Dieting: Healthy and Delicious Lunch Choices

Do you find yourself at the lunch counter feeling pulled in between that huge oversize sandwich you know will satisfy your growling stomach and that very small, anemic looking salad that will help you stick to your diet but leave you still starving and unsatisfied. Busy women ask a lot of their midday meal. it has to be easy and convenient, waistline friendly, delicious and fast. It's true that there are a lot of options out there that foot the bill, but they may not necessarily be what we want at that particular moment. By lunchtime we're starving and want something substantial that will fill up our grumbling tummies and satisfy our overwhelming hunger. You can have a delicious and satisfying lunch without blowing your diet to smithereens, if you use these easy ideas that add flavor and nutritional value to your midday meal.

If you must have that burger for lunch, skip on the high fat condiments like mayo and pile on plenty of veggies. Tomatoes are an excellent choice but don't stop with that, pile on the baby spinach in place of traditional lettuce. This adds vitamins A and K and folate to your lunch, making it not only satisfying but healthy. Even sautéed mushrooms are good because their rich in antioxidants. And if you must have cheese on that burger, opt for half the normal serving and go with a variety that has more flavor than traditional American. A slice of Swiss has a reasonable 50 calories and 10 percent of your daily calcium needs. When choosing the beef for your burger, choose lean beef which is rich in vitamin B and iron, both are nutrients that are often missing from women's diets. Ask for your burger to be made on a dry roll. Many restaurants use way too much mayonnaise, butter and ketchup, just a tablespoon of ketchup adds an additional 16 calories. If you opt to forego that burger and instead pack a traditional lunch at home, you'll want to make sure and keep a lot of single serve containers of your favorite foods available. This makes it much easier to fix your lunch in the mornings. If you pack your own lunch you'll consume about half the calories you would if you eat out. Fresh fruits and veggies, tubs of low fat yogurt and cottage cheese, individual pre cooked chicken breasts, filet mignons, even individually made salads with ingredients like spinach, kale and almonds are excellent healthy lunch selections. If you enjoy eating out with the office crowd, make it something you do as a treat instead of a daily habit. Find restaurants in your area that offer healthy selections for lunch, you'll feel satisfied with far less guilt and calories. If you find yourself craving bacon burgers on a regular basis try having bacon and eggs for breakfast instead. This will satisfy your bacon craving and you will also consume far less fat and calories and have time throughout the day to burn off those extra calories.

People often order a sandwich or salad because they think it has fewer calories than a main course, realistically that's not always true. For example; a traditional Smoked Turkey Sandwich from Chili's has a whopping 870 calories, while their Guiltless Grilled Chicken platter has only 371 calories. Other low calorie options you can have for lunch would be grilled fish or chicken, even lean cuts of beef. Always ask your server to hold those sides which may contain a high amount of fat. Opt instead for healthier choices like mashed potatoes, steamed veggies or a green salad. Soup is always an excellent, healthy choice for just about any meal. It's really one of the fastest, healthiest lunch options out there. But it's really not that filling on its own. To bulk up soups you can add a half cup of grains to just about any kind of soup. Rice, bulgar or barley all add flavor and filling fiber to your soup for just about 100 calories. This is even a good idea to use with the canned soup you bring from home and microwave. When you cook pasta at home, cook a little extra and store in the refrigerator until you need it.

When making sandwiches turkey is always your best bet calorie wise, at just 30 calories per serving. However you can also have meats like pastrami and roast beef, as these only have 120 calories per serving and 4 fat grams. Just stay away from high fat choices like bologna and salami. Always remember to go easy on the cheese and choose a bread that's low fat and add plenty of veggies. If you stick to these ideas you should be able to enjoy a healthy, satisfying lunch weather brought from home or at a restaurant with no risk to your diet. For more information on healthy lunch ideas visit www.bhg.com/.../healthy-lunch-ideas.