The issue on how to stay healthy while at work is an endless discussion. Perhaps, the information on how to do that in terms of proper selection of healthy food would ease everyone’s mind. Either you pack your own meal or just make an order in a restaurant, the knowledge about the nutrition you could get out of the food and bring at work or selected from the list of dishes in a restaurant is the most important thing to consider.
Firstly, to bring your own meal at work can be the first option to eat healthier for having total control of sorting out healthy food from unhealthy one. How are you going to do that?
Diet plan
Initially, you need to have a plan first. Included to this, is the consideration of your working schedule. Not all employees have fixed schedule as some have shifting schedules. This is to say that the food must coordinate to the time you’ll eat your meal.
- Next is to plan ahead of time the food you wanted to bring at work. In doing this, it is better for you to learn healthy food that you may bring at workplace, according to mealtime.
2. At breakfast, one could prepare food like low-fat yogurt, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, cereals, coffee and tea. Most of these items are available in sachet and proven to be healthy.
- On the other hand, I believe that to mention food that are not healthy will give you an idea of the food you have to avoid. These are bagels, sweet pastries, muffins, croissants, juices, fast food, cakes etc. These food are rich in sugar and fat and are proven unhealthy.
- At lunch, my suggestion to you is to avoid food loaded with fat and sugar. Vegetables and fruits are always included in the list. Whole wheat or multigrain breads and tortillas are healthy sources of carbohydrates. If ever there would be a chance that you wanted to eat cheese or add some mayonnaise, it is advised to keep it minimum as possible.
- At dinner, you can prepare salad with variety of vegetables and dark-leafy greens. You may add grilled chicken, salmon or beans. Avoid preparing food that are fried and some items that contain a lot of mayonnaise or dips.
- Prepare the food as planned. Choose a durable container to store the food. It must be sealed to avoid spillage.
On the contrary, for several workaholics, to prepare their own food seems impossible. It is undeniably true that many employees just go to restaurant and eat the food they like as they have no time to pack their meal. In a survey, about 50% of working people who are away from home are not health conscious, and would tend to order any food available on the menu that seems tasteful for them. These people cannot be blamed as the majority of these food being served in restaurant are not healthy and can be dangerous too. Admittedly, fatty food and sweets are proven not healthy to one’s health, but are always present on the menu because of its palatable taste. However, not all food in the restaurant are unhealthy. In fact, many research had been done on how to modify food to be served healthily for the consumers.
Having been said that, again, it is always the job of the workers to select the right food with the right nutrition.
Basically, as mentioned earlier, there is a high percentage that the food being served in a food chain seems unhealthy. Things to bear in mind that the breakfast options are high in fat, sugar and calories.
- Food served in restaurant that may be available and can be considered healthy are yogurt and some fruit, low- fat milk and 100 % fruit juice.
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Samples of breakfast meal to order in a restaurant are the following:
- Egg white omelet, which is rich in protein
- Wheat toast which is rich in fiber
- Sandwich filled with many vegetables
- Small portion of grilled chicken
- Low skim milk for beverage.
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Samples of meal for lunch to order may include:
- Salad, but served with only half of the dressing;
- Grilled chicken
- Smoked turkey breast.
- For beverage, just have a free ice water or if possible, a zero-calorie drink.
- Eat raw vegetables and fresh fruits at dinner for meal if possible. Stay away from fried items and junk food because of high fat content. It is also suggested to prepare meal at dinner that is baked, grilled or poach.
At job, you need to stay healthy and energetic. So, consider the above healthy food choices while working and stay healthy and fit during the job hours.
Ruby Andrew lives in Bristol, UK and is an avid reader and blogger. Since her early years she’s had a passion for writing. Her articles have been published in leading UK newspapers. Her areas of interest are food, reviews (Book/Movie), Travel, Fashion, Lifestyle, fitness and health. She works as a guest blogger on her chosen areas of interest and currently writes on behalf of turkey visas.