BIW Versus Diet Meals

Why not try a fresher lunch?! 

If you haven’t eaten one, you probably aren’t human... or woman. You aren’t a human woman. Dieting has become as ingrained to our society as breathing air, it seems. The media is obsessed with size and so are we. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but as many of you know, I have a problem with societal standards of beauty. People should FEEL good about themselves at their current sizes. 

So why the beef with diet meals? It’s not what you think. I’m not against dieting, or eating healthy, or anything of the sort. My problem with diet meals is entirely in their make up. They freak me out. Sure, I used to eat diet meals with the best of them. Lean Cuisine was my poison. I thought that they were convenient to take to work.

Then there was some strange recall and the food was contaminated. Freaking gross. It got me thinking about what I might really be eating. These food are SO processed, that they practically aren’t food. Certainly there are many ingredients in them that you can’t pronounce. I want to be able to identify my food, and I like it as fresh as possible.

People are really willing to trade in health for convenience these days, and they are doubly willing to do it when the convenient food is also labeled as “healthy.” What is healthy? It is solely measured by calories in and calories out, or does it go a little deeper? For me, it goes deeper. I like to eat things I can identify.

Ladies and gentlemen, ditching your diet meals doesn’t mean you have to ditch your diet, or eat horrible food. It’s easy and with just a touch of planning, you can be rocking fresh foods instead of dextrose blah blah blah in your work lunch!

First of all, salads are a great option and come with a ton of topping to choose from. Some of my favorite salad toppers include hard boiled eggs, any kind of nut, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, red onion, and garbanzo beans. Also a great lunch packer? Fresh fruits and veggies. An avocado used to be my secret lunch weapon; they are filling and full of good for you stuff. A freshly peeled orange is an amazing addition at the end of a meal too.

How about hummus? I used to pack a little cup of hummus and some pita and have as an afternoon snack. YUM! Granola bars are also a great option, and there are tons of healthy ones to choose from.

I feel like I can’t mention ditching diet meals without mentioning canned soups. I am a soup fan, and nowadays I freeze my own homemade soups so I can eat them for lunch... but you don’t have as much time for all that jazz, take a stroll down the soup aisle in your grocery! I LOVE to grab a can of Progresso Lentil Soup, and throw it over some fresh spinach. Pop it in the microwave and you’ve got a hearty soup in no time at all. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese for a little pleasure, too! (you can do this with practically any soup!)

So if healthy eating is your New Year’s resolution this year, ditch the notion of diet meals and make a real lifestyle change with real food that tastes great and is good for you too. Now I know some of my readers have a good tips for healthy lunches, so I hope you will leave them here in the comments section so we can all have a happy, HEALTHY new year!