The Lunch Dilemma

Hello, Reader. Or at least I assume someone other than us is reading this!

This is my first contribution to the blog and I have a very different perspective on this diet challenge.

Right now, the biggest issue I'm facing while trying to stay within the diet is lunch when I'm at work. There are actually many choices for lunch at work or a short drive away. But they basically boil (pun intended) down to : work cafeteria, fast-food, not-quite-as-fast food, and sit-down-and-be-served.

Work Cafeteria: We have a few. There's a big cafeteria where you can get salad, stir fry, pizza, hot-food, soups, sandwiches, etc. But per this 100-mile challenge, I have no idea where they get their ingredients from nor the quality (organic vs ???). I would guess that the catering company has a fixed contract so while they'd want to provide "quality" food (quality to them probably only means taste), they'd want to keep their cost down. So I can't imagine they're buying the most nutritious ingredients.

Fast Food: I'm not even going to bother talking about this.  If you need to be convinced (and I'm sure if you're reading this blog, you don't)... rent Super Size Me... particularly check out the special feature where they got food from different places and left them out (in jars) to watch them degrade.

Not-Quite-As-Fast Food: This is what I call places like Moe's, Chipotle, Hot Harry's (why are so many of them Mexican food?), Five Guys.  They're still "fast food" but they don't use a microwave to heat up your food.  The ingredients (in theory) should be more fresh.  But, again, where do they get them from?  Probably some cooperate distribution center some place.

Sit-Down-And-Be-Served: In other words, some sort of restaurant.  At least the food is cooked fresh but where are their source??

Of course, I can always take lunch to work.  And I do occasionally when there are left overs.  But sometimes there aren't or I forget.

So in terms of keeping within the 100-mile diet challenge, this is quite the challenge!  But part of this diet for me is not just the environmental impact (ie shipping, etc.) but also other factors like supporting a local business and eating healthy.  And for those, I've convinced myself that there are some places that are okay.

I like Chipotle.  I like what the company is trying to do and what it stands for (or at least the little that I've heard -- I should probably do more research).  They try to use more and more humanly-grown meats.  They ingredients taste fresh.  And you can actually see them cooking the meats and making the salsa behind the counter.  On a practical level, I just like the way it tastes.  And I really like that there are healthier drink choices available than soda (something else I'm trying to cut down).  I can usually finish a burrito without a problem which in itself might be a problem (am I overeating??)  They're kind of pricey and that usually brings up some internal debate for me.

Local restaurants.  I'm particularly partial to Chinese restaurants.  Although I'm concerned about MSG.  My justification is at least I can get green things that I like particularly if I go to a buffet (again, I'll tend to overeat).  At a buffet I'll probably have a soda but if I'm just ordering a lunch special, I'll probably go with hot tea which helps me with digestion.

I've pretty much completely cut out fast-food and I started doing this even before this diet.

I balance this with work cafeteria.  I usually get a soup with a burger or hot dog.  Sometimes I'll just get a soup to go with a sandwich that I've brought.  But then I'll go to the vending machine for a soda.  This is the most affordable lunch I can find.  One time I bought a can of juice thinking that it should be better for me than soda.. then I read the label... yikes!

Anyway... as you can see... it's quite a dilemma since I eat lunch even on days I'm working despite what my workload would suggest for me (that's another topic for another day).