Do y’all have any lunch ideas to bring to work that are actually filling and have enough calories to sustain your appetite? My boyfriend is a type 1, 26 years old, 6′ and ~179lbs. He struggles to find stuff to eat besides a sandwich, and cheap carb options like chips on the side. Then he just snacks on granola bars all afternoon. I’d love to find him something else to bring for lunch that’s both more filling and still nutritious. We don’t think he’s getting enough calories during the day! He works out with weights some days as well. Thanks!
Has he tried increasing the protein % in his diet? I have tried to add in more proteins and get rid of cheap carbs. Also, I’m sure I’m not the first person to suggest this, but add in smaller planned meals in between breakfast and lunch, and then in between lunch and dinner? I’ve been trying to throw in an apple or a yogurt drink during those times.
@Abby, I agree with ThePancreanator on increasing the protein and jettisoning the cheap carbs. Protein and fat will satiate his appetite, while carbs will increase it. That’s just the biology of carbs, fat, protein and veggies. Carbs require loads of insulin, which is a fat storage and hunger enhancing hormone. So I limit carbs significantly and don’t get hungry as much.
My suggestion for snacks includes: Avocados cut in half with salt, jumbo hard boiled eggs, handfuls of almonds or walnuts, string cheese, and hummus with vegetables to dip. If he has a good protein/fat/veggie based breakfast, he won’t need a lot of these snacks before or after lunch.
For breakfast, I pre-make a large 6 egg omelette with spinach, cheese, and chicken or roast beef. I cut it into individual meals and let cool. Each serving can be placed in a ziploc bag to go or a plastic container. I easily eat this on the road, cold or hot.
For lunch, he could bring a colorful salad with a variety of peppers and veggies, along with chicken, roast beef, or salmon, or a meat and vegetable dish that can be either eaten cold or heated in the microwave. My favorite is stir fried ground beef with onions, broccoli, artichokes and marinara. Great for lunch or dinner, but you need a cold pack. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, their Mexicali salad makes a nice starter salad.
I have a large appetite for a girl and do not want to feel like I have to live on iceberg alone. I have discovered increasing the fat content of my diet and lowering the carbs is much more satisfying, keeps me full longer, and keeps my blood sugar in check. I use many of the same foods listed above (most of them from Trader Joe’s) low fat cheese sticks, cottage cheese, precooked hard boiled eggs, various flavors of hummus with veggies, walnuts, and almonds, avocados alone or in a chunky cucumber/tomato salad. If I am craving a carb heavy meal, I put some sauteed veggies and chicken over quinoa. At least it is a little more nutritionally dense than rice/bread and (for me)
it doesn’t cause the same drastic spike in blood sugar (I am sure it is due to the protein and fiber in it). I also recently found Oikos Triple Zero yogurt in many flavors. It’s delicious with some almonds or walnuts added. A cup is around 10 carbs.