Learn how to make your lunch box more delicious and healthy

Taking lunch to work is a reality for many Brazilians – whether on a diet or not. However, some precautions are important when preparing it. You need to choose the right environment for storage and know how to mount it in a balanced way. “We recommend that the food be placed on a plate so that you have an idea of ​​the actual amount of each item”, indicates nutritionist Camila Buitoni.

Still according to the professional, for the lunch box to be healthy and ensure the nutrients needed by the body, half of the plate must be filled with greens and vegetables and the other part must be divided equally between carbohydrates and proteins of animal or vegetable origin. For dessert, she suggests fruit.

How to organize lunchbox?

When assembling, avoid mixing the foods hot with cold ones. “Prefer containers that contain divisions or accommodate the salad separately. In addition, fried foods, which contain sauces or eggs, should be avoided, as they are more likely to spoil and can contaminate the other foods in the lunch box”, advises Camila Buitoni.

Choosing the right container

The choice of lunchbox container is also important. “Undoubtedly the best container to use will be glass, both for oven and microwave use. Never use plastic, as it has toxic substances that pass into food”, warns nutritionist Regina Lúcia Moraes Teixeira.

According to her, plastic has bisphenol A, a substance that can alter the function of hormones and glands and is associated with several diseases such as diabetes, breast cancer and prostate. “At the time of consumption, always remove the meal from the packaging, especially if you still use the plastic one, and place it on the plate to warm up”, he adds.

conservation safety

To prevent the lunch box from spoiling, when you finish preparing it, take it to the fridge immediately. “If the commute between your home and work is too long, keep the packed lunch in the freezer overnight, so you can guarantee that, until you get to work, it will still be at a safe temperature”, recommends Camila Buitoni.

How to vary foods

Sometimes it becomes tiring to take the same groups food every day, and your lunchbox is boring, right?! For these cases, Camila Buitoni suggests some simple substitutions that will get rid of the monotony without compromising the nutritional quality:

“Swap beans for chickpeas or lentils; white rice for whole grains or 7 grains and red meat for white meat. The important thing is to always remember that the lunch box should be a healthy dish, with all food groups”, says the nutritionist. You can still utilize the same food in multiple ways. For example: chicken can be grilled, shredded, baked and used as a stuffing.