Healthy Eating Habits for an Awesome Work Day


When you think about it, it makes absolutely no sense that we tend to pay less attention to healthy eating when we’re super busy and rocking it out at the office for more hours in a day than we quite possibly should be. In fact, beyond even eating healthy foods, statistics now say that 1 out of 10 workers don’t even take a lunch break, and of the rest who do take one, most only take 45 minutes.

Healthy Eating Habits

So, let’s break this down. To really provide our bodies and minds with the food it needs to ensure our work is top quality, first we need healthy eating habits, and second, we need good, healthy food options to eat.

1. Frequency

Healthy eating involves three meals and two snacks. You can’t properly fuel yourself throughout a day without at least three solid meals. You can go a little lighter on the breakfast side if you aren’t naturally hungry in the morning, but you do need something. It’s what kick starts your metabolism, breaks the fast (breakfast) from the night before, and gets you charged and ready to roll into your day.

2. Location

Get away from your desk whenever possible. The reason for this is simply that the desk is so distracting (computer, papers, files, phone, etc.), and healthy eating just doesn’t involve distractions. Distractions leads to mindless eating, which usually ends in overeating. Focus on your food while you’re eating, and then quit focusing on it when you’re done and get back to work, simple as that. Also, in case you’re not sold on eating elsewhere, according to a PhD professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, Charles Gerba, “The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times dirtier than the toilet.” Go outside! Get some fresh air. Sit down and eat and then take a quick power walk. You’ll be amazed at what that small combination can do for you all afternoon long.

3. Avoiding Disaster Areas

You must adamantly avoid certain areas like conference rooms stocked with twizzlers and gummy bears and “snack-size” Doritos bags. Duck in and grab your meal from the fridge and duck right back out. Steer clear of vending machines, and if you’re going to enter a meeting where doughnuts shall abound, eat a healthy snack before you set foot in the door.

4. Eat Your Own Food More

Packing your own food ensures that you know just what’s in your food, and probably more importantly, it limits your options. The best of intentions for eating a nutritious, well balanced meal can disappear like the wind when faced with the book-like Cheesecake Factory menu.

Healthy Eating Options

Here are some healthy food options you can use everyday.

1. Cover Your Bases

The food pyramid exists for good reason. Eating one type of food group doesn’t prove fruitful by any means. Don’t go all out protein, or all out carbs because that’s what’s easy or convenient or the newest diet fad. To give your mind the power to think and process, you need: good carbs, proteins and fats. Every day. No exceptions. Now, how you get them and combine them is the fun part! Clearly you can get as creative with cooking as you like, but considering if you’re reading via this site, you’re probably a touch on the busy-not-a-lot-of-personal-time side, so here are some “easy” solutions to cover all bases.

2. Easy Proteins

Always have on hand: lean meats like chicken and turkey. Turkey bacon is great to have occasionally to mix things up and can be used to make a super quick and delicious BLT. Nuts like almonds are a great option because they combine protein, fiber and good fats, but if you buy in bulk, segment them into smart, small packages as soon as they come home with you. If you’re short on time, buy the pre-packaged snack sizes. A handful of nuts is plenty. Other options: black beans (great for whipping up a bean taco); snack sizes of string cheese or cubes; cans of tuna; hardboiled eggs.

3. Easy Carbs

Whole grain anything, everything! The goal is fiber, it makes your body work to break it down and fuels you longer. Think whole wheat slices of bread, whole grain crackers for snacks, a small portion of brown rice, a portion of lentils or beans. You can grab one side of any one of those and get your high-fiber carbs for the day. Soups with high fiber are excellent afternoon snacks. They’re hot, filling, nutritious and take awhile for you to eat, all of which contribute to the feeling of fullness.

4. Easy Produce

Baby carrots, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, a can of green beans, snow peas, you name it. There is absolutely no excuse for not eating your vegetables. With today’s demand for convenience, it’s incredibly easy to grab veggies on the go. If you have time, prep some basic salads in advance, throw some dressing in a container and you can enjoy a fresh salad for lunch every day. Fruits are just as easy, if not even easier. Grapes are easy to eat and not messy. Apples, bananas, they’re all delicious!

5. Easy Sweets

If you can’t get by without an afternoon sweet snack, opt for something like dried fruit (portioned), a small all-fruit smoothie, or my personal favorite: a small cup of yogurt, fresh berries and a sprinkling of granola.

The Results

When eating healthier and eating regularly, you’ll notice more constant energy, improved mood, and improved stamina. You’ll begin to think sharper and you’ll wonder how you ever did you work before! Packing lunches and snacks might seem overwhelming, but with just a few staples, it doesn’t have to be. Though you certainly can, you don’t have to pack anything elaborate. Throw in a protein, a couple slices of bread, a baggie of carrots, a cup of yogurt and a cup of berries, and you’re good to go in 3 minutes flat! Enjoy the newer, more awesome you that your work and your health will thank you for! Got any healthy eating tips for us? Share yours in the comments.


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Freelance author Jocelyn Anne loves to write about healthy, sustainable and green living. She's currently working alongside a cooling company promoting the use of a portable air conditioner as a cost effective, energy efficient alternative to central AC systems.

Discussion

  1. Kris M Beal @Krazy_Kris on the 25th July

    LOVE THIS! It’s has always been so tough for me and has required purposeful attention to not let my work adrenaline get the best of me.
    Planning is a must.
    Handy is a must.
    And REMEMBERING is very important.

  2. Swamykant on the 26th July

    Nice article. Need to follow 🙂

  3. Dustin on the 26th July

    Actually, folks need to reconsider their diets. Use your own reasoning skills and do a little research. This “whole grain” and “lean meats” thing has a lot of bad joo-joo. Consider human existence… we have been around somewhere between 1-2 million years… God/Mother Nature/Natural Selection/The Cosmos (whatever) made us desire certain tastes for a reason… that is what we need. Our bodies like salty/fatty foods. Heart-disease has shot through the roof since we have replaced animal fats with vegetable fats. Something is not right here. And evidence that studies that fueled our modern “conventional wisdom” for the past couple of decades has surfaced suggesting they are absolute shams (namely salt and the lipid hypothesis for heart disease). Pop open any anatomy book geared for nursing and medical students… cholesterol is a vital set of proteins that repairs cellular damage, fights cancer, and is used in the production of Vitamin D. High cholesterol is a symptom… not a root cause. Our brains are comprised of fats to a significant degree, too, and fat insulates our nerves and keeps them from having electrical “shorts”. The rise in depression can be correlated with the reduction in saturated fats in our diets, as well.

    Don’t take my word for anything other than a thought to go evaluate and study for yourself. Do you homework and become educated about your body and nutrition.

    One last thought… people have only been eating grains as a staple since the advent of agriculture… 10-12k years ago… a pretty insignificant amount of time compared to our overall existence on this planet.

  4. Amy Putkonen on the 28th July

    This is some good stuff, Jocelyn! Good basic stuff to remember… when we eat well, we have MORE time because we have more energy to do more stuff, we get more done and life is just generally better!

  5. Jocelyn on the 31st August

    Glad you’ve enjoyed! and @Amy: AGREED! eating well = more energy = more productive = MORE time! 🙂

  6. Ivane Gegia on the 15th October

    I would add: eat seasonal food, better natural or max hybrids, or well tested GMO(several centuries to wait 🙂 )

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