What Should You Eat for Lunch?

“Changing Diets Isn’t Just a New Year’s Resolution: Nearly Half of Consumers Do It Year-round.”

–Hartman Group 

Personally and professionally, we are bombarded by information, deadlines, demands, and responsibilities on a daily basis. While it may be true that some of the pressure we feel is inescapable, there are still some choices we have in how we manage ourselves. Take what you eat, for example. Are you choosing for you or is someone else choosing for you? Peer pressure does not make a good dinner companion.

Don’t let social media or an opinionated “live” person choose your food.

It’s said that 63% of consumers are working on managing stress or anxiety. For the first time, this has taken over weight as the health issue people are grappling with, and it can happen at any age. It’s not in my scope to go into all of this in detail, but it is in my scope to talk about health and well-being in terms of food and nutrition, and that is part of the overall process of self-care and well-being.

Every day is a chance to be happy, be proud of our contributions, big and small, and to discover something new. Here are some easy and important things to consider in regards to choices that are in our control.  Have a go at it. Start with lunch.

• Enjoy the food choices you make. You’re the one who picked it, so relish each bite. If you aren’t feeling good about what you are eating, make that your motivation. Sometimes there is a disconnect between knowing and doing. Remove the pressure at mealtime. It’s not your job to tell others what to eat, and it’s not their job to tell you what to eat. Food conversations can then be fun and filled with curiosity.
• Pick an outfit you wouldn’t mind being remembered in every day. Whether sitting in a cubicle or delivering a life changing speech, clothes are part of our experience. It’s not silly, it’s part of our history and culture.
• Move it. You’ve heard this one before. Our bodies were not made to sit or be still all day long. Take your next meeting on a walk. Go to the restroom that is farther away. Park next to a cart corral at the grocery store farther from the store. Plant a flower. Do a few stretches. It doesn’t have to be an ordeal to do better.
• You don’t have to be good at everything. Everyone is good at something and needs help with something. That’s just how it works. Broaden your network to include people who have different expertise than you do. It’s amazing how fun and helpful it can be to get a peek into someone else’s world. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or admit that you didn’t know something. That information overload has made it easier to see what else is out there. This can be good if we let it.

Small changes can add up to big benefits. What will you have for lunch today?