5 Helpful Strategies for Healthy Office Eating

It’s easy for work to sidetrack our health goals. Whether we’re stressed, a meeting runs over, or we feel there’s no time to take a lunch break, eating healthy at the office can be a challenge.

But consuming a healthy lunch has been proven to boost afternoon productivity, and healthy eating is also a surefire way to feel energetic and like our best selves.

To help you hop on the bandwagon, we’re sharing five helpful strategies for healthy office eating.

Meal Prep

Planning meals ahead of time is catching on as an effective way to eat healthy throughout the week. Meal prepping is basically planning your meals for the week and preparing them ahead of time, such as on a Sunday. That way all you have to do is grab and go on your way to work, and toss a few ingredients in the oven or stovetop when you get home.

Meal prepping saves time, prevents “decision fatigue,” and it also saves money.

Meal prep lunches include bowls and salads, while dinners utilize single sheet pan or crockpot recipes that are ready to eat when you get home.

Office Lunch Delivery

For days when you weren’t able to meal prep or forgot your lunchbox at home, office lunch delivery is an ace in your pocket. Find a corporate lunch caterer who offers healthy options and will deliver right to your office.

Stash Snacks

When we’re hungry, it’s so easy to reach for whatever’s convenient and delicious. But research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that working Americans consume an extra 1,300 calories from foods and beverages they got at work.

Cut those calories by keeping an assortment of healthy snacks at your desk, such as fruit and nuts, or add yogurt to your space in the office refrigerator. 

Need inspiration? Check out this list of healthy snack foods you can keep at your desk.

Eat breakfast.

Yep, the entirety of this step takes place before work even begins. Enjoying a healthy breakfast ensures optimal cognitive function and a revved metabolism among other perks, and it reduces our inkling to cave on than ideal food choices when our hunger catches up to us.

Step away from your desk.

A staggering 83% of Americans admit to eating meals and snacks at their desks. This causes mindless snacking, which contributes to the extra 1,300 calories we mentioned above. Not only that, stepping away from your desk encourages you to seek healthier food options, chat with co-workers, and get a much-needed break.

Could your office eating habits use a refresh? Give these five helpful strategies a try.

Meet Rootasters:

Meg is a dreamer, entrepreneur, and homesteader based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She loves her cats, feasting, and road trips in her green VW Bug.