eating. Not eating on time will slow down your metabolism. This results in the food being not digested or stored as fat.

6) Eating Processed Meats-

6) Eating Processed Meats-

Processed meats are high in salt and contain harmful chemicals. Some processed meats are smoked, which have been linked to diseases like high blood pressure and other problems. The N-nitroso compounds present in these meats are known to be cancer causing. They also contain high amounts of flavour-enhancing substances which are harmful.

7) Using White Bread For Sandwich-

7) Using White Bread For Sandwich-

White bread is made of white flour which is processed. It has zero amount of fibre and is high on the glycemic index, which means that it will suddenly increase the blood sugar. This creates other problems like rise in blood pressure and other heart problems. Anything that is processed or refined is completely stripped off its nutritional value. So, avoid these. Simply use brown bread. It is much healthier and will not interfere with the taste of your sandwich.

8) Drinking Soda-

8) Drinking Soda-

Soda contains high amounts of sugar which is nothing but empty calories. They end up getting stored in the body as fat. This results in weight gain. Also, drinking soda will damage your teeth and result in tooth decay. Complementing your lunch with soda will increase your blood sugar and make you lethargic.

9) Avoiding Green Veggies-

9) Avoiding Green Veggies-

Green veggies should not only be restricted to salads. Making them a part of your lunch will give your body a much need vitamin and mineral boost and charge it up for the rest of the day. Their high fibre content will keep you full for longer, so you don't have to snack any time before dinner again.

10) Using Fatty Dips-

10) Using Fatty Dips-

Some people cheat by eating veggies with mayo or cheesy dips. This should be completely avoided. Not only does it null the effects of the veggies that you are eating. It will also add up to your weight. The excess fat is stored and you will tend to have hunger pangs soon again.

11) Microwaving Food In Plastic Containers-

11) Microwaving Food In Plastic Containers-

When you heat food in plastic containers, it leeches a substance called BPA (Bisphenol) which is very toxic for humans. It is an industrial chemical which is used in manufacturing plastic, to make it stronger and durable. This ingredient is known to interfere in the functioning of the cells. It is known to take the form of oestrogen hormone which later interferes in fetal development. Use microwave safe containers as they are usually BPA free.

12) Skipping Lunch-

12) Skipping Lunch-

Skipping lunch is the worst thing you can do to yourself. Depriving the body of nutrients when it needs the most will just make matters worse for you. It will definitely not help you in your weight loss issues. It will instead make you gain weight as you tend to over-eat. Skipping lunch will also make you sluggish and tired.

13) Sitting Down For Long After Eating-

13) Sitting Down For Long After Eating-

It is better to do some brisk walking after eating as it will help the body digest the food better. Walking will also help consume the calories. Sitting down will simply turn the energy into fat and store it.

14) Overeating Healthy Foods-

14) Overeating Healthy Foods-

Too much of something is too bad. Even healthy foods need to be consumed in a limit. Eating a lot of salads will deprive the body of necessary carbs. Eating too much nuts will make you gain weight. Stick to a balanced diet.

15) Adding More Salt-

15) Adding More Salt-

Some people add salt to enhance the flavour of the food. But adding too much salt will put a lot of pressure on your kidneys as it has to work more in order to filter it out of your body. Also, more salt leads to high pressure and eventually heart ailments.

Read more about: lunch food diet