How to eat healthy at the office
YOUR workplace is your second home and consequently, your choice of food at work is inextricably linked to your well-being. Nutritionist Donavon Grant shares how you can eat healthy while on the job.
1. Take your lunch from home
Taking meals from home is always a better choice than using the office canteen. This way, you can ensure that you have a healthy combination of fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, healthy fats, lean proteins and water. Not only is this combination healthy but it also boosts your metabolism, something that many office workers need since their jobs usually involve very little walking.
2. Don’t abandon breakfast
Telling themselves that they can hold out until lunchtime is one of the most common reasons why workers end up eating way more than they would have on a regular day. This may cause you to choose any type of foods that is within your grasp. Breakfast is the most important meal; don’t abandon it.
3. Avoid keeping a stash of unhealthy snacks
You want to munch on something between meals, but going to your secret stash of sweet biscuits, chocolates and cakes, though very tempting, is something that you may want to stop. If you really need a snack between meals, choose healthier snacks such as fruits or some nuts.
4. Plan ahead for tomorrow
If you must eat from the canteen at work, try to get a copy of the menu for each day so that you can plan ahead. Assess the lunch offerings and take food items from the missing food groups so that you can have a balanced meal.
5. Don’t forget your water
Water is as important as the food that nourishes your body. But oftentimes its importance is overlooked and barely, if any, is consumed as part of your daily intake. Apart from keeping a bottle of water on your desk, you can use the reminder application on your computer and smartphone to tell you when you need to drink water so that your body is kept hydrated.
6. Stay away from the snack bar
The snack shop at work is perhaps the most appealing area, especially when you are hungry. Waiting for lunch can be torture, but foods in the snack shop are usually high in calories. Unless you intend to cut your lunch in half and leave the remaining portion for dinner, avoid the snack shop.
7. Learn to say ‘no thank you’
The scent of fresh oven-baked cookies and cupcakes or gifts in the form of candies from co-workers can be tempting, but you don’t always want to give in to messages from your brain. Having these foods once in a while is fine, but they are unhealthy. The next time you are offered, even by your boss, resist the urge and politely say “no thank you”.
