The Worst Lunch Foods

If you?re like most of the Western society, you?re included in the two thirds of 9-to-5ers who pick up a burger from a fast food joint or a restaurant at least once a week. Yes, it can be more convenient to skip the brown bag and just take a roll through the drive-thru lane, but those Big Mac?s add up and take a toll on not just your budget, but your health.

Eat healthy, folks

If you skip the fries and choose that apple and lean chicken breast instead, your afternoon work performance can benefit greatly from it. You?ll overcome the 3pm slump and roll onward right up until 5pm. Not to mention, packing your lunch for work can save you bundles of cash as well.

Here?s our list of lunch foods to avoid at all costs and what to replace them with.

1. Fried or Processed Meat

Sure, that burger with meat from a questionable source looks and smells delicious, but fried and fatty meat can take a major toll on your health and add pounds to your stomach. Types of fried meat that you should try to avoid are beef, pork and chicken. They?re usually laced with hazardous chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These chemicals are a result of bad meat being cooked at high temperatures and can cause problems in your bladder, stomach, pancreas and colon.

Instead of munching on that deep fried burger, opt for a homemade grilled chicken sandwich instead. Grilled meat doesn?t include half as much fat as fried meat and by cooking it at home you?ll avoid the risk of in taking all of those preservatives that processed meat includes.

2. Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

You?ve probably heard all the hype about which carbs you should be eating and which ones are bad for your health. Simply put, try to avoid eating sugars and refined white grain, such as Wonder bread. Refined grains and sugars give us a sudden jolt of energy that quickly leave us feeling run down. They also contain a hell of a lot of calories, which will give us that second tire around the belly.

Stop reaching for that pasta dish and try eating a lunch that is rich in fiber instead. This includes whole grains, beans, fruits and veggies. You can also take a fiber supplement pill once a day to ensure you?re always getting the right amount.

3. Sugar

We know they taste delicious, but food and drinks that are loaded with sugar are deadly for you. Fried pastries are full of acrylamide and free radicals, both of which can be potentially threatening. Soda is almost all sugar and can take a toll on your teeth and bones while also damaging your nervous system.

Avoid going to the vending machine and getting a Coke. Try drinking plenty of water and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Both will filter out your body and leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Plus, your smile will just look fantastic and chicks dig men with great teeth.