Last Updated on December 11, 2024
Are you looking for a way to eat healthier and save money? Pack your lunch for work! It might not always be convenient as eating out, but there are plenty of other benefits.
The Calories
Taking your lunch to work is a great way to slim your waistline! Packing a healthy lunch, like a turkey sandwich or whole-wheat tortilla taco can save you up to 1,000 calories a day.
Assuming you go to a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s and order the typical Big Mac with medium fries you will consume close to 1,000 calories, and that doesn’t include a soft drink.
Let’s put those 1,000 calories up against a healthy packed lunch. If you take a whole-wheat turkey sandwich with mustard, tomato, and lettuce you’ll eat around 350 calories. Add a delicious side of vegetables and hummus and your meal will total around 375 calories. That’s less than half of the McDonald’s lunch.
For diabetics, the benefits are obvious. Most fast food meals are loaded with sugars, salt, and carbohydrates.
The Money
Okay, let’s go back to that McDonald’s Big Mac that you were eating earlier. The average cost of a Big Mac meal costs $6 (before taxes). So for this example we will use an average of $6 a day. If you eat out every workday, you’ll spend $30 every week ($6 x 5 days a week). Which comes out to be $150 a month and then $1,800 a year.
Now lets calculate packing your lunch. The average brownbag lunch costs around $4 (depending on what you pack and how you shop it can be even cheaper). Okay, same math as last time, $4 x 5 days a week = $20. That’s only $10 a week that it saves you. That probably doesn’t seem worth it to you, but let’s keep calculating. $10 a week equals $40 a month, which is almost $500 per year. That is just calculating using something relatively inexpensive like a Big Mac. You could easily spend a lot more eating out for lunch.
Packing Your Lunch – Made Easy
Packing your lunch isn’t always convenient, but there are a few things you can do to help save you time.
Unless you wake up at 4 a.m., you’re probably pretty rushed in the morning to be on time. Try packing your lunch the night before to help save time in the morning. If you’re pushed for time, you’ll probably forget/decide not to pack your lunch and just go buy one.
When you’re cooking dinner, make a little extra for lunch. Putting your leftovers into plastic containers only takes a couple minutes and then your lunch is already packed for the next day.
Healthy Lunch Ideas
When you think of packing your lunch, you probably imagine packing a soggy sandwich. Your lunch doesn’t have to be boring and bland everyday. You can pack a delicious and healthy lunch that will make you excited for your lunch break.
What You Need to Pack Your Lunch
There are a few items that you want to keep stocked in your kitchen for packing your lunch.
- Sandwich bags – make sure to always have different sized zip-lock bags handy. Using smaller bags can help you measure the amount of food you are packing and control the amount of calories and carbs.
- Ice packs – keep one or two of these in your freezer to toss in your lunch bag. These are very important if you don’t have a refrigerator at your work.
- Whole-grain breads – always try and have healthy breads in your kitchen. This could be healthy pita bread or a wrap, but it’s always an easy solution to make a quick sandwich.
- Fruits and vegetables – keep a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in your fridge. You can toss a banana, apple, or orange in your lunch bag. Having vegetables with hummus or low-fat ranch makes a great side item for your lunch.
Need Some Lunch Ideas?
- Make a salad – we know this isn’t the most exciting lunch idea, but you can spice up your salad! Add walnuts, sunflower seeds, and cranberries. Then sprinkle a healthy dressing on top for a delicious lunch option.
- Tuna/chicken salad – getting a can of tuna or chicken gives you an excellent and quick lunch option. Add a little mustard, pickle, and some extra spices.
- Chicken tacos – if you want to try something different for lunch, try chicken tacos. Cook your chicken the night before and make your tacos. Put your chicken on a whole-wheat taco shell. Add a fresh salsa, lettuce, and a dollop of low-fat sour cream.
