Pack these 5 foods in your lunch for complete daily nutrition

To keep your body functioning, your body requires 6 essential nutrients, which are the compounds that the body cannot make on its own in sufficient quantities. Most of these nutrients come from food and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), they’re essential for the complete well-being of a person. The foods mentioned in this article will cover those micro and macronutrients required to sustain the whole day and provide you with good health. (Images courtesy: iStock)

Corn is a staple food of many countries and is prepared in various ways around the world. Most of the people enjoy this delicious food without even realizing its nutrition quotient. You would be surprised to know that corn is rich in healthy carbs and consuming half a corn ear in lunch can provide you with the necessary carbs required for the day. It’s a budget-friendly whole grain that can be boiled and eaten as it is with a pinch of salt and some lemon juice. Or you can make a whole new recipe using those corn kernels. One medium-sized corn ear contains about 19 gms of carbohydrates with 3.3 gms of protein along with 6.9 gms of vitamin C. This is one of the healthiest ways to include carbs in your lunch and not feel guilty about it.

From hormones to antibodies, your hair to muscles and even skin, protein is essential for all these things. This nutrient is made of several amino acids that help the body to function properly. Most of these amino acids we get from food and meat is one of the good sources of protein. However, when it comes to packing your lunch, you can put 1 egg white and 1 whole egg in it as that completes the amount of protein required by your body. One egg white when boiled has about 4 gms of protein and 1 whole egg has about 6 gms of protein in it. Combine them together and you are consuming 10 gms of protein in lunch. This is not enough but can be an essential part of the well-being of a person.

Fibre is what keeps your gut healthy and thus it becomes important that you have plenty of this nutrient daily. When you consume enough fibre, it can help prevent or relieve stomach issues like constipation and gas, which further reduces the risk of chronic health problems. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the recommended intake of fibre in a 2,000-calorie diet is between 25-38 gms per day for adults. To include a healthy amount of fibre, you can consume cucumbers, which have high water content as well and can keep your gut healthy.

Often, fat is considered a bad influence on the body. However, it’s the healthy fats that we should put our focus on. Fats are known to be rich in calories, but they are one of the important energy sources for the body. There should be a healthy balance of fats along with other nutrients in your body. For a person who consumes 1500 calorie diet in a day should consume about 50 gms of fats per day, while someone who is taking a diet with 2000 calories should not consume more than 67 gms of fats per day. Now, to get this healthy dose of fats in your lunch, take a handful of nuts likes almonds. They are an excellent choice to include this essential nutrient for lunch.

To ward off those scary diseases and to keep the body healthy, vitamins & minerals are required to be consumed daily. We should make it a healthy habit of consuming fruits in our daily life to fulfill those essential nutrients.