Buying Lunches in London (Mon-Fri)

tdpage23

Hi all,

I have been having a hard time keeping under my daily calorie limit because my lunches end up being ridiculously calorific. Even if I just have salad (I blame Pret)! I sometimes bring my lunch in, but for those days I forget I was hoping some of you might have some lunchtime 'hacks' or tips for eating out that you can share.

Thanks!

sijomial

Sainsburys do a nice range of individual salads, paired it with a pack of flavoured chicken breast, ham or fish and you have a reasonably low calorie option. Not all fruits are high calorie either - berries in particular.

M&S "fuller for longer" and "count on us" ranges are tasty if you have access to a microwave.
Soups are another staple for me.

Pod have some excellent foods but are pricey. Pret's tuna Nicoisse salad is pretty low calorie and really tasty.

tdpage23

great reply! thank you!

vicksg1973

MASSIVE fan of Itsu myself - do you have a branch nearby?

tdpage23

There's loads of Itsu's here (Canary Wharf), what do you usually buy?

SarahxApple

Innocent Veg pots (and supermarkets own brand forms) are really good, they are normally in the 300-400 calories range. Or as someone else said making up your own salad or you could try Wasabi if you like Itsu they have some nice soup-y options.

prima073

If you're stuck for lunch ideas, may I suggest ITSU for some nice Japanese food or Waitrose who do some tasty low cal salads :-)

Bacardibarker

Boots do meal deals. If you buy the Shapers range, the sandwich/salad/sushi, drink and snack total to 500 or less calories.

Qwik_Dry

Hi!
My recs would be Itsu's chicken teriyaki on a bed of rice and Pod's mini red curry. Both have protein and carbs. I find them to be v tasty and pretty satisfying!

Thanks for posting this question - I stubble with the same thing.

Paula

globegirl08

Crussh canary wharf are amazing....soups, chillies, salads and cous cous/quorn based tasty dishes. I personally am not turned on my supermarket pre-packaged chilled lunch options. Freshly made far more satisfying when it comes to taste. Oh and crussh list their calorie info as well as chilli/soups of the day @ your local branch on their websites. They never replenish their chilled items so once their gone their gone! With canary wharf , you are kind of spoilt really with fresh salad bars and hot food options. Hope this helps

annziexo

I always go to Itsu or Abokado ! Only problem is it ends up pretty expensive so even though it's cheap it's still a treat! I always buy salad bits from Tesco and make stuff in the office. I work at Baker Street.

acpgee

I like the Hip and Humble salad at Itsu. Fantastic green dressing. Kind of a coriander salsa verde thinned down with sweetened vinegar. Logs in at 398.

laptitelena

Vital Ingredient - Salad bar with a large choice of base, ingredients and dressings. For £6.25 you get a massive salad. It's reasonably priced for a lunch and suppa healthy.
I also love Itsu but I heard japanese rice is not that good for weight loss so I only go when I feel like a treat.
If you are around Oxford Circus there is Ethos. It's a vegetarian buffet where you pay by the weight. The food is delicious whith a few gluten free options. They also have nice deserts. But again it's not cheap. If I fill up my box I usually pay between £8-10.
Also love Crussh & Pure - made for you, I call them my healthier Pret's. What's cool is that you can find all the nutritional details on their website (even in store for Cruush).

Hope this helps. Feel free to ad me