Make Your Next Meal Healthier

Lunch

Your Current Lunch: Turkey salami, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on a roll with reduced-fat mayo

Why It's Good: Turkey salami has half the calories and about a third of the fat of regular salami. The tomato gives you lycopene; the lettuce offers fiber.

The Catch: Let's face it: This is still nothing more than meat and cheese on a refined-carbohydrate roll. (P.S. Just because it's reduced-fat mayo doesn't mean you can have double.)

• Trade in those ho-hum tomato slices for sun-dried tomatoes or salsa to bump up the lycopene (carotenoid) content. "The more processing a tomato goes through, the more available its carotenoids are," says Grotto.
• Choose a deeper-hued salad green for more nutrients.
• Swap the mayo for some caramelized onions. "Onions contain sulfur, which can help cut your absorption of nitrites from cold cuts," says Grotto.
• Toss that roll and get some whole-grain bread. Two slices have four times the fiber and a lot more antioxidants. After all, you can't absorb nutrients unless they're there to begin with.
• Opt for a less-processed deli meat, like regular roasted turkey. "Processing adds sodium, nitrates, and other chemicals you don't need," says Grotto.