According to Statistics Brain, 50 million Americans eat from a fast food restaurant each and every day. Who can blame them? When you are rushing to work or you have only a very short window for lunch, who has the time to stop and eat a well-balanced, custom cooked meal? Well, honestly, the answer is everyone of us.
The simple fact of the matter is that 35.7% of American adults are obese, according to the CDC. Diabetes.org points out that 8.3% of Americans, millions of whom are children, have diabetes, and that only includes those who have received a diagnosis. Each and every one of us has a decision to make; do we keep on eating junk food, or do we make the choice to cook low fat recipes for lunch that can start us on our way to health?
Here are four great low fat recipes for lunch to improve your health and your life.
- Marinated Chicken Breasts
- Chicken, Charred Tomato, and Broccoli Salad
- Salmon Salad Sandwich
- Lime and Dijon Mustard Shrimp
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This recipe from Food Network is as easy as it is delicious. Marinate skinless chicken breasts with a mixture of vinegar, herbs, mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. When you are ready to cook one for your lunch, simply remove the breast from the bag, grill, and place into your lunchbox. This low fat, high protein meat goes especially well with a dark leafy-green salad .
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Eating Well recommends a mixture of salt and peppered chicken pieces with blanched broccoli and charred, sliced tomatoes. Toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chili powder for a dish that is light and filling. You will get a kick and a zip from the combination of the lemon and chili mixed with the freshness of the ingredients. This is a perfect example of a healthy meal that tastes amazing.
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One of the biggest misconceptions when learning about healthy eating is that all fats are bad for you. However, salmon, avocado, and olive oil are all incredible sources of so-called “good fats” known as polyunsaturated fats. This example of a healthy low fat lunch, incorporating salmon, onion, lemon, olive oil, and Neufchatel cheese placed on freshly baked pumpernickel bread, is further proof from Eating Well that low fat recipes for lunch do not have to be tasteless or boring.
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Having a healthy protein on-hand and ready to go is a great step toward cutting down your prep time for your lunches, whether for work or your weekends. Take fresh shrimp, and marinate them in a mixture of lime juice, onion, dijon mustard, vinegar, capers, and cloves. Cook them as needed. They are great added to a whole wheat pasta or placed lovingly atop a bed of mixed greens. This starter for healthy meals comes to you courtesy of Mayo Clinic.
Losing weight can be hard. It takes discipline. You have to push yourself to exercise each day and to leave behind many of the tasty, yet unhealthy foods you love. However, if you put these delicious low fat recipes for lunch to use, it will make the transition a little easier. Good luck on your journey! Bon appetit!