A popular credit card company frequently asks, “What’s in your wallet?”
But “What’s in your desk drawer?” may be a far more important question.
“Most office food isn’t satisfying,” Colleen Pierre, a Baltimore nutritionist, told Prevention magazine. “Doughnuts, coffee, pastries, and candy give you temporary energy, but you’re hungry a few hours later.”
And the lunch that’s served on your desk isn’t much better, according to Susan Moores.
“Eating at your desk encourages mindless eating, and overeating,” Moores, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), told WebMD.com. “You’re most likely multitasking and not paying attention to the amount of food you’re eating.”
Lunch or snack, however you like it served at the keyboard, you’re not alone. About 70 percent of Americans eat lunch at their desk several times a week, according to the ADA and ConAgra Foods Foundation. Seventy-two percent admits to eating an unhealthy snack like chips or candy at least once a week and 27 percent eats an unhealthy snack three or more times a week, according to Nationwide Better Health.
They’re staggering statistics. Want to keep from being counted among them? Here’s how some experts say you can.
Desktop dining
Problem: You’ve gotten in a habit of eating lunch at your desk.
Possible solutions: Take a lunch break.
“No matter how busy you are, it’s both physically and mentally healthier to take a few moments and read, sit outside, or chat with a friend, while enjoying a healthy meal,” boston.com says. “You’ll be re-energized once you return to your desk.”
If a day comes when you must eat at your desk, then watch what you’re eating, said Rick Hall, a registered dietician and faculty member at Arizona State University in Mesa.
“Pay attention to what you’re putting in your mouth when you eat at your desk,” Hall said, according to WebMD.com. “And don’t overdo it by eating too much because you’re too focused on [e-mail]. For lunch, you want to pick a meal that’s moderate in size but doesn’t fill you up.”
Avoid takeout, he said, because the meals are oftentimes oversized, heavy in fat and calories and lacking in nutrients. Instead bring a salad with chicken, nuts, beans and veggies.
“[Y]ou’ll get some great nutrients, including fiber and protein,” Hall said.
Boston.com suggests bringing frozen veggies to work, mixing them and splitting them with co-workers at lunch.
Hall also recommended making a special effort to walk on days you must eat at your desk.
“We’re genetically designed to move,” he said. “So spending lunch at your desk when you have a long day as it is, isn’t a good thing.”
To compensate, take the farthest parking spot and walk, walk to the copier or schedule extra exercise at the beginning or end of the day (for more ideas on how to get exercise at work, see story, this page).
Snacking
Problem: You get the munchies for an unhealthy snack at work.
Possible solution: Plan ahead and bring some fruit with you or even some water-packed fruit cups, suggests ScaleBackAlabama.com.
Or find the healthiest versions of your favorite snacks and bring them to work.
“Try air-popped popcorn, low-sugar or juice-sweetened cookies and granola bars, and baked wheat crackers,” boston.com says.
The site also suggests trying one new fruit or vegetable per week.
Prevention suggests keeping peanut butter in your desk to eat with whole-grain crackers or on fruits or veggies like apples or carrots.
And don’t completely cut out carbohydrates and fat, boston.com says.
“Healthy fats such as those found in nuts (also useful for snacking), and whole grains give you the energy you need to get through the day.”
Meeting munchies
Problem: You’re hosting a meeting, at which you normally serve pastries and doughnuts.
Possible solution: Bring healthy snacks like fruits and veggies, hummus, cheese and wheat crackers, boston.com says. (TAB)
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