Eating a health lunch and ensuring we’ve got nourishing snacks to get us through the working day is all part of creating a healthy workplace!
It’s all too easy to nip into your local sandwich shop or grab a meal deal from the supermarket. But shop-bought lunches are often full of unhealthy sugars, salt and preservatives.
Instead, you should be preparing healthy lunches with a combination of fruit, veg and other mood-boosting ingredients. Making your lunches at home can also save you plenty of money!
Mood Boosting Ingredients For Healthy Work Lunches
Here are some of our favourite mood-boosting foods and nutritious ingredients you should be adding to your healthy work lunches:
Salmon
Regularly eating salmon (or other foods with omega 3 fatty acids such as mackerel, tuna, herring) can lower anxiety and lift your mood! Perhaps try a smoked salmon noodle salad or a salmon and kale wrap. If you have salmon left over from dinner, you could create salmon cakes and enjoy them with a creamy garlic sauce.
Eggs
As well as being full of protein, Vitamin D and B12, eggs also have plenty of choline. Choline is a nutrient which supports the nervous system and lifts your mood. The best thing about eggs is they can be enjoyed is so many different ways! Egg sandwiches, scrambled eggs with steamed veg, poached eggs with avocado… the list is endless.
Lentils
Lentils are one of our favourite carbohydrates. There are various types of lentils which have a vitamin known as Folate within them. This is great for brain productivity and can boost your mood. Lentils are easy to cook with as they can be added to a range of healthy work lunches including soups, curries, chilli and rice dishes.
Avocado
In recent years, avocado has become a staple ingredient for breakfast, lunch and dinner! And rightly so. Avocado contains an abundance of healthy fats, which are great for increasing endorphins and raising your mood. Add avocado to your salad, enjoy it on toast (wholemeal bread of course) or stuff an avocado with diced veggies such as peppers and tomatoes.
Turkey
Turkey really doesn’t get enough credit. It’s often overlooked as we opt for chicken or beef instead. But turkey isn’t just a Christmas tradition, turkey contains amino acid tryptophan, which helps our body produce serotonin. Serotonin can reduce irritability and improve your mood. Also, turkey is packed with B vitamins including B6 and B12. Perhaps enjoy a shredded turkey salad or a spiced turkey curry.
Spinach and Dark Leafy Greens
Spinach, kale, rocket, dandelion, the list goes on! These dark leafy greens include numerous nutrients including fibre, B vitamins and iron. Adding dark leafy greens to your healthy work lunches can produce energy and allow us to feel more positive.
Mood Boosting Snacks For A Healthy Workplace
The afternoon slump affects the best of us. Our mood hits a low, we don’t have any motivation to do our work and we’re getting peckish… but dinner time is hours off!
We could binge on that stash of sugary snacks and crisps in our bottom drawer or get yet another coffee, but we know it’ll only make us feel worse. What we need is a healthy snack!
Blueberries
Blueberries contain a whole host of antioxidants including flavonoids. This amazing antioxidant can help improve you mood and enhance your memory. Enjoy them as a snack on their own, add them to Greek yoghurt or blend them into a smoothie with almond milk.
Dark Chocolate
We’re sure you didn’t need telling that chocolate makes you happy. Chocolate makes everyone happy! But, only in moderation. Like blueberries, dark chocolate also has antioxidants that improve your mood. It also contains a compound known as phenylethylamine which boosts endorphins.
Nuts
Brazil nuts, almond nuts, walnuts and cashew nuts to name a few. Nuts are a great source of fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. They are a good snack to have on the go. However, if you are in an office or enclosed space, always be mindful of people with allergies. Nuts include many mood-boosting nutrients such as omega-3s, vitamin B6, tryptophan, protein, and folate. Be sure to opt for the raw nuts rather than the salted or chocolate covered ones.
Bananas
Eating a banana everyday day has an array of health benefits. Bananas are great for boosting your mood and helping you sleep thanks to their combination of amino acid tryptophan, vitamins A, B6 and C, fibre, potassium, phosphorous, iron and carbohydrates.
Oats
Oats are a super healthy grain that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. They have a low glycaemic index and are a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Oats stabilise your mood by slowly release energy into the bloodstream. They are great with yoghurt and a pinch of cinnamon or blended into a fruit smoothie.
Contact Wellspace
If you want to find out more about mood boosting snacks, healthy work lunches or creating a healthy workplace, simply get in touch with Wellspace today.
Wellspace are the leading experts in workplace wellness, so we can help you deal with your workplace stress and make sure it doesn’t take over your life.
