Lunch for people who train: don’t make these mistakes

Lunch is one of the most important meals of the day — especially if you train regularly. If you skip lunch or replace it with a meager salad, you pay the price in the evening: a hungry person wolfs down whatever they can get their hands on.

Why lunch matters so much

Your body needs a constant supply of fuel. If you train in the morning, lunch is your best recovery meal. If you train in the evening, a proper lunch gives you the energy to get through your workout.

Many people know this in theory, but on a workday lunch still gets forgotten. Meetings, deadlines, rush — and suddenly it’s four o’clock and you’re hungry. That’s when quick, poor choices get made.

A simple trick: put lunchtime in your calendar like any other appointment. Once it’s written down, it’s not so easy to postpone. The evening before, make a quick plan — what to eat and where. Once the routine sets in, you’ll start feeling better from lunchtime onward and have more energy in the evening.

Lunch doesn’t add weight — skipping it does

Many people fear that a proper lunch means extra kilos. In fact, it’s the other way around. The healthier your lunch, the less food your body needs in the evening. Whoever skips lunch eats three times more in the evening — and often junk.

Salad alone isn’t enough. It may suit an office worker with a sedentary day, but for someone who trains it’s simply too little. Your body needs carbohydrates, protein and fat — all three.

What lunch should contain

A good lunch for someone who trains consists of three parts:

• Carbohydrates: rice, pasta, egg noodles, lentils, peas or beans. They provide energy and fill your glycogen stores.
• Protein: lean meat — chicken, turkey or beef. Fish is an excellent choice because it provides the body with the fatty acids it needs.
• Fats: don’t be afraid of fat. A person needs about 30% of their daily food intake to come from fat. Olive oil or grapeseed oil works well on a salad. Avoid cream sauces, cheese-heavy pastas and salads made with mayonnaise.

The best drink at lunch is water. Milk is also fine, but not with every food — it can slow iron absorption. For the same reason, coffee doesn’t go well with lunch.

A quick lunch at work

Not everyone wants to stand in the kitchen. That’s okay. You can buy ready-made meals or use leftovers from the night before. On a busy day, a meal based on chicken fillet, steamed vegetables and rice works well — simple, quick and wholesome.

If you bring food from home, keep the salad in a separate container and mix it right before eating. A salad made the day before always tastes worse than a fresh one, and the risk of spoilage goes up too. Keep your food in the fridge at work.

You don’t have to give up fast food completely. But make smart choices: Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisines usually rely on plant foods, rice, beans and lean meat — much better than a classic hamburger. Even pizza isn’t off limits if it has the right toppings: mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, chicken and less cheese. Add a salad on the side and your lunch becomes considerably healthier.

FAQ: lunch and training

Is it safe to have lunch before an evening workout?

Yes. Lunch provides the energy reserve that you’ll burn in your evening workout. Make sure there are at least 2–3 hours between lunch and your workout so you don’t run into digestion problems.

How big should lunch be?

Don’t overeat — it tires out your body and your digestion. The goal is to feel full, not heavy. If you have room for dessert, choose something light: berry kissel or fruit salad.

Does lunch affect dinner?

Directly. The better your lunch, the less hungry you’ll be in the evening. Someone who regularly eats a good lunch eats more moderately at dinner and makes healthier choices.

Eat lunch only at ARMUDU!

Source: WHO – physical activity.

Come and train! ArtGym