White-collar workers typically only have one hour for lunch and rest. Fast food and boxed meals become their main choices, but these foods often pose certain health risks. Excessive fat intake and insufficient intake of vitamins and dietary fiber are common phenomena, making weight gain seem unavoidable.
Western fast food: A single meal can contain more calories than your daily requirement.
One gram of oil provides 9 kilocalories of energy. Western-style fast food, which mainly consists of fried and pan-fried meats, has the highest oil content. Therefore, fast food is the food with the highest calorie content.
A large hamburger or sandwich contains 600 to 1,000 calories, while a meal of three pieces of fried chicken contains 700 calories. If you add a bag of French fries (300 calories), a can of cola (110 calories), and other side dishes to the main meat dish, it is not surprising that this meal contains 1,500 calories, which is almost more than the total daily calorie requirement of a normal person.
Furthermore, when frying oil is heated to several hundred degrees Celsius repeatedly, fatty acids that are originally nutrients for the body are oxidized into toxic oil that is harmful to the body.
Furthermore, the nutrients on the surface of meat, vegetables, and grains, when charred during frying, become carcinogenic toxins, increasing the risk of colorectal or breast cancer in old age.
See? Western fast food has so many drawbacks. For the sake of staying slim, we dieters must never overindulge.
Chinese fast food ≠ healthy
Chinese fast food isn't all good. To enhance the flavor and attract customers, many fast-food restaurants use a lot of oil when stir-frying their dishes (and some may even use low-quality oil). A typical serving of pork rib rice has about 700-800 calories. A bowl of oily pork rib noodles can reach 1000 calories.
Convenience store boxed meals, rice balls, and sandwiches are the most popular lunch options, but the flavors are never updated or changed seasonally, which is a drawback. In terms of nutritional value, they can only be said to fill your stomach; compared to KFC, McDonald's, etc., at least they are a decent meal.
How can we balance nutrition and efficiency in lunch?
For those whose figures haven't yet changed, nutritionists recommend following these principles: eat only regular meals, eat until you're 80% full, and choose foods low in oil and sugar. If you want to have a snack, only have a small amount. If your figure has already changed, don't despair. A low-calorie diet and consistent, regular exercise can help you regain your normal figure. You should also be especially careful with your food choices. Here are some principles to consider:
3 principles for choosing a weight-loss lunch
1. Choose foods low in fat and sugar:
For example, choose skim or low-fat milk; opt for sugar-free beverages; and reduce your intake of fried foods and cakes. Choose foods high in fiber, such as brown rice and whole-wheat products, which not only increase satiety but also promote intestinal motility and reduce calorie absorption.
2. Consume more foods with high water content:
Vegetables and fruits are high in water content, which can increase satiety, reduce food intake, and provide a timely supply of various vitamins.
3. Avoid strongly flavored foods:
Strongly flavored foods often contain a lot of seasonings, which also have calories and can stimulate your appetite, causing you to eat more without realizing it, and then gain weight without realizing it.
