National Make Lunch Count Day came about in 2016 to encourage people to take a break from work and eat their lunch. This concept was originally targeted to the working population, but National Make Lunch Count Day is equally as important to college students.
In America, we do not prioritize taking the time to eat a well-balanced lunch. Here we take a half-hour lunch break, whereas in some other countries, they get 1-2 hour breaks to go home, prepare, and eat nutrient-dense lunches.
Many college students don’t take the time to eat lunch because they are busy trying to balance social, school, and work life. College students are away from home for long periods of the day and eat processed snacks such as chips, granola bars, candy, and soda or juices in place of real meals. These snacks provide very little nutritional value and don’t fuel your body with the proper nutrients you need to get through the day. In the long term, this leaves students with low concentration levels, feeling drowsy, and unmotivated.
A well-balanced lunch that would not leave students feeling this way would have all 5 food groups: dairy, protein, vegetables, fruits, and grains. An example of an easy on-the-go balanced meal is a roasted turkey and provolone cheese sandwich on whole grain bread with apple slices and carrots. In this meal, the roasted turkey is the protein, the provolone cheese is the dairy, the whole grain bread is the grain, the apple is the fruit, and the carrots are the vegetables.
Eating well-balanced meals helps with feeling satisfied, higher energy levels, and higher concentration, and will allow you to live a healthier lifestyle. So, for health’s sake, treat yourself to a nutritious lunch.