Fat-free lunches can appeal to your senses through color, texture and aroma while providing nutrients and fiber. To enhance your overall nutrition, add polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats to your other meals -- essential elements for any diet, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. With the inclusion of "good fats" throughout the day, you can focus on planning creative, satisfying fat-free lunches.
Definition
As you plan your fat-free lunches, realize that most "fat-free" foods contain some element of fat. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension defines a "fat-free" item as a serving containing less than 0.5 grams of fat, while a "low-fat" serving would contain 3 grams or less.
Fruit and Dip
The USDA National Nutrient Database confirms that a cup of raw strawberries or blueberries qualifies as "fat-free." Berries, in turn, provide fiber, antioxidants and vitamins. Adding Yoplait's Fat-Free Raspberry Cheesecake Yogurt as a fruit dip can yield further health benefits. It has significant amounts of calcium, 6 grams of protein and vitamins A and D. Although most fruits provide low-fat content, the avocado stands out as an exception with a significant amount of "good" fat.
Seafood Salad
Any lettuce, including romaine lettuce (with .03 grams per cup) can work in a fat-free lunch. You could top the greens with 2 ounces of poached orange roughy, 2 ounces of light tuna in water or 3 ounces of northern cooked lobster and still be within your fat-free limits. Add your favorite fat-free salad dressing or a vinegar-based dressing with a pinch of sugar-free sweetener to enhance the flavor. The lettuce provides fiber, and the toppings include healthy sources of protein.
Vegetables and Dip
Mixing dill with a pouch of fat-free cream cheese or fat-free mayonnaise can create a dip for a cup of raw carrots, containing 0.26 grams of fat. Many other raw vegetables qualify as essentially fat-free, including broccoli, celery and cucumbers. Mushrooms, although technically a fungi, also meet the criterion. Because of the high-fiber content, raw vegetable lunches can provide satiety and promote regularity.
Satisfying Sandwiches
Using fat-free breads, you could also add fat-free mayonnaise to lettuce and tomato slices to create a fat-free lettuce-tomato sandwich. Adding fat-free turkey breast slices provides another possibility. Consider making your own fat-free bread or whole wheat pita for additional fiber and nutrition.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good; 2011
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Fats and Cholesterol in the Diet; Sherry Henley, et al.; 1999
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Content of Selected Total Lipid
- LIVESTRONG.com MyPlate: Fat-Free Yogurt (Yoplait); 2011
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