What Are The Benefits Of Taking A Packed Lunch To Work?

When we’re busy at work, it’s tempting to pop to the nearest shop for a meal deal or even call Deliveroo to deliver some food to our desks. But there is no substitute for the benefits of taking a packed lunch to work. It just feels right and is far more healthy! There’s no doubt that ordering a takeaway or buying a pre-packed meal are both convenient options, but bringing in a packed lunch from home is a much better and healthier alternative. Here are five reasons why:

You can prepare food to suit your dietary needs

Finding suitable food items that suit your digestive system can sometimes be complex if you have a food intolerance. If you’re sensitive to gluten, for example, finding pre-packed sandwiches in the local shop might be tricky if their selection is limited. Or if you’re intolerant to a specific ingredient, you’ll have to choose carefully if you’re ordering food and don’t know the meal’s components. By taking a packed lunch to work, you can make sure it’s free of the items that cause your symptoms to flare up and enjoy your meal all the more for it.

It saves you money

Treating yourself to lunch occasionally isn’t necessarily bad, but if it becomes a daily habit, you’ll soon notice the difference it makes to your bank account. Even a meal deal, which is pretty good value for money, can get pricey if you purchase one daily. While it’s unnecessary to commit to taking packed lunches for the rest of your working life, there’s no denying that preparing your food at home is the economical option and has the potential to save you hundreds of pounds a year.

You have control over the ingredients

Although some pre-packed foods are marketed as being ‘healthy’ or ‘low fat,’ the reality is that they’re often full of processed ingredients or artificial chemicals to extend their shelf life. When you pack your lunch, you control what goes into it, how significant the portions are and where each element comes from. If you’re trying to monitor your daily calorie intake, it will also be much easier to monitor the amount you consume because you’ll be able to keep unhealthy ingredients to a minimum.

Reduces food waste

Each year, UK households throw 4.5 million tonnes of food away, with 25% resulting from cooking and preparing too much. Instead of throwing away leftovers you don’t eat, there’s no reason why they can’t be adequately stored and taken to work the next day for lunch. Not only will this help to reduce food waste, but you will also have the benefit of eating a wholesome meal that you have nutritious control over.

More environmentally friendly

When you buy a ready meal or order food, the items often come with a lot of single-use plastic. From the sandwich packaging to the wrappers and leaflets that often accompany take-out, there’s enough rubbish to ensure the bin is sufficiently complete by the end of the week. Even healthier items, such as prepared fruit, come in little plastic pots and usually end up being discarded. By taking your lunch to work, you can reuse the containers you store your food in, which is a much more sustainable option and one the environment will thank you for.

Find out more about the benefits of taking a packed lunch to work

If you’d like to learn more about food intolerance symptoms and the tests we provide, please look at the information on our website or send any questions you have to [email protected]. You can also enter your details into our contact form, and we will send a reply within two working days.