We all
recognize the challenges of being at a desk for the majority of the day. The
following guidelines will help you to better manage these lifestyle challenges
of office eating so you can sustain your energy levels, work smarter, and
get more out of your day.
VENDING MACHINES, OFFICE TROLLEYS, AND TUCK SHOPS
Most of the foods on offer are high in
saturated and total fat, sodium and/or sugar, and virtually devoid of fibre and
vitamins.
Eating these foods on a regular basis may
result in erratic blood sugar levels, leaving you with low energy,
irritability, poor concentration, weight gain, and an increased risk of diabetes, heart
attacks and stroke, gout, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases.
What to
do:
¨ Before grabbing a snack, consider whether you rather
need a break from what you’re doing. Going for a short walk or getting
a breath of fresh air may be all you need to feel re-energized.
¨ Drink a glass of water as you may simply be
dehydrated.
¨ Do not allow yourself to skip meals. Hungry people tend
to make unhealthy food choices, particularly if tempting snacks are readily
available.
CAFFEINE-RICH
DRINKS
Although tea, coffee, and cocoa contain
beneficial flavonoids and other
antioxidants, the caffeine content limits
their benefit. Overconsumption of caffeine often goes hand in hand with
overconsumption of sugar and refined unhealthy snacks such as biscuits. Excess
caffeine intake may cause feelings of anxiety, increased
blood pressure, insomnia, and headaches. It can
also be a digestive system irritant, causing heartburn, cramping, or diarrhea
in sensitive individuals.
What to
do:
¨ Before having a cup of tea or coffee, go for a short walk or a breath of fresh air
as it may be all you need.
¨ Limit yourself to three cups of java per day. Hot
chocolate, cola drinks, and energy drinks should not be consumed on a regular
basis, but rather as an occasional treat.
¨ Avoid coffee and tea creamers, as they are high in
saturated and trans fats, which increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart
attacks, and stroke.
¨ Skip the sugar. The total daily sugar intake for an
adult should be less than 10% of total energy, which equates to eight teaspoons
of sugar per day for women and 12 teaspoons for men.
¨ With every cup of coffee or tea, drink a glass of
water to quench your thirst.
¨ During cold and flu season, try hot water with a
slice of lemon, orange, or fresh ginger in it. Herbal teas also count as water.
MEETINGS
If I had a dark chocolate bar for every time I heard
about the muffins and donuts at meetings...The challenge with meetings is that
either unhealthy foods are provided or none at all. Foods on offer during
meetings typically are highly refined and high in fat. This can limit
productivity and creativity – how sharp do you
feel after a muffin with 4 tablespoons of sugar? - and promote, of course, weight gain.
What to
do:
¨ Be proactive and if possible, organise healthy food
platters for meetings. Source various catering outlets that provide delicious
smart snack platters.
¨ Suggested snack platter items to your usual caterer:
cucumber strips, cherry tomatoes,
hummus, celery sticks, berries, boiled eggs, chicken strips, grapes,
snap peas, baby corn, pineapple, sweet peppers, smoked salmon, etc. Yummy and
very power suit-friendly!
¨ Keep your own healthy snacks on hand to consume
during or between back-to-back meetings.
¨ Ensure that water is available in all meetings along
with the tea and coffee.
¨ Rather have a smart snack before meetings and then a
beverage during the meeting.
¨ If you have to eat from unhealthy food platters, fill a plate of food once, keeping in mind that half should be vegetables
or fruit. In this way, you end up eating a fairly balanced meal rather than too
many high fat, high carbohydrate snacks if you nibble continuously.
¨ If there are four or fewer of you who need to have a
meeting, consider going for a walk while addressing the issues at
hand. This helps to reduce unhealthy snacking – and, bonus, it spurs creativity
and let's everyone know that workplace wellness is part of the company values.
TRAVELING
This is a tricky one. Time zone changes on top of the the usual work
stresses really make this a tough challenge for my corporate clients. Whether you spend a lot of time in a car or
hotels, or fly across time zones, traveling disrupts your usual eating routine
and can play havoc with healthier food choices.
What
to do:
¨ The biggest challenge with meals served on
aeroplanes is the almost complete lack of vegetables and fresh fruit. Make sure
you do eat all the salad and vegetables that are served or ask for the
vegetarian option.
¨ Should you wish to have a meal before boarding a
plane, choose a salad-based meal with a small protein serving.
¨ Meal timing is the other challenge when traveling.
A main meal should only be consumed four to five hours after the last main
meal. Should you be served a meal one to two hours after a large meal, treat
this meal as a snack, rather than consuming the whole meal.
¨ Fruit juices, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages
are, strictly speaking, too energy dense. Make water your beverage of choice. If
you must imbibe, match every alcoholic drink with a glass of water.
¨ Drinking enough water is very important, as long
flights are particularly dehydrating. Have a glass of water for every hour or so.
What do you do to stay healthy while at work or on travel? I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below.
No comments:
Post a Comment