School lunch smarts: make the most nutritious choices for what you munch at lunch.LINE UP FOR A LUNCH YOU'LL REALLY LOVE You're in the cafeteria line, holding your empty tray. Quick--what's the best thing to eat? Deep in the pit of your stomach, you know you should go for healthful health·ful adj. 1. Conducive to good health; salutary. 2. Healthy. health  ful·ness n. stuff but, after a long morning of classes, darned darned adj. Damned. Adj. 1. darned - expletives used informally as intensifiers; "he's a blasted idiot"; "it's a blamed shame"; "a blame cold winter"; "not a blessed dime"; "I'll be damned (or blessed or darned or if the pizza, tater tots Tater Tots, also known as "Tots", a registered trademark for a commercial form of hash browns, is a side-dish made from deep-fried, grated potatoes. Tater Tots are widely recognized for their crispiness, cylindrical shape and small size. and Fritos aren't calling your name! But here's the thing: Eating a junky lunch will make you feel, well, junky. At worst, chowing less-than-healthful food can leave you feeling sluggish and bummed out. At best, a diet of high-fat processed foods deprives your body of necessary nutrients. Not good! Here are some basic ground rules so both you and your bod can love lunch. BROWN-BAG IT Hands down, brown-bagging is the best way to avoid all the bad-for-you stuff. Make a turkey sandwich on nutritious whole-grain bread, or spread some peanut butter or hummus hum·mus also hum·us or hom·mos n. A smooth thick mixture of mashed chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice, and garlic, used especially as a dip for pita. on a bagel. Toss in some cut-up veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. and a piece of fruit, and include some chips that are baked, not fried. Lunchboxes just aren't your thing? Read on. EAT WELL, EAT EARLY! First off, you're unlikely to choose the best lunch if you've skipped breakfast. When noon roils around you'll be ravenous and prone to stuffing your face with feel-good foods that do nothing for you (fries, sodas, cookies). So, even if you don't Even If You Don't is a single released by the band Ween in 2000 on Mushroom Records. Formats Enhanced CD single Includes the quicktime video of "Even If You Don't" directed by Matt Stone & Trey Parker of "South Park". eat much--a banana, wheat toast, an egg--eat something good in the a.m. TO PIZZA OR NOT TO PIZZA You might have heard pizza is filled with fat and carbs. Yep, it is, but that doesn't mean you should avoid it. The cheese has calcium, and the carbs are OK so long as you don't eat an entire pie. So, do do pizza, but be smart. When it comes to toppings, go for mushrooms, peppers, onions and any other veggie options your caf serves up. And eat thin, rather than thick, crust. Consider this: A slice of Pizza Hut's Super Supreme Pan Pizza has 320 calories, plus a whopping 17 grams of fat. But a slice of thin-crust cheese pizza has just 190 calories and only 8 grams of fat. THE BURGER CONUNDRUM Who doesn't love a juicy burger for lunch? The protein is great (just don't make meat the focus of your diet), but make that burger better by skipping the mayo (loads of extra calories) and adding extra tomatoes, peppers and, if they have it, romaine instead of iceberg lettuce iceberg lettuce n. A crisp, round, compact head of lettuce with light green, tightly folded leaves. [From its pale color. (darker greens have more nutrients). Again, when it comes to burger size, go for the smallest choice. Why? A McDonald's regular hamburger has 260 calories and 9 grams of fat. Not bad. But a Big Mac has around 560 calories and up to 30 grams of fat! You could eat two apples, a grapefruit, a banana, a plain baked potato, a serving of broccoli and a serving of carrots for less calories and fat. RUN FOR THE BORDER Mexican on your school's menu? Great! Go for items such as a veggie quesadilla que·sa·dil·la n. A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, , and add on a side of beans (they are a super-healthful protein). Want something meatier? Go for chicken. Compare these: A Taco Bell Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., is a Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain based in Irvine, California, United States. The restaurant has locations primarily in the United States and Canada, but also operates outlets in several other markets. Big Beef Burrito Noun 1. beef burrito - a burrito with a beef filling burrito - a flour tortilla folded around a filling Supreme has 440 calories and 18 grams of fat, but the Fresco Style Chicken Burrito Supreme has 350 calories and 8 grams of fat. To top it all off, try guacamole instead of sour cream. Though guac does have fat in it, it's the good kind that's packed with vitamins. AND SKIP THE SODA Teen girls drink 870 cans of soda a year. That's 8,700 teaspoons of sugar and not a single nutrient. Switch to milk or calcium-fortified soy milk Soy milk (also called soya milk or soybean milk) and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage and even soy latte) is a beverage made from soybeans originating from China. instead (your bones really do need the calcium). And, finally, don't forget lots of cool, clear water. It's refreshing and energizing-and your bod will thank you for it! Q&A Is it true french fries are really awful for you? The one vegetable most Americans eat on a near-daily basis? Yep, french fries. If we were eating these potatoes baked or even mashed, they'd be a whole lot less fattening fat·ten v. fat·tened, fat·ten·ing, fat·tens v.tr. 1. To make plump or fat. 2. To fertilize (land). 3. for us. Why? French fries are loaded with the worst fat of all--trans fat. That's the stuff in the vat that's used to fry fries. So think of french fries as a treat, and eat them only occasionally. And when you do indulge, don't go extra large--just order a small serving and savor every last one. TO VEND OR NOT TO VEND? You're stressed, you're starved and you have two seconds to grab something. And there's a vending machine, staring you in the face. Here's how to pick smart.... GO NUTS Peanuts, almonds or some sort of nut/trail mix will fill you up with lots of protein and vitamins. DO THE TWIST Chips and crackers are usually full of bad trans fat, so pretzels are your least-bad choice. GO ORGANIC If you have an option, limit the amount of chemicals added to the food. A decent choice is a cereal energy bar with organic ingredients. BE FRUITY If your school has fruit in the machine, go for the apple. As you know, an apple a day ... |
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