Eating healthy, local, or organic at work can be challenging. More and more offices are being equipped with cafeterias or stocked up pantries to improve the work place atmosphere. Add to that work lunches, dinners, and monthly birthday parties, and it may seem that you have no control over what you eat! However, its important to regain control over what you eat at work – since the average American spends about 8 hours a day working. Eating well at work can contribute to your overall work environment and healthy living. Here are ten helpful tips for a eating healthy at work, and it may surprise you how easy it is to have control over if your food is local or organic!
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- 1. Bring Leftovers from last nights home-cooked dinner
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Bringing leftovers in for lunch at work is the healthiest option for eating – since you know exactly what ingredients you cooked with!
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- 2. Buy in bulk at home, then portion out to take to work
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Buying in bulk is both economical and healthy! Many grocery stores are now offering this option too. By portioning out individual sizes, you control the amount of food you eat. Pre-packaged individual snacks contain more calories than the snacks you make at home.
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- 3.If your office has a stocked pantry…
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Make a rule about how many times you go in a day, or how many snacks you take a day. Abstinence is not the answer – especially if the pantry is also a social space, moderation is key!
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- 4. Have snacks at your desk
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See our snacks page for delicious and easy healthy snacks that you cook at home and can bring into the office.
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- 5. Don’t forget to eat!
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Have you ever been so busy at work that you have forgotten to eat? If this happens often, set an alarm on your desktop or phone, reminding you that its time for a snack. While you may not seem hungry, your body needs the sustenance. If people wait to long to eat, they tend to make less healthy choices and eat a lot more!
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- 6. Think Crunchy things!
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Crunchy foods help us relieve tension and focus – a perfect combination for busy work days.
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- 7. If eating out for lunch…
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Suggest healthy restaurants if you are able to choose. If the restaurant choice is not up to you, look up the menu online before hand, to see what healthy options there are so you can go prepared. Also, think about ordering an appetizer instead of an entree. See the Out to Eat page for even more suggestions.
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- 8. Watch what you drink
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Instead of heading to the vending machine, have a glass of water first. Sodas, and even diet sodas are sneaky extra calories, just think – an 8 oz. can of Coca-Cola has 97 calories. You can also bring a water bottle to work, or even a bottle of seltzer and flavor it yourself with lemon, lime, or be adventurous and try other fruits!
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- 9. Have a Healthy Office Buddy
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At first, it may not be easy to make a healthy decision, so finding an office buddy in your office who shares similar food interests may make the shift to healthier eating easier. You can set lunch dates to try new healthy restaurants, or share recipes.
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- 10. Overall…
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If you find that eating healthy at work is difficult – you probably need to make a few changes to your routine. Wake up a few minutes early to make sure you have time to pack lunch and snacks. Buy cute containers for bringing food.
