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16 Worse Lunchtime Mistakes That You Should Avoid Right Now

By Neha
worse lunchtime mistakes

At the onset of new year, you must have made few new year resolutions that you would want to abide by. For example, adding more fresh wholesome foods in your diet or hitting to the gym to stay fit. Though these are important, you are actually missing out the most important part.

A poor lunch plan can derail the rest of your day. Eating too little at lunch or eating too much at lunch will lead to snacking incessantly at dinner and you will feel tired and sluggish, respectively.

You must be wanting to lose weight or you might be stressing out too much at your work which is all the effect of worse lunchtime mistakes. After lunch, you should be feeling satisfied and energized that will fuel your body till the end of the day.

Some of your lunchtime mistakes could affect your physical and mental health, which is impacted on the things that you eat at lunch.

Check out these 16 worse lunchtime mistakes that you should avoid making right now!

1. Eating Outside Daily

1. Eating Outside Daily

You must not be packing your lunch to office daily and instead you like going outside and eating. Foods from restaurants and fast food joints contain significantly more calories, saturated fat and salt compared to home-made meals. Avoid eating outside and whip up something at home for yourself.

2. Eating At The Work Desk

2. Eating At The Work Desk

Eating at your desk can increase the amount of food you consume during your lunch break. It can actually cause you to eat more than expected. This is because you are distracted while you are eating at your desk, which causes you to lose track on how much you consume.

3. Using The Phone While Eating

3. Using The Phone While Eating

Scrolling through your phone while eating is another form of distracted eating. Your phone does not let you focus on how much you are eating, which leads to overeating. While eating your lunch, take a break from all of your technical products and focus on your food alone.

4. Taking a Second Cup of Coffee

4. Taking a Second Cup of Coffee

Having your coffee in the morning is fine; but after lunch if you are reaching out for a cup of coffee, then you are making the worse lunchtime mistake. Drinking a cup of coffee six hours before bedtime can disturb your sleep pattern.

5. Omitting Green Veggies

5. Omitting Green Veggies

If you are the person who is keeping green veggies out of your lunch, it can leave huge nutritional gaps in your meal. Include dark green vegetables in your lunch like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, etc., which are full of nutrients like fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants.

6. You Forget Water

6. You Forget Water

Drinking water is important which is equal to consuming proper food. Hydrating the body every 15 minutes by drinking water will keep you less dehydrated. Dehydration can have upsetting consequences, which includes indigestion, tiredness, and even a slow metabolism.

7. Soda And Cold Drinks

7. Soda And Cold Drinks

Although soda and cold drinks are tasty, they are terrible for your blood sugar and your digestion. Processed juices, sugary sodas and cold drinks are full of calories. Guzzling up sugary beverages along with your meal will increase the blood sugar and hormones such as insulin.

8. You Skip Meals

8. You Skip Meals

Throughout the day if you binge eat with a bag of chips or cookies, it will surely make you skip lunch. Even when you are busy, you tend to forget to have lunch. And if you are thinking of skipping lunch to lose weight, then it is the worst lunchtime mistake. It will actually cause you to eat more later on.

9. Avoid White Bread With salad

9. Avoid White Bread With salad

You should definitely avoid white bread with salad. White bread is full of carbohydrates, which spikes the blood sugar levels. You will pack on more calories if you consume white bread. Instead, you can try out whole grain breads that contain more fibre than white bread.

10. Using Fatty Condiments

10. Using Fatty Condiments

If you have been adding fatty condiments like mayonnaise, hot sauce or dijon mustard in your food, then it is the worst lunchtime mistake. Some condiments can turn your perfect healthy lunch into a fattening one.

11. Eating Too Late Or Too early

11. Eating Too Late Or Too early

If you are eating before your lunchtime, then chances are you are just going to get hungry again by the end of the day. And if you eat past your lunchtime, you could end up having more food than you normally do. Eating your meal before 3 PM can significantly make you lose weight faster.

12. Don't Have Fatty Dips

12. Don't Have Fatty Dips

Dips are tasty to eat but it packs a lot of fat. They may make your veggies a little tastier, but they are adding excess calories in your diet. You can opt for healthier dip choices like hummus, guacamole, pesto, etc.

13. Your Salad Is Only Lettuce

13. Your Salad Is Only Lettuce

A bowl of lettuce isn't a nutritious salad. Though, it is low in calories, but you need other healthy ingredients too. Include tomatoes. Grilled chicken and chickpeas in your salad that will boost you up with the added nutrients. Make your salad colourful and avoid salad dressings.

14. Eliminating A Food Group

14. Eliminating A Food Group

You should try to eat all the food groups. Finding a balance in whatever you eat is important. Don't miss out on all of the food groups that will supply you with a variety of nutrients needed for a healthy body. Instead of cutting out on food groups, you can have portion size meals.

15. You Are Not Eating Fruits

15. You Are Not Eating Fruits

Fruits are essential and you should include them in your balanced diet. It is necessary to have fruits after lunch that will give you ample of vitamins and minerals. You can either make a fruit salad or you can eat a few slices of your favourite fruit.

16. Not Including Healthy Fats

16. Not Including Healthy Fats

If you are thinking of staying fit and healthy, you should not miss out the good fats from your lunch. If you don't have enough fat, you may suffer from constant hunger pangs. Fats are required to feed the brain. Incorporate healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil and coconut oil.

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Story first published: Tuesday, January 2, 2018, 17:12 [IST]
Read more about: salad lunch coffee vegetables water