My summer lunches of late have been simple veggie sandwiches. Since I was a child, lunches have centered around eating sandwiches. From grade school through high school I carried a brown-bag lunch. It usually was very predictable. It would have a sandwich made of cold cuts and a slice of cheese, a banana, and chocolate chip cookies. These would be taboo in our schools today. No. They never made me fat. The reason is that I usually walked to school, sometimes up to a mile. I rode a bike for activity and I was active in sports. I played outside. We did not have video games nor did we watch movies at home. I am not against those activities. I am only trying to indicate that the calories in sandwich based lunches are not the real cause of childhood obesity. The real cause lies in the lack of active play and the influence of high caloric intake from sugar drinks and fast food in children’s diet today.
Americans are taking in huge amounts of calories by their food choices and by eating large portion sizes. Many common dinners will net between 800 – 2000 calories. That alone would be enough for most bodies for a day. Multiply that several times per day, add to it extra calories from sweet drinks and that explains the rise of obesity.
When I hear of schools sending children home for having a peanut butter sandwich or cookies in their lunch, I get a little annoyed. Those foods are such a small dent in the huge equation of obesity. Face it, it is not what children eat at school that really affects the weight gain of children. You have to look at what they consume all day and their activity as a whole.
Yet, let’s get back to my sandwich. I am older now and my needs are different. I still love sandwiches, even with cold cuts. However, meat in general is not really healthy in the long run. It contributes to many diseases including prostate cancer and heart disease. So lately I have been trying to eat more veggie sandwiches as you see above. I use hummus for protein. Add cucumbers, dark green lettuce and any other veggies I can to the mix. I try to use thin rounds to help keep the calories down as well. One thin round has about the same calories as a single slice of bread. The extra veggies that do not make it in the sandwich go in place of potato chips, another high calorie product. In this meal I have slices of avocado, another food for good health. I also have fruit.
I am not as active as I should be. I love to run, but I have not been able to make a time for it due to my busy schedule. I know I need to get back to exercising. However, I do believe the diet focused on vegetables has helped me.
If you are struggling with weight I suggest you read Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman. Perhaps you can enjoy some veggie sandwiches this summer.