I was eating my lunch today thinking about what I wanted to blog about. Then it hit me...my lunch.
What questions would you have about my lunch? Probably the question would be: Where is the protein?
My lunch consisted of:
- Salad of: about 1.5 cups of mixed greens + a handful of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado and about an ounce of raw cashews, with about a Tbsp of lemon infused olive oil on the salad for a quick and easy salad dressing.
It was a warm day so this lunch of raw veggies was just perfect!
So...if you're someone who likes numbers: This is roughly 600 calories, 43g of fat, 14g protein and 50g carbs, with 14g of fiber.
So, what do these numbers tell us?
Calories: I like lunch to be my main meal, this meal could have had more calories, but I felt completely satisfied.
Fat: These fat grams are from plant sources, cashews, avocado and olive oil, and are mostly mono unsaturated. Your body needs fat for a multitude of reasons, we just need to make sure we are giving it the KIND of fat it needs.
Protein: Protein in this meal is from the cashews (5.2g), corn (4.9g), lettuce, (1g), avocado (2g), cucumber (.8g). 14g of protein for this lunch is exactly 1/3 of the protein amount I should have a day. Are you surprised by these numbers? Remember protein is in most foods, just in different amounts. Eating a variety of foods will give you plenty of protein, believe me!
Carbohydrates: This meal was all vegetables and contained carbohydrates in everything (minus the olive oil). With all the carb-hype is this bad? Of course not. They are vegetables! Your brain and every other cell in your body needs carbohydrates to survive! Again...just give it the RIGHT carbs! Vegetables are an excellent source...as long as they aren't deep fried!
Fiber: Fiber is a carbohydrate, but deserves a separate note here. 14g of fiber is great for a meal. Especially when I didn't have any beans or whole grains which I usually incorporate into my meals. This fiber is all from the vegetables. Fiber helps fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied after a meal and slows down sugar uptake, which is important for keeping your blood sugar levels at a good steady pace.
Vitamins and Minerals: This meal provided lots of vitamins and minerals including 50% of the Daily Value of vitamin K, C, Magnesium, Manganese, Copper and great amounts of all the B and A vitamins.
I had a great lunch, which took me 10 minutes to put together (bagged lettuce is the greatest invention!), was tasty, satisfying and gave me enough calorie room for a small piece of Sharffen Berger dark chocolate for dessert!
Do you have questions about your lunch? Take a picture of it and send it to me!
My email is amyjo@foodforchange.com and we can talk about what you are and what you aren't getting from your food choices!
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