OUT TO LUNCH
What does it mean for your nutrition now that the meal deal is a thing of the past?
From chicken and avocado on rye to falafel flatbread, the lunchtime sarnie came to be a staple for even the most nutritionally conscious of time-poor office workers. Then along came a global pandemic. So what does the decline of the lunchtime economy mean for your nutrition?
Two skinny cappuccinos to go!’; ‘No, I know – I told him it wasn’t going to convert… I know… it is what it is, but you’d think he’d take some responsibility – hang on, can I call you back?’; ‘Yes, madam – an avocado salad sandwich and a Diet Coke? That’ll be £7, please.’ Of all the things you miss while working from home, the soundscape of the sandwich chain closest to your office probably doesn’t make the top five. But while you’ve been busy spending the money you used to part with every day for the privilege of eating a pre-prepared sandwich at your desk on other things (silk face masks; ‘executive’ joggers), the lunchtime economy has been in freefall. From sandwich shops like Pret, which lost 85% of its sales during the lockdown, to pubs, restaurants, gyms, dry cleaners and even clothes shops you used to nip to on your lunch break, many businesses are suffering as their usual customers stay home. So now that grab-and-go food culture has been replaced by an alternative best described as make-and-stay, what are you eating instead? And how healthy a shift is it, really?
BREAD AND BUTTER
Whether you like your lunch cocooned between two slices of sourdough, nestled in a so-stuffed-it’s-almost-falling-apart flatbread or framed by two halves of a seeded stone-baked baton, the sandwich has long been the bread and butter of the midday meal. Sandwiches really took off as a lunchtime staple with industrialisation in the 19th century, when workers sought inexpensive, portable and calorie-dense meals they could eat on a short break. Fast forward to 2019 and 56% of Brits were eating one every day, spurred on by an £8billion industry that put pre-prepared sandwiches in supermarkets, and in specialist shops on every street corner.
As the pandemic forced Britain to bunker down, sandwich retailers took drastic action in the face of dwindling customer numbers. Upper Crust made over half of its workforce redundant, leaving just 10% of stores open, while Pret closed 30 locations and announced that employees in its remaining stores will work reduced hours. And while the Eat Out To Help Out scheme did just that – data from Springboard (a service that tracks retail traffic) showed that, between 2 August and 8 August this year, traffic increased by 10% at lunchtime – it only served as a temporary bump. The return-to-work memo was issued, then revoked, and eight months on from the start of the UK lockdown, many city centre shops are still comparatively empty. The news that almost 70% of firms plan to cut office space and let staff work from home on a permanent basis, according to survey data from KPMG, surely sounds the death knell for the likes of the pre-prepared sandwich. But is it a death worth mourning?
TOAST MORTEM
Like an M&S Christmas sandwich, this story is multi-layered. For starters, your wallet won’t be showing up at the wake. Pre-pandemic, the average Brit spent an annual £1,580 on lunch*, with Londoners forking out an eye-watering £4,000. We suspect you already knew that, justified it and tapped your card against the contactless reader anyway. Why? Because whether you were dropping £4 on a wrap or £2.50 on a pot of avocado you could have smashed at home, it allowed you the freedom to fuel as you ran from gym to desk to drinks. But money isn’t the only thing convenience was costing you. ‘Convenience food labelled as “healthy” often isn’t as nutritious as it appears,’ says Dr Chintal Patel, NHS GP and healthy food blogger (@drchintalskitchen). ‘Often, the focus is on calorie content rather than nutrient density. Plus, ready-prepared food can often be high in added sugar and salt, something that’s not always obvious from a quick glance at the label.’ Despite Public Health England setting targets for a 20% reduction in sugar and salt in shopbought food, some health campaigners have said they haven’t gone far enough, with many sandwiches still nudging Brits over their recommended 6g of salt a day.
It’s not just what you eat for lunch, but how you eat it that Dr Patel thinks presents the biggest opportunity as we find our footing in a new working world. Think: one eye trained on your emails, the other on Whatsapp. ‘When you’re eating this way, you’re less likely to notice your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues, which means you’re more likely to overeat,’ she explains. Upgrade to a more mindful approach and studies suggest you’ll consume fewer calories and enjoy your food more. But old habits, it would seem, die hard; in a survey by the meal delivery service Freshly, 60% of workers said they felt guilty taking any kind of break during the working day in the current climate, lunch included. ‘Preparing your own meals in your own kitchen provides an opportunity to not only add more colour, fibre and variety to your meals, but also to move away from the culture of eating lunch in a rush,’ says Dr Patel. ‘It makes sense that if you’ve gone to the effort of preparing a meal, you’re more likely to take the time to savour the fruits of your labour.’
But what of the content of that homemade lunch you’re so diligently preparing? Let’s, for a moment, look beyond the single-use plastic, the
‘Preparing your own meals provides an opportunity to move away from the culture of eating lunch in a rush
hidden salt and sugar and the al-desko dining that we associate with eating on the go. Should you have browsed the aisles of your office-adjacent Eat, Itsu or Leon of a regular Tuesday in 2019, you’d probably have found the kind of fare you’d only make yourself on a particularly plan-free Sunday. Spicy West African-style beans, greens and vegan yoghurt cradled in a seeded wrap; rich olive tapenade spread liberally over slices of plump ciabatta, topped with just-ripe avocado and slow-roasted tomatoes. All designed to fill you up till teatime while nudging you closer to RNIS for protein and fibre. Browse the shelves of your fridge in winter 2020 and we suspect it will look rather different. ‘A grab-and-go salad box or hot box with grains can give you more diversity in your diet than you might get otherwise, particularly if you’re a creature of habit,’ says dietitian and gut health specialist Laura Tilt. ‘You might make a chilli with rice at home – but buy a chilli to go and you might get three types of beans, avocado, slaw and yoghurt. Even if you’re buying ingredients like edamame beans, olives and kimchi in your weekly shop, chances are, you’ll be eating them all week. And a win for food waste isn’t necessarily a win for your gut. ‘Having a varied diet is important to ensure you get the nutrients you need,’ says Tilt, who adds that you should be shooting for 30 different types of plants a week to encourage diversity in your gut microbes. It’s a goal that feels achievable when someone else is making your lunch, but becomes loftier when you’re the one footing the bill and putting in the prep time.
SALAD DAYS
It all suggests that, while we shouldn’t shed too many tears over the demise of grab-and-go culture, it’s worth taking a few bites of its best bits. That starts with learning how to prep nutritious lunches that don’t eat into the ‘break’ part of your lunch break. ‘Whether it’s bread, pasta, rice or another grain, opt for wholegrain varieties to get the added fibre, which is great nutrition for your gut microbes and is good for sustaining your blood sugar levels – and, with them, your energy,’ adds Tilt. Purchase pre-cooked grain packets, like Merchant Gourmet, for ease – or cook an extra portion the night before if you don’t want to pay a premium. If you’ve got a weight loss – or maintenance – goal in mind, keep your carbs to a quarter of your plate – or opt for an open sandwich. As for pronto protein? Grab cooked chicken breasts, smoked mackerel fillets or tinned tuna or, if you’re plant-based, opt for ready-prepped lentils and drain your tinned chickpeas the night before so you can just tip them into a salad faff-free. While meat alternatives (looking at you frozen veggie sausages) can be useful, they’re often full of added ingredients and best not to be relied on – sliced tofu’s a better shout.
Aiming for your lunch to be 50% veggies, per Dr Patel’s advice, doesn’t require a whole lot of effort, either. ‘Chucking a generous handful of spinach and frozen peas into your shop-bought soup takes seconds,’ she suggests. If you’re having a sarnie, practicalities may mean you’ll need to chop up some veg, kiddie style, on the side, rather than squeezing them between slices. ‘Seven cherry tomatoes count as a portion,’ notes Tilt. ‘As does a 5cm chunk of cucumber
‘A grab-and-go salad can give you more diversity in your diet than you might get otherwise’
and a carrot.’ Toppings? Not just for pizza. They present yet another opportunity to add more variety, flavour and nutrients. ‘Top salads with a tablespoon of seeds or a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs, add some sauerkraut to a sandwich, or a few tablespoons of kefir or yoghurt to a curry or daal,’ she adds.
Oh, and if you are missing the soundscape of the lunch chain where you used to part with a sizeable chunk of your salary, feel reassured by the news that Pret is considering plans to open in residential areas, giving you the choice of grab-and-go eats. But for now – and even then, actually – show your independent eateries some love on those days you really don’t fancy making and staying.