Add This To Your Lunch To Make It Instantly Healthier

Want to add a nutritional bang to your lunch? Add some eggs. Eating eggs with your vegetables could help your body take in more antioxidants says a study from Purdue University. In the study, healthy young men absorbed up to 9 times more carotenoids—a group of antioxidants found in foods like tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach—in their blood after eating a raw, mixed-vegetable salad topped with 3 cooked eggs than when they just ate a plain salad. Carotenoids, like beta-carotene and lycopene, boost anti-inflammatory benefits and can keep you heart healthy. Previous research has shown that consuming carotenoids can lower risks of prostate, bladder, and lung cancers but in order for this to happen, you have to absorb them properly. To do that, they must be eaten with food that contains fat, according to study co-author Jung Eunb Kim, Ph.D., R.D. Eggs are a great source of fat, especially the yolk, with each one containing about 5 grams of fat. Adding more egg to your plate is a great way to up your nutrient intake says Men’s Health nutrition advisor Mike Roussell, Ph.D. If you don't like eggs, try pairing carotenoid rich vegetables with other higher fat foods like olive oil, half an avocado, or an ounce of almonds. This works for raw or cooked vegetables so you add some fat to your stir fry or roasted vegetables too. How will you add some fat to your lunch?