Feel good, French style

In the first part of my career, I worked as a management consultant in Paris. It was a thrilling experience, full of unknowns. Each assignment brought new clients, often a new manager, and a specific and different problem to solve. With lots of travel and quite a few hours, I never knew what to expect. But there was one thing I could count on — a good lunch.

In France, lunch was the main meal and a welcome break from the day. No matter what deadline we were on, I can’t think of a single occasion when we didn’t stop for a proper lunch. Fast forward a decade, and the lunch hour has become a thing of the past. Whether you live in New York, Paris or the town next door, stopping to have a leisurely, nourishing meal has become the exception, not the norm. We’re all hard at work with not a moment to spare. God forbid we need to eat! We’ve replaced a balanced, hot lunch with a variety of quickly-eaten, convenient options: chopped salads (less cutting and chewing time required), sandwiches, wraps and soups.

What we don’t eat at lunch, we make up for at dinner, and then some. This is when we’re finally more relaxed. We crave the food we gave up during the workday.

Yet somehow this routine doesn’t quite work either. Wolf down a light lunch, and you’re often craving snacks throughout the afternoon, either to satisfy a real hunger pain or a craving for a little downtime, or both.

Eating a big dinner doesn’t do us any good either. In the evening, our body no longer has time to use the calories; our metabolism slows down and our digestive system has done it’s time for the day. It’s no wonder we end up feeling yucky, tired and not at our ideal weight.

The solution? I say it’s time to take back lunch! Having a more nourishing lunch is better for your body, your waistline and your psyche. Below are five tips to inspire some new lunch choices. Without wreaking havoc on your work schedule, it’s easy to make a few adjustments that will have you feeling much better about your workday.

Next week, I’ll share more thoughts around taking a lunch break that energizes you.

1. Seek out better quality lunch places. Eateries offering organic, local and fresh foods are sprouting up all over. Chains such as Le Pain Quotidien (in the U.S. and Europe) make eating well a delicious and convenient affair. Keep your eye out for places like Free Foods in Manhattan or Bert’s in Paris.

2. Don’t let bad food happen to you. Much of the foods out there are poor quality, but you can get around that by bringing in food from home. If packing a lunch sounds too daunting, just try supplementing your lunch with fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits (you’ll have better luck bringing your own fruit rather than relying on a meaty apple from the deli), yogurts, sprouted grain bread or left-overs.

3. Build your lunch around a proper main course, what the French call a “plat.” A “plat” is often warm, and balanced, with some protein, grain and veggies. Lunch feels much different if you’re eating a nice plate of chicken, rice and veggies, for example, rather than a sandwich.

4. Incorporate something warm into your lunch. Warmth helps us feel more nourished, like we’ve really eaten. Add a soup to your sandwich or salad or heat up things you made earlier in the week.

5. Eat in courses. In general, we can all eat more at lunch, and less at dinner. To do this, it’s helpful to think of your lunch in courses: appetizer, main and dessert. Raw veggies or a soup can start you off well. Ending lunch on a sweet note (fresh or dried fruit, a piece of dark chocolate, yogurt, or your favorite treat in good measure) helps to stave off afternoon cravings and signals the end of your meal.

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom