10 Easy, Healthy Lunch Ideas for Weight Loss
Why Lunch is Important for Weight Loss
Including a varied lunch into your diet helps you maintain a healthy body weight and decreases the risk of developing chronic disease, especially for those over 50. By taking the time to eat a healthy lunch, you’re ensuring that your metabolism keeps active and helping your body stay full and energized for longer. You won’t reach for as many unhealthy snacks or overeat at dinner if your body has the fuel it needs in the middle of the day!
Even though lunch is important, it can be one of the more difficult meals for people to plan for. Busy schedules, engaging in day-to-day activities away from home, and lack of options can cause people to reach for fast food or skip lunch altogether. These easy, healthy lunch recipes can either be made ahead of time and stored in food containers or quickly prepared midday. You can even meal prep part of the recipes by chopping veggies beforehand and keeping them in the fridge.
Our Favorite Easy and Healthy Lunch Recipes
We love these recipes because they are full of healthy nutrients, easy to make, and incredibly delicious! Staying hydrated is another key to having energy throughout the day and aiding in weight loss. Some people lose some of their sense of thirst as they age, so be sure to include plenty of water throughout the day and use lunch as a time to check in with your water consumption.
Chicken Kale Waldorf Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese
With the perfect blend of texture and flavor, this heart healthy salad is anything but boring. We lightened up the traditional Waldorf Salad recipe by adding a homemade balsamic vinaigrette and antioxidant-rich kale. If you’re not a big kale fan, don’t worry! This recipe calls for baby kale, which is a much softer leaf than regular kale. You’ll definitely want to keep this in your lunch rotation!
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
This pasta salad blends plenty of fresh herbs, vegetables, and grain free pasta to make a filling and bright Mediterranean dish! We especially love the addition of arugula for its peppery crunch and antioxidants. Arugula is beneficial for fighting off cancer and preventing osteoporosis. The Mediterranean pasta salad is delicious on its own, but you can top it with chicken or salmon for an extra bump of protein.
Sesame Salmon Bowl
Make this sesame salmon bowl if you’re looking to add more heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids into your diet! This recipe is light, delicious, and comforting all at once! The addition of ginger gives this dish a bright flavor, as well as adding numerous health benefits. Ginger increases your happiness hormones dopamine and serotonin, reduces inflammation, improves immunity, and relieves an upset stomach.
Hummus Wrap
This Mediterranean wrap is as easy as it is delicious! The alfalfa sprouts in this wrap is an easy and simple way to add a huge boost of nutrients. Microgreens, like alfalfa sprouts, are extremely nutrient-dense and are great at lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels. They also are full anti-aging antioxidants, relieve menopause symptoms, and may help prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
You can customize this recipe to add whatever vegetables you have on hand or are craving! It would be especially delicious with peppers, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, pesto, and crumbled feta cheese.
Easy Zucchini Noodles
This low carb zucchini noodle recipe is especially tasty during the summer months when summer squash is in season! The beauty of these zucchini noodles is that you can modify them in several ways! You can try them with whatever sauce you enjoy. We love adding a fresh pesto sauce on top or a marinara. Add in chicken or shrimp for a boost of protein! For more fiber and nutrients, try adding in more vegetables, like mushrooms and peppers.
Keep getting watery zucchini noodles? Try patting them dry with a paper towel after spiralizing to remove some excess water. The key to perfect zucchini noodles is not to overcook them. The longer you cook zucchini noodles, the more water is released.
Tuna Stuffed Avocados
Try this take on a traditional tuna salad that utilizes the creaminess of avocados and fresh herbs to create a delicious, quick lunch. This recipe is rich with heart healthy fats from the avocado and tuna. Tuna is especially rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health!
Burrito Zucchini Boats
If you’re looking for a filling low carb lunch, this burrito zucchini boat recipe is perfect for you! It combines all the traditional Mexican flavors of a burrito into a healthy, delicious lunch that won’t leave you feeling weighed down. You can swap out the ground beef for chicken, turkey, or bison if you prefer. Try adding more vegetables like radishes, microgreens, or peppers if you’re looking for an extra fiber boost.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
This flavorful egg roll in a bowl recipe comes together quickly for an easy, healthy lunch! The cabbage in this recipe adds plenty of heart-protecting antioxidants and lowers LDL cholesterol, or the “bad” cholesterol. It can aid in lowering unnecessary inflammation in the body and improve digestion with fiber-rich nutrients.
Caprese Salad
You probably are familiar with a Caprese salad since this simple recipe is a classic during the summer! It’s perfect for a light lunch or a side, especially when tomatoes and basil are in season. You can enjoy this on its own, or try adding it over a bed of greens and with some chicken for an extra filling and fiber-rich lunch.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Get a healthy dose of vitamin C from the peppers in this recipe! The vegetables in this Mediterranean chickpea salad pair well with the delicious homemade Mediterranean dressing! We love how fresh and delicious this recipe is, along with how many health benefits you get from the small but mighty chickpea! Chickpeas are not only packed with protein, but also full of fiber to help you stay full longer.
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