Lunch problems at work.

If you're working more then 8 hour shifts you company is implementing an illegal policy...you're required my law to a lunch break. They don't even give you 30 minutes to eat? Do you they just expect you to go from 9-5 with no food ?

People I work with are *kitten* so I don't trust our fridge. I bought a Stop & Shop freezer bag which I pack my lunch in along with two ice packs (those blue ones) and it keeps everything cold. I can bring pretty much anything with me, sometimes I'll make a salad and bring the dressing on the side so it doesn't get soggy, a lot of times I do bring frozen food like Amy's meals or Smart Ones but I am trying to break that habit.

I am assuming you have a microwave if not then I'd recommend salads, wraps, chicken breast (I'm personally fine eating this cold), pesto pasta, pasta salad.

Your workplace is supposed to give you a lunchbreak.

I pack my lunch too without using the fridges at work and eat at my desk (use my break for chilling you in the break room). I pack soup in a thermos, fruit, yoghurt pots and a piece of cheese on a normal day. I have a small freezer lunchbag with a mini icepack in where everything except the thermos goes.

best of luck to you!

Pack rice cakes or crackers; fruit; mini baby bel cheese; little cans of tuna; you can make a salad and take in a container - make sure you take a fork ;-); cup-a-soups - alhto they are quite high in sodium; make your own muesli bars or take some commercial ones - just check the calorie values. Little cans of fruit, baked beans. Do you have a microwave at work? Take a potato and cook that. Freezer packs are good, take your own little lunch bag as suggested.

I can't believe you are not allowed a lunch break - are you in the US? Here in Australia if you work longer than five hours you are by law to have a 30 min lunch break.

Good luck!

hi, what the everyone else has written is right you are legally entitled to rest breaks, in the UK it is laid out in the working time directive and as far as I know breaking it carries a heavty fine, are you in a union? if there is a microwave at work perhaps you could try something canned. Anyhow keep going your doing great, feelk free to add me to you frineds list

If you're bored of bread, take wraps instead to mix it up. You can eat a lot of leftovers cold. If I make pasta, I always make more for lunch the next day, so long as it's not a cheesy sauce it's ok. Also I sometimes do roasted veg mixed through brown rice and take sweet chilli sauce to add at the last minute.

I bought an insulated lunch pail (or whatever it's called)...I put two cool bottled waters at the bottom, and a small and medium re-freezable plastic thing right next to them...then I put my sandwich besides that, and pile in the goodies.
I make a 50g mix of almonds and raisins, I have fruit, a 90 cal Special k bar, and whatever else I can fit into my diet.
Once the food is gone, I don't go to the vending machines, so I know exactly how much I eat.
It has really worked for me. I don't miss going to get fast food, and waiting 10-15 minutes in line with all the other lunch time eaters.
I don't want to put my food in the public freezer at work, because the thought of some clown touching my food or digging through my stuff makes me uncomfortable, so I keep the food at my desk....
Don't tell my boss, but I usually eat my sandwich before my lunch break, so now at my lunch hour, i can read books/magazines, go for a leisurely stroll, use the time to call a 1-800 customer service number, or just sleep in my car.

When I am home I can eat a healthy breakfast and dinner, but lunch is a different story.

I hardly have time to eat cos time is so limited so I scoff something down in 5 minutes and end up with stomach pains and feeling hungry by late afternoon and there is no lunch time left so I get shakes from a sugar low....

What am I suppose to do?
I am not allowed to eat at work
Besides, all I can take with me is bread and because we don't have a fridge, I cant exactly put salad on it...what is a better option?

Second on all those who posted about the legalities of getting a break at work. I can empathize about not having time to eat at work - some days there is literally no time to even eat or go to the bathroom. However, if you are becoming hypoglycemic at work, this is a serious healthy issue for you and a liability for your employer. Your head is not in the game while you are hypoglycemic on the job - if you have an accident/injury while working and your employer is not providing an opportunity for you to take a break and refuel, they will be held responsible. But the bigger problem is that your quality of life will be affected unnecessarily due to the work related injury. You suffer and your loved ones suffer. Ok - off the soap box....

Anyway, the suggestions here are great. I have a box of Fiber One bars at work - it's quick, convenient and keeps the sugar shakes away. You need to eat something every 2 hours. Even a half turkey and cheese sandwich works for me. There is a community fridge but it's scary - something in the fridge burped at me when I opened the fridge door. I bring an insulated lunch bag and it's handy. Look over the forums here for awesome convenient recipes from the members.

If I were in your position, I would take protein meal bars for lunch. You can eat them in less than 5 minutes without scarfing it down and still get some nutrition in your body.

In Michigan there are absolutely no laws whatsoever about breaks or rest periods if you are over 18.

That's wrong. It's a federal law which supercedes state law. You are required to have two breaks and a lunch if you work over 8 hours. If the employer isn't doing this you can go to the Labor Board and file a complaint. I've known people who have done so and were compensated well.

hmmm.....i think youre wrong...

http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-61256_11407_32352-117201--,00.html