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Did you ever wish that you lived in Spain so you could take advantage of an afternoon siesta or at least rest your head on your desk? While most of us don’t have the option to nap at our desks, you may be able to conquer this afternoon slump by switching what you eat for lunch.
90% of the time I pack my lunch. I prefer to pack a variety of foods that I can snack on throughout the day. I feel best when I eat something every couple of hours. On the days that I do go out and eat my meal all at once, I always feel more lethargic in the afternoon.
To make meal packing easy and efficient, on Sundays and Wednesdays I will package fruits and veggies in single serving containers. Not only does this make packing easy, it also keeps fresh produce from going to waste.
I aim to eat 1/3 of my daily calories during my workday. For me, this means about 500 calories. Not sure how many calories you should be eating in a day? Check out these recommendations on WebMD. I also aim to drink at least 64 oz. of water by 5 p.m.
Here is a list of items I frequently have in my lunch/snack bag. I try to pick at least one item from each category for a great mix of my food groups, vitamins and minerals.
Protein: Black or Garbanzo Beans, Tuna Fish, 2 Eggs (hardboiled or scrambled)
Fruit: Orange, Apple, Banana, Berries
Vegetable: Carrots, Cucumbers, Tomatoes
Snack: Cheese Stick, Peanuts, Almonds, V8, Yogurt
I am fairly well versed in food calorie counts. Partly, it is because I log all my food using a free app on my iPhone. I also log all my water in a separate free app. Here is more information on each:
Lose It!: Lose It! allows you to set weight loss or weigh management goals. You are able to search a directory of foods, as well as add your own foods or recipes.
Waterlogged: This app allows you to track your water consumption in a variety of measurements. You can even take pictures of your most commonly used containers and click the picture to log the volume.
Try packing your lunch and tracking your calories for one week and see how it affects your afternoon energy levels. That or move to Spain. Whatever you prefer!