There's plenty to choose from
For days when you just don’t fancy cheeseburger and chips, put your pennies towards a Boots Meal Deal instead. With millions of combinations to choose from, you’re sure to find a main, snack and drink that’ll really tickle your taste buds. Read on for the lowdown on how to make your lunch a little healthier…
Help! I’m unsure of my options
If you lead a busy lifestyle or often reach for the grab-and-go lunch options, you can still make sure you have a balanced bite. It all comes down to knowing what to look for, and the traffic light labels on most items in our Boots Meal Deal make it easier to know what you’re putting in your body.
Confused by calories? They are simply the energy we get from our food, and it’s important to know how many calories you’re consuming. If you eat more than you burn off then your body stores this as extra fat and you could put on weight. If you’re unsure how many calories you need on a daily basis, the general rule is 2000 for women and 2500 for men. But how should this be split?
As a guide, adults should aim to eat around 400 calories at breakfast and 600 calories at lunch and dinner each day. This is a great way to keep track of what you’re eating, and alongside drinks and a couple of healthier snacks, will help you keep within your recommended daily calorie intake.
What makes a healthy lunch?
It’s easy to grab a Boots Meal Deal without really thinking about what you’re choosing, so take a look at the handy traffic light labelling on each product. They show food information including calories, fat, saturates, sugars and salt, and have a green, amber and red colour code. Red means the product is high in a nutrient that you should try to cut down on, eat less often or eat smaller amounts of. Amber means medium. If a food contains mostly amber, you can eat it most of the time. Green means low. The more green lights a label displays, the healthier the food choice.
To help keep your lunch balanced, choose mainly amber and greens to keep your food choices healthy. Also, try to select something from each of the four main food groups:
Starchy carbohydrates
• Bread
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Pasta
Fruit & vegetables
You’ll know these already, but add a splash of colour to your diet with pineapple chunks, bags of apple and carrot bites, or maybe veggies with an avocado dip – yum!
Protein
• Meat
• Eggs
• Fish
• Tofu
• Nuts
• Beans
Dairy products
• Cheese
• Milk
• Yoghurt
If you’re a vegan or don’t consume dairy products, then opt for dairy free milk options, such as fortified almond, soya, oat and rice milk.
How do I make my Boots Meal Deal healthier?
We can all be guilty of buying lunch in a rush, but next time you pop to Boots for your meal deal, try making a conscious effort to include food from the four food groups above. Remember to take a look at the traffic light labelling to see how healthy your food picks are.
Now you know what to look out for, here are a few tasty options to choose from:
Mains
Yumie Teriyaki Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl: 3.7g fat, 0.5g saturates, 8.7g sugars, 1.31g salt
Try something different with this colourful rice bowl that has only 266 calories per pack.
Boots Sweet Potato Falafel Veggie Box: 13g fat, 1.2g saturates, 5.3g sugars, 0.86g salt
With avocado houmous and 249 calories per pack, this veggie box makes for a nutritious lunch.
Boots Spicy Chicken Pasta Salad: 11g fat, 0.9g saturates, 11g sugars, 1.19g salt
Why not add a little spice to your meal deal? This pasta salad has just 423 calories per pack.
Snacks
Graze Smoky Barbecue Crunch: 5.1g fat, 0.6g saturates, 1.9g sugars, 0.23g salt
Suitable for vegans and with 139 calories per punnet, this is a feel-good alternative to crisps.
Graze Chilli & Lime Punchy Nut Mix: 20g fat, 2.5g saturates, 1.9g sugars, 0.30g salt
For those who like a bit of kick, this high in fibre snack is vegan-friendly and has 245 calories per punnet.
PROPERCHIPS Barbecue Lentil Chips: 3.9g fat, 0.6g saturates, 0.9g sugars, 0.51g salt
Want big, bold flavour and loads of crunch? These lentil chips with 94 calories per pack are for you.
Del Monte Watermelon Fans: 0.3g fat, 0.1g saturates, 6.3g sugars, 0.01g salt
Treat yourself to the refreshing taste of summer all year round, with only 31 calories per pack.
Boots Carrot & Houmous: 6.1g fat, 0.7g saturates, 4g sugars, 0.42g salt
Fresh carrots sticks are made even tastier with this houmous dip, all at just 99 calories per pack.
Del Monte Apple & Grapes Bag: 0.1g fat, 0g saturates, 10.7g sugars, 0g salt
Not only is this fruity fave one of your five-a-day, it has only 60 calories per bag.
Drinks
Boots Brecon Carreg Still Natural Mineral Water 750ml
You should aim to drink six to eight glasses of water (or other fluids) a day. Quench your thirst with a bottle of water as part of your meal deal.
Dash Sparkling Raspberry Water 330ml
Infused with wonky raspberries, this sparkling water has 0 calories, no sugar and no sweeteners. Did we mention it’s delicious?
Now you’re ready to hit the meal deal aisles, but remember that life is all about balance, so don’t deny yourself little treats every now and then.
