According to a lunchtime eating habits survey, recently conducted by the National Cheese Institute (NCI), a true lunch 'hour' is now considered to be a luxury, with the average person downing their lunch in just 24 minutes.

The food most often found in lunch boxes is cheese, and this is usually eaten in a sandwich. The survey revealed that 41% of the respondents make this calcium-rich food a part of their daily mid-day meal. Cheddar is the cheese of choice, preferred by 45% of those surveyed, trailed by Swiss (38%) and American (33%) cheeses.

'Selecting convenient and healthful foods for lunch, like cheese, is the way to maintain a well-balanced diet on-the-go,' said Ruth Carey, registered dietitian. 'Cheese is so popular because it's easy to grab in a fix and provides powerful nutrients like calcium and protein needed on a daily basis.'

Typical Lunch Foods

• Cheese
• Fruit
• Salad
• Chicken

At Lunchtime Make Sure You...

• Take a break
• Eat nutritiously
• Don't eat quickly
• Get an energy boost

What's a Nutritious Lunch?

• Achieving a good balance between food groups
• One that's low in fat
• One that's high in vitamins and nutrients
• One that's low in calories

Different Eating Styles

• Explorer
  Likes to try something 'new' for lunch.

• Predictable
  Likes to have the same thing every day.

• Grazer
  Likes to eat lots of little snacks.

Quick Facts

• Men are almost twice as predictable as women when choosing lunch.
• The majority of women business executives spend over 30 minutes eating lunch.
• The most popular reason people eat cheese for lunch is because it 'tastes good'.
• More Americans want to have a 'power lunch' with Tom Hanks than with any other celebrity¹.