Every month, we send some of your biggest questions on nutrition, health, and more to our panel of experts to answer. The question, “If I pack my lunch for work, I eat it by 11 a.m. Why do I do that—and what’s the solution?” was answered by Runners World Cookbook., founder, NutritiousLife.com Give A Gift The New You (and Improved!) Diet.
Assuming you’re eating a breakfast Advertisement - Continue Reading Below protein and a high-fiber carbohydrate, such as oatmeal with a tablespoon of nuts, it sounds like knowing your lunch is an arm's length away is triggering you to think you're hungry—when what you're experiencing may not be true hunger at all. Many of us spend too much of our day thinking about food (Instagram doesn’t help!), and because of that, our bodies (and minds) get tricked into thinking we need food.
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Learn to evaluate what I call your “hunger quotient:” Stop and ask yourself if you’re really ready for a meal or snack or if you’re neither ravenous nor full, for instance. Once you learn to be more tuned in to your body, you’ll know when your real appetite strikes—and if that’s at 11 a.m., so be it!
No matter your diet, there’s a “magic meal” to power your long run:
Sometimes, you’re just really going to want a mindless snack, and that’s okay. Try keeping cucumber salad (cukes in rice vinegar) stashed in the office fridge. Or if you find that your body simply prefers mini meals throughout the workday, try spacing out a green salad with four ounces of roasted chicken, Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of chopped nuts, and an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter. That should power you through until you can get home for a healthy dinner.
The article What to Do If You’re Hungry for Lunch by 11 A.M. Every Day originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of Women’s Health.
