What do we know about lunch? Well, it’s supposed to come after breakfast, it’s right smack in the middle of the day, and for a lot of us, it’s tough to eat healthy. Sure, you can always hit a restaurant or find a place that serves fresh and healthy dishes, but that can put a serious dent in your wallet. Want a surefire way to stay healthy during the week, save some cash, and make everyone else jealous at the same time? Try brown-bagging.
Brown-Bagging 101
Brown-bagging is a term for packing and bringing your lunch to work or school instead of buying something every day. For one, there are obvious cost savings. Going out for lunch once in a while is a nice treat, but when you fall into the habit of buying every day, it gets expensive. Regularly bringing lunch is a great way to keep your weekly costs down and it also helps you really stretch your weekly grocery bill. Cause come on, how many times have you bought fresh ingredients on the weekend only to throw them in the compost because you forgot to eat them during the week?
No-Stress Lunches
Another great reason to brown-bag is that it negates you from having to decide what to eat when it’s time for lunch. It’s not an easy one – you want something cost-efficient, something relatively fast, and something healthy. These three factors alone can sometimes be paralyzing, especially when you’re already making work-related decisions all day. When you bring your lunch, the decision is already made and you can move on with the rest of your day.
Portion Control Mastery
Not having to decide on what you’re going to eat goes hand in hand with how much you want to have for lunch as well. When you bring lunch, you can keep your potions in check. How often do you find that your eyes are bigger than your stomach when it comes to eating out? If you prepack your lunch, your meal size is decided ahead of time and your lunch can be the perfect amount.
Make Their Mouths Water
But the best part about brown-bagging? Once you master it everyone else will be jealous. You can pack as healthy as you want, you’ll actively be saving money, and you have complete control over your meal. Try incorporating fresh herbs, bright fruit and veg and small but gourmet treats – think, dark chocolate, fancy cheese and primo cold cuts – to have a chef-inspired noonday nosh.
Can you think of any more benefits of brown-bagging lunch? Share some with us and the rest of the Weight Watchers community. Here’s to healthy choices.