It was a tragic lesson in the risks of consuming a fast-food, sugary diet:
Mona Meighan’s normally punctual 26-year-old son, Luke, did not show
up for work one morning in 2009. A concerned co-worker stopped by Luke’s
apartment and found the young man dead in his bed. An autopsy
determined he died from complications of undiagnosed diabetes.
“For seven years, through college and into his work life, Luke lived
on pizza and fast foods, sodas and sweet desserts,” says Meighan, an
education consultant and author of What Are You Doing for Lunch?: A
Friendly Guide to Brown Bagging as a Better Way to Lunch (www.whatareyoudoingforlunch.com).
“Since we have no diabetes in our family, I can only believe Luke’s
diet contributed to his death. Too often, young people aren’t aware of
how food affects their health. As an educator, I thought the best way to
remember Luke was to give people the tools to change their lunch
habits. By brown-bagging, you can avoid a lot of processed foods loaded
with calories and carbohydrates. It’s healthier – and less expensive!”
Meighan emphasizes she is not a chef – not even a cook! All of her
recipes are designed to be tasty, and quick and easy to prepare. A
couple of her favorite examples:
Pesto and Tomato Sandwich: Add 3 tablespoons plain
or vanilla yogurt to 4-6 tablespoons prepared pesto. Spread on 4 slices
of whole-wheat bread. Add thinly sliced tomatoes and season with salt
and pepper. (Place in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes, if desired.)
Hummus Salad Wrap: Spread ¼ cup hummus over two
whole-wheat or flour tortillas and add 1 tomato, thinly sliced, 2 thin
slices of Swiss cheese, and 2 lettuce leaves, cut up. Tightly roll the
tortillas and spear with a toothpick.
If you’re new to brown-bagging, Meighan offers these tips to help you get off to the right start:
• Determine your personal lunch style. Some people
are willing to spend 15 or 20 minutes in the kitchen the night before or
morning of the workday to prepare a familiar lunch. These are
traditionalists. Others want to just grab a container of food – perhaps
something put together over the weekend, or last night’s leftovers – and
hit the road. Meighan calls this the grab-and-go style. Maybe you’re
creative, a midday gourmet, a social networker (likes to coordinate a
group lunch) or a mix of all of the above, depending on what the week
looks like.
• Do you have what you need to pack your lunch? Do
you need a cooler-style lunchbox? How about reusable containers for
sandwiches and soups? (Going green is, of course, better for the planet,
and it saves money on items like disposable baggies and plastic
cutlery.)
• Determine your upcoming week’s recipes. First,
decide how many days you want to pack lunch this week, and plan your
menu. Take stock of the ingredients you already have, and make a list of
those you need to purchase. (To save even more money, either repeat
lunches or plan lunches with similar ingredients.)
• Invest time on the weekend preparing food, if necessary.
If you plan to grab and go, put together the first couple days’
lunches. If you’re a midday gourmet, you might want to cook up some
homemade chili ahead of time; the creative may want to whip together
Grandma’s Chicken Salad.
• Enjoy – and don’t overwhelm yourself! If
you’re used to going out for lunch five days a week, start slowly. Try
brown-bagging twice a week at first. You can make it more interesting by
finding a buddy and taking turns preparing a lunch for two. If you eat
at your desk, plan a rewarding way to spend your lunch hour, whether
it’s running an errand or taking a walk in a park.
