Five Simple Tips for Avoiding Junk-food Munchies at Work

Option 1

Invest in instant oatmeal, and 3-minute farina. These are great, hearty and healthy, and take no time to prepare at all. Don’t worry about dirtying pots and pans either, or waiting for water to boil – both of these can be made in the microwave. Not a big fan of oatmeal? Find it bland and tasteless? Well I recently realized that the Quaker company offers individual packets of flavored oatmeals, ranging from apple cinnamon to blueberry, and all of them are delicious. They can be found in the cereal aisle at any grocery store, and the best things about these individualized packets are that they can be taken to work with you if you’re in a rush and eaten there; also, as with the 100 calorie packs, the amount you’re eating is controlled helping you to practice eating in moderation.

Option 2

This option is best if you want to feel like you have really eaten a “meal” with variety. Pick up a bag of whole wheat hamburger buns, or some whole wheat/whole grain bread (for those who don’t want to make that sudden of a change from white bread to whole grain, whole-white options are available both for buns and bread) from the grocery store. In the morning, put some peanut-butter (no jelly, just the peanut-butter) on the bun, or between two slices of whole wheat bread. Rinse off about two handfuls of the fruit of your choice and eat it alongside the miniature “sandwich” you’ve made. To wash it all down, drink a small glass of milk – anything will do, except for whole milk; the fat content it just a bit too high. If you’re a real lover of whole milk, however, and aren’t ready to make the switch to a lower percentage, simply drink a half glass of whole milk, or water down the whole milk slightly. Without even realizing it, you’ve just had a very basic balanced meal – every nutritional food group is represented, and this is a great way to give your metabolism a kick-start in the morning.

Option 3

Most importantly, schedule your snack-breaks carefully throughout the day. If you let yourself get up and have a snack every hour or so, even if the snacks are small and healthy, you are consuming more calories than you are burning off (unless you work in an active office environment, do a lot of heavy lifting, etc). However, snacks are needed to keep a person’s blood sugar up and prevent them from getting midday sluggishness, so take a look at your work schedule and then plan accordingly. I’ve worked both part time and full time, so to give an example I’ll describe my eating habits at work:

• Part time (5 hour work-day, starting at 9am ending at 2pm – no lunch break): 10:30am – chilled cereal bar; 12:30pm – a snack of fruit such as dried apricots, fresh strawberries, cherries, an apple or whatever fruit is in season. I sometimes replace fruit with a 100 calorie pack of my choice. Throughout the day I drink water, filling up my cup or bottle as soon as it’s empty.
• Full time (8 hour work-day, starting at 9am ending at 5pm – 1 hour lunch break): 11:15am – chilled cereal bar; 12pm-1pm – lunch, usually a turkey and swiss-cheese sandwich or, if I go home for lunch, a very small portion of leftovers; 3:15pm – 100 calorie pack of popcorn. Again, I drink water all throughout the day. With these small snacks I feel energized and my appetite is controlled and satisfied.

These are just a few tips to a healthier lifestyle. Sedentary jobs may take up most of your day and not leave much time for exercise, but small steps to eating better can help to keep you from packing on those unwanted pounds that creep up on you as a result of negative eating habits at work!