please no more bread....

[Nice Touch]

have been trying to find the best 5 day "take to work" menu-I'm afraid that I give in to convenience all to often.
Any healthy types got any ideas-are/is too many carbs (sandwiches) that bad for you. I find that I often feel bloated and very tired if I eat too much pasta/bread based meals (GI and blood sugar). Got on well with fruit and nuts and am good at drinking plenty of water.
Are breakfast bars any good-they look a bit to sugary to me-still trying to find the ultimate snack. Perhaps a banana but find I'm not too keen on fruit after 14.00.

Thanks-please say Fruit & Nut is all you need

[A2QFI]

I have to take something to eat to work - either a 6 hour shift or 8 1/2, both with no 'break' ie I have to eat at my desk. I take - 2 rounds of sandwiches, filled with something from ham, egg, tuna, tomato, prawns; a banana or some pitted dates, a low fat yoghurt, a diet canned drink or, in winter, some Heinz soup in a flask. I regard this is my 'main' meal for the day.

[gingernut]

Fruit and nut is all you need.

If your a squirrel.

You probably need a few complex carbs to keep up your concentration during your shift, (isn't it ilegal to work 8.5 hours without a break?)

Try the "nuttier" types of bread-the Warbies "seeded batch," is quite yummy.

[Whirlybird]

I really like "Eat Natural" muesli bars as snacks. They have no additives (though they have some sugar) and come in lots of yummy flavours, have loads of lumps of fruit and nuts in them, and some are chocolate or yoghurt coated. Most health food stores have them, and the larger supermarkets. I find a couple will keep me going if I don't have time to eat, so long as I've had a good breakfast in the morning. Though personally, I do keep going a lot better if I have some real food too - like wholemeal bread sandwiches or pitta bread with lots of nutritious filling. :ok:

[Albert Driver]

I find that I often feel bloated and very tired if I eat too much pasta/bread based meals

You may be developing a sensitivity to wheat. Some medics nowadays would advise you to cut down your intake to reduce the risk of developing a full allergy.

Wheat allergy is rising sharply among the population. No-one seems to know why. It may be to do with the fact that the food industry pumps wheat into just about every food product these days, as a filler and as a water absorber to pump up the weight (and profit). You'll even find it in uncooked ham, whole chickens - all sorts of places you wouldn't imagine. Add to that the popularity of pasta, pizza, burgers etc and it's plain the average intake of wheat is far above historical levels.

Fruits and nuts (not "Fruit & Nut"!) are all you need - but not too many peanuts, for the same reason as above.

[Nice Touch]

Thanks all-yes I suspect that your system does eventually get full and can take more more of some food/substance.
So I'm starting a five day stint(early). Apart from fruit, which is a no brainer, it is bloody hard to avoid bread/pasta etc. To further complicate things I can not keep things cool effectively. I discovered a John West Light Lunch. Its tuna based and come different styles. To be honest it does look a bit like cat food-but is not that bad, and does not need to be kept cool.
I know they are expensive but M&S do some really good ready meals. Check that they are not microwave only.
If anyone is willing lets try to develop a menu and try it out and post field reports.
So all agreed on fruit and nuts.......

[airborne_artist]

Could you make up a pulse/lentil-based salad? Wouldn't suffer in the heat unless you are in Bagdad...

Have you got room for a one-person picnic bag? We have a couple, about 10" long and 8"x 8", big enough for a container of nosh sitting on a frozen chill block.

[The SSK]

I'm not a food faddist but I've tried the Hay Diet a couple of times and it really works at keeping you regular, sleeping well at night and staying alert all day.

One of the things I learned from Hay is that to digest carbs properly they need to be eaten slowly and very well chewed. So my office lunch, when I'm in that phase, is a mixed salad with tons of flavour in it (sliced onions, basil, a tasty dressing) with a couple of slices of good quality wholemeal bread to go with, consumed at leisure.