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Brown-Bag Lunches That Make the Grade
Bringing a lunch to work is a great idea for lots of reasons: it saves calories, it saves money, and it even saves time, allowing you to relax at lunch instead of fighting the crowds at fast-food restaurants.
When you're packing a brown-bag lunch, you'll almost always do better, calorie- and fat-wise, say experts.
"The more home-cooked meals you have, the better," says WebMD Weight Loss Clinic "Recipe Doctor" Elaine Magee, MPH, RD. "Studies have shown that when people eat meals away from home, they eat more food, more calories, and more fat."
So why do so many adults resort to the drive-through at lunchtime? Maybe it's because the idea of bag lunches conjures up memories of the mushy peanut butter sandwiches and warm sodas we suffered through during our school years. But there are plenty of delicious, grown-up options you can prepare just as quickly.
Start With the Bread
Building a better brown-bag lunch starts, in many cases, with the bread. Not only are whole-grain breads such as wheat and rye more healthful than white bread, they'll hold up better until lunch. Pita breads or bagels -- preferably whole-grain varieties -- are sturdier for sandwiches as well, Magee says.
"A turkey sandwich on whole grain with a bean salad on the side" is an excellent choice, says Magee. Make it interesting by using peppered turkey breast, part-skim mozzarella, and arugula. Instead of smearing the bread with mayonnaise, try a little hummus. And to be sure the bread won't wilt, keep the hummus (along with some fresh sliced tomato) separate from the rest of the sandwich until lunchtime.
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Dietitian Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, is a big fan of using spinach in place of lettuce for sandwiches and salads.
"I keep a package of fresh spinach on hand. It's more nutritious than most greens and has virtually no calories. Try to layer it with vegetables like bell peppers."
For vegetarians, stack up the veggies, says Zelman. Add slices of low fat cheese and tomato to the spinach and bell pepper, and stack them between two slices of pumpernickel bread. To come up with more combos, check out your local gourmet deli for inspiration.
"I'm always looking for the gourmet sandwich shop to see how they put things together," Zelman says.
Beyond The Sandwich
Sandwiches aren't your thing? No problem.
If you have access to a refrigerator, or can invest a few dollars in an insulated container, there's no end to your brown-bag options. Fruit or green salads, hard-boiled eggs, sliced lean meat, and chicken and tuna salad will all keep well if chilled.
If there's a microwave at your workplace, last night's dinner extras make a super-easy lunch.
When grilling chicken breasts or baking pork chops for dinner, Zelman always makes more than the family can eat. To save steps, prepare your lunch at the same time you're making dinner, she says.
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Health & Diet Guide
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INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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