How to make this happen in 7 steps:
💡 Have a healthy lunch
Before we can identify what prevents you from getting a healthy lunch, we have to know what a healthy lunch actually is. A healthy lunch contains a variety of different foods and is high in nutrients and low in processed foods. Many people mistakenly believe they are eating healthily, when often they are not. Beware of advertisements for supposedly “healthy” low fat products. These are usually loaded with sugars, salt and empty calories. The healthiest foods are often not advertised.
Criteria for a healthy lunch:
- High nutrient, wholesome, unprocessed foods
- Lean protein (fish, chicken, organic red meat)
- Lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and legumes
- Avoid low-fat foods that are often loaded with sugar and preservatives
Let’s go over some steps to help you eat healthy lunches:
STEP 1: 🏆 VISUALIZE SUCCESS
Envision how great you will feel and look in 3 months from now if you consistently eat healthy meals.
STEP 2: 🔎 ANALYZE YOUR CURRENT ROUTINE
You can’t make successful changes without fully understanding your current routine. Below are some examples of some of the things people do as part of their lunch routine. Think about yours and write it down. Examples are:
- Going to the cafeteria at work
- Going out for lunch
- Sitting behind your desk
- Skipping lunch
- Going to the bakery
- Eating lunch prepared by someone else
This video provides an overview of the 7 steps displayed on this page.
STEP 3: 🚧 IDENTIFY OBSTACLES THAT COULD PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING A HEALTHY LUNCH
Identify potential obstacles by asking yourself the following questions:
Do you attend meetings around lunch time that make it hard to pay attention to what you are eating?
Is it hard to access healthy food at your workplace?
Do you eat at your desk? People who eat at their desks tend to consume more calories
Do you eat at restaurants?
Do you drink enough water in the morning, so that you don’t feel hungrier than you actually
STEP 4: ✏️ HOW TO CREATE A HEALTHY LUNCH ROUTINE
The best way to ensure you eat a healthy lunch is to prepare it yourself at home and bring it in to work. When you prepare your own food you control the ingredients and portion size. Meal prepping at the weekend is a good way to ensure you eat multiple healthy lunches at work. When you do go out to eat with colleagues or clients try and observe the following guidelines:
- Pick healthy items
- Start with a salad (dressing on the side)
- Split large portions
- Drink water or unsweetened tea
STEP 5: 👶🏼 START OUT SMALL, OR BETTER YET START OUT “VERY SMALL”
Starting out with baby steps will help you ease into the process, improving the chances of success. Choose 1 or 2 small things you can do to improve your lunch routine. These can be things that you want to eliminate as well as new healthy habits you want to introduce. Make sure they are simple and easy to follow. It should not feel overwhelming.
STEP 6: ⏰ FIND A TRIGGER
Find a good “trigger” to kick off the action. A trigger is a cue that will serve as a reminder to perform the new habit. You have to test to find out if the trigger works. A good trigger (or prompt) will help you follow the new routine. If you keep forgetting to do the new habit it means you need to identify a better trigger.
Examples of a trigger:
After I have finished my dinner, I will prepare my lunch for tomorrow
Before I have my lunch, I will drink a glass of water
STEP 7: 🎈 CELEBRATE SUCCESS TO MAKE YOUR HABIT STICK
Celebrate success every single time you complete your new habit. It will help the habit stick. The celebration is a positive emotion. Our brains like the positive reinforcement and many celebrations over time make it more likely our new habits become part of our automatic behavior. Celebrations can vary from person to person, so find one that works for you.
Examples of a celebration:
💪 Tell yourself “good work” after you picked a healthy item from the menu
🙂 Smile and give yourself a thumbs-up after you finished your healthy lunch
🎻 Imagine you hear your favorite song. Sing or hum it along as you prepare your salad
What if you fall off the wagon?
If one day you did not eat a healthy lunch, don’t beat yourself up about it, just get back on track the next day. Some habits may take a bit longer to stick, but if you feel you’re falling off the wagon quite frequently, then just revisit these 7 steps. If you don’t discover new obstacles, it might be a sign you need to start out smaller. Trial and error are part of the process; you are one step closer to finding the routine that works best for you.
Additional helpful resources: Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg, PhD
If you experience difficulties with implementing these 7 steps into your daily routine, or if you would like more information about habit formation, we encourage you to read “Tiny Habits” by BJ Fogg. BJ developed the Tiny Habits Method to help people build habits in a sustainable manner.
