Office lunches that don't wreck your afternoon

It is 15:10. You ate at 12:30, and you are already hunting for something sweet. The email you are reading has been the same email for ten minutes.

Most of us blame ourselves. Often the culprit is the lunch.

What a lunch should do

A good lunch has one job: get you to dinner without a crash. That needs three things on the plate:

• Protein, because it can help you feel full for longer than bread or pasta alone.
• Vegetables or fruit, for volume, fibre and something other than beige.
• A slow carbohydrate, such as wholegrain bread, wholegrain pasta, brown rice or beans, so you have fuel for the afternoon.

That is not a diet. It is a template. The Flemish food triangle, the voedingsdriehoek, starts in the same place: water at the very top, then a wide green zone of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes right under it.

The template

One protein + one or two vegetables + one slow carb + water. Done.

• Wholegrain sandwich with egg, chicken or hummus, plus tomato, cucumber, rocket. Add a piece of fruit.
• A salad that has a real base: lentils, beans or a handful of cooked grains, with tuna, feta or chicken. A salad of lettuce and good intentions is a snack.
• Leftover dinner. Cook one portion extra the night before. This is the easiest option.
• At the canteen: take the protein, double the vegetables, take a smaller portion of the starch.

A week, if you want to copy one

• Monday: leftovers from Sunday, plus a piece of fruit.
• Tuesday: wholegrain sandwich with egg, tomato and cucumber.
• Wednesday: the canteen. Protein first, double vegetables, a smaller portion of the starch.
• Thursday: lentil salad with feta, made the evening before.
• Friday: wholegrain sandwich with chicken or hummus, or the canteen again.

None of this needs a special shop, a kitchen scale or more than ten minutes the evening before.

Why the afternoon dip happens

Some sleepiness after lunch is normal, and a big meal can make it worse. A lunch that is mostly white bread, a sweet drink and a pastry is quick to eat and quick to leave you hungry again. Adding protein and vegetables slows that down. It will not turn you into a morning person, but it often takes the edge off the biscuit-at-three habit.

Four small habits that help

1. Plan lunch the evening before. Decisions at 12:25 are made by hunger. Decisions at 21:00 are made by you.
2. Step away from the screen, even for ten minutes. You will eat slower and notice when you are full.
3. Drink water first, then coffee. A glass with the meal is enough to start.
4. Keep one backup. Nuts, a yoghurt or a piece of fruit in the drawer, for the day the meeting runs over.

What this will not do

It is not a weight-loss plan, and it does not replace advice from a doctor or dietitian if you have diabetes, a food allergy or another condition that changes what you should eat. It is a baseline that works for most healthy adults.

If you want it personal

A template is a starting point. The real plan depends on your schedule, your training and what you actually like to eat. That is what the fitness and nutrition consultation is for. And if you run a team, planning food around a working day is part of my corporate seminar.