Alison
Dougherty's job can be hectic. Working on multiple projects at
once, often without time for lunch, the Washington, D.C., learning
consultant grabs what she can when she can. Most times, that means
the food she keeps at her desk.
Dougherty's desk
drawers are stocked with everything from protein bars to instant
soup mix. She used to keep a stash of Dove chocolates there,
replenishing it when it was empty. After one particularly stressful
day, though, she ended up eating an entire bag, or about 30
chocolates. "I got pretty sick," says Dougherty, 30.
"I had wrappers laying across my desk. It wasn't
good."
In Depth: Are You A Smart
Snacker?
Recently, Dougherty, who calls herself a "stress
eater," decided she needed to get rid of the bars and
chocolates and fill her drawers with healthier fare like sugar-free
instant oatmeal.
Workplace snacking habits
like Dougherty's are played out in offices across the country.
We've all done it. When we're stressed, when we're
bored and sometimes when we don't even realize it, we'll go
for something--anything--within reach. Cookies in the
drawer. Heat-and-brown vending machine entrees. The candy jar on
the receptionist's desk.
The majority of Americans
eat lunch (67%) and snack (61%) at their desks, according to a
survey by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and over
one-third eat breakfast there. Especially during these times of
instability in the job market, many workers are putting in longer
hours, so it's not surprising that the office desk has become
the dining table of choice.
Dougherty's oatmeal is
better than chocolate, but what's even better?
Don't keep food at your desk at all. The biggest snacking
mistake people make is keeping food that close at hand, says Dawn
Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian with the ADA and author of
The Flexitarian Diet. "It could be whole grain
crackers, but if you [eat] mindlessly while you're answering
the phone or typing, it can get excessive," says Blatner.
"The idea is that it's lazy-access. Having [snacks] there
is not healthy."
Keep snacks in the
kitchen
Avoiding snacks
altogether isn't the answer, though. Snacking can be an
important bridge from one meal to the next, and it keeps your
energy up. Eating small snacks can also help you avoid overeating
at mealtimes. The key is to keep it somewhere--like the office
kitchen--where mindless eating won't be a problem. "You
have to get up to go to the kitchen, get a plate and bring it
back," says Blatner. "You have to make a conscious
decision."
Portion it
out 
Jennifer Smith keeps
snacks in the kitchen, but she likes eating crackers at her desk
too. While Smith, who works for a New York City marketing and
corporate incentives firm, tends not to be an all-day nibbler,
"if I'm working intensely and have a pile of crackers
sitting there, it could be gone," admits Smith, 32. In order
to keep herself from eating the whole box at work, Smith indulges
her craving and avoids overeating by bringing a small baggy of the
crackers to work.
"Never, ever eat
directly out of a large package," says Blatner. Eating from a
baggy or even better, putting it on a plate, lets you see what
you'll be eating. Your brain will actually register what
you're eating and, if anything, seeing that huge mound of
Cheez-Its on the plate might just shame you into eating less.
Distinguish snacks
from treats
Keeping your
goodies in the kitchen and portioning it out is all well and
good--if the snack is actually nutritious. Many people
don't distinguish between snacks and treats, a difference
that's especially easy to ignore given clever snack food
marketing. "A 100-calorie pack of Oreos is not a snack.
It's a treat," Blatner says. "A snack is nutritious
and filling. A treat is not."
Snacks should pack enough
nutrition to provide energy so you don't yearn for more and end
up overeating. This is not to say treats are banned. Blatner says
you should probably only snack about twice a day and can
occasionally replace one of those snacks with a treat, making sure
to keep both snacks and treats to 150 to 200 calories each.
Rethink your
grocery list
Candy bars, chocolates and
cookies are full of basic sugars. But people who overdo these
treats should be more concerned with the lack of nutritional value
than with an unsustainable sugar high. The liver actually regulates
the amount of glucose that is released into the bloodstream and
only puts out what the body needs. So while the body may absorb
sugar more quickly than protein once the liver does release
it--which may account for what people describe as a "sugar
rush"--avoiding sugary snacks makes more nutritional
sense.
"It's just crappy food," says
Dr. Don C. Rockey, chief of digestive and liver diseases at UT
Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "If you've got a
nice car, you don't want to put in gas that's diluted with
water. Same with your body."
Make time for
lunch
What office eaters
need to remember is that snacks are a supplement to meals, not a
substitute. But with busy schedules, a proper lunch (or breakfast
or dinner, for that matter) can be hard to fit in. Healthy meals
often require planning.
Dougherty says she finds
herself eating three or four cups of the instant oatmeal a day as
her lunch because she's busy and it's convenient. As an
alternative, make enough dinner the night before so you can pack
some for lunch. Even easier: Buy a pre-made rotisserie chicken and
tear some meat on lettuce for instant chicken salad in less than
five minutes. For veggie lovers, an easy option is to throw
pre-shredded veggies into a pita with hummus, for a healthy,
no-fuss sandwich.
Despite her hectic workday,
Dougherty says she is trying to improve her office snacking. She
started bringing in apples and hummus. She admits, though, she has
continued eating the oatmeal packets for lunch. "I'm more
of a snacker," she says. "I don't have real
meals." Perhaps the only way for Dougherty to get the
necessary nutrients? She started buying vitamins--which she keeps
at her desk.
In Depth: Are You A Smart
Snacker?
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Comments 1-8 of 8
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Posted by Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:58pm PDT
Report AbuseI sometimes eat breakfast at my desk, always eat lunch at my desk and I do keep snacks available... BUT I portion out my snacks from home and they usually consist of fruits and veggies, I rarely go to the vending machines (compared to if I didn't have my fruits and veggies)
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Posted by Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:18pm PDT
Report AbuseProtein works best--starch will just keep you snacking all day!
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Posted by Sat Aug 1, 2009 2:13am PDT
Report AbuseIts best if we do not snack while we are stressed or overworked. Its better to maybe go for a walk or talk to somebody first then when you are relaxed, then you eat and you will not overeat.
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