GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — School is back in session and that means packing and preparing healthy lunches to keep kids fueled for the day. Adults would benefit too — both mentally and physically — if they made time to eat a healthy lunch every day.
Dr. Geri Williams is the supervising doctor and health coach with Ideal You and she shared some health payoffs for NOT skipping lunch. Dr. Williams said eating a lunch meal re-energizes your body and can raise blood sugar levels that have dipped since waking or breakfast. She said, this helps with focus and concentration at work or school.
So, Dr. Williams advised, when you’re feeling sluggish around noon, rather than more coffee or powering through, eating a healthy lunch meal can boost your energy and productivity. She said, lunch may have even more importance for school-aged children because it is the only meal they have to power them through the most active part of their day.
According to Dr. Williams, “it's super common to skip lunch if you're trying to lose weight, but after speaking with thousands of weight loss clients, people who regularly skip meals like lunch tend to weigh more than people who eat meals throughout the daytime. Skipping lunch leaves you feeling ravenous in the evening, you’ll tend to overeat foods that are high in starches and sugars to make up for the daytime fuel deficit which always leads to weight gain.”
When asked for some healthy lunch options, Dr. Williams said, “you can find healthy food in the cafeteria or a restaurant, but packed lunch tends to be a healthier choice because it gives you control over the ingredients, lunch should include healthy lean proteins, vegetables and fruit which will provide fuel to improve energy after lunch.”
She cautioned, “to avoid late afternoon drops in blood sugar - leave the starches and sugars like pizza, fast food and sodas off your lunch menu - this is especially true if you want to lose weight or need focus or energy after lunch and unless you have a very physical job or are an athlete in training and need the extra calories, avoid using protein bars, shakes and smoothies for lunch - they pack in the carbohydrates that will pack on pounds.”
Some quick healthy lunch options could be: chicken, beef or turkey lettuce wraps - made like a sandwich with all the condiments and ingredients wrapped in lettuce leaves, pair that with cut up vegetables like celery, cucumbers and carrots and dip them in guacamole, a snack bag of raw almonds with an apple or berries for dessert or mid-afternoon snack.
The Ideal You program emphasizes eating real food at every meal. Dr. Geri said Ideal You helps people get to their goal weight whether they just need to lose 20 or 100 pounds and they’ll see results in the first 10 days. You’ll eat only real foods not bars, shakes, or packaged foods.
Ideal You coaches will support you and teach you how to eat so you lose weight fast and learn how to keep it off! A typical Ideal You Lunch includes a portion on lean protein like chicken, beef, or tuna plus lots of non-starchy vegetables and a fresh fruit like strawberries or an apple.
According to Dr. Williams, “it’s a generous amount of food and nutrients and people do not feel hunger when they are eating the healthy food, losing weight and burning stored body fat. There are no hormones, no drugs, and no shots with Ideal you, and the program’s coaches will support you and teach you how to eat so you lose weight fast and learn how to keep it off!"
If you’re interested in learning more weight loss tips from Ideal You, and how you can lose 20 to 40 pounds in just 40 days, call (844) 646-3382 or visit www.IdealYou.us and take the Weight Loss Quiz. You’ll receive an invitation to book a Complimentary Weight Loss Consultation, along with a body composition analysis, and learn if Ideal You is the right choice for your healthy weight loss. When you sign up and attend a consultation in September you'll automatically be eligible for the Las Vegas trip-for-2 giveaway!
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