Almost everything we eat comes with a price—either it’s too expensive or way too high in calories, or both. Unfortunately, what we tend to eat at work—the glorified sandwich, street meat, the quick slice, or four, 100-calorie snack packs—is not helping us maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Work days are rough on our bodies and our minds. Most of us can’t function without the caffeine in our morning coffee, or the protein in our breakfast sandwich. And throughout the day endless meetings and assignment deadlines keep us hungry, yet crunched for time. Amidst the chaos of our working lives, we lose our will and go with something easy, which tends to be the worst thing for us in terms of promoting a healthy lifestyle in the workplace.
If you’re not lucky enough to have a service like Germany’s BiteBox, which offers you healthy lunch solutions at work or healthy eating strategies in the workplace, here are a few hints and tips on how to make eating during the working hours a bit healthier:
1) Stay Hydrated: Our bodies are 70% water and use H2O 100% of the time; even when we’re not doing much but sitting. Keep some water handy at all times. It’s important to note that when our stomachs make noises we might actually be thirsty and not hungry.
2) Pack Your Lunch: Easier said than done, of course, but making your lunch choice the day before can save you time, money, and most importantly, one less trip to the gym. Consider making a little bit more for dinner a few nights a week and pack the leftovers for lunch the next day.
3) Choose your food wisely: Unless you have specific dietary restrictions, prepare meals that hit on a little bit of every food group. Wraps are a great way to get everything together in an easy way—and your choices are pretty broad. Check out this list of healthy lunches to bring to work for more ideas.
4) Avoid office snacks but snack more often: Step away from that bag of Doritos and that bear claw! Clearly, those are bad choices. So make better ones. Pack some grapes or your favorite unsalted nuts with you to work and take mini breaks to eat some of it. This will help keep your metabolism going throughout the day and provide the energy you need to keep going!
5) If you’ve got to eat it, at least share it: A tactic that generally goes unnoticed, but utilized by people dieting everywhere, is simply splitting that carb load in half. Get that sandwich you like, but consider sharing it with your favorite office mate. You’ll both get something delicious and avoid the full caloric blow-back. Consider sharing your healthy snacks too! Your coworkers may thank you for bringing in that pre-washed pound of grapes after a long department meeting.
You may not be able to incorporate all of these tips and healthy eating strategies in the workplace all of the time, but even just one could be the start of a better working day. Keep in mind to try and make time to regularly exercise too! It’s a balancing act sure, but healthy eating and healthy living can actually make work a little less stressful.
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