Working World

With American weights at an all-time high and jobs more sedentary than ever thanks to the information superhighway, keeping an eye on daily nutritional habits is the key to looking and feeling great. Whether you have recently fallen into less healthful eating habits or have been stuck in bad patterns for a while, identifying your eating style and making small, easy changes is the key to success.

Social Eater Rationale
“It’s a special occasion.” 
“Someone went to the trouble of buying, so I should have some just to be nice.”
“Everybody’s having some. I don’t want to feel left out.”

Profile of a Social Eater
Sure you already had a relatively healthy breakfast at home, but there are donuts sitting in front of you during your 10 o’clock meeting, and your coworkers are digging in. Or perhaps someone from the department brought in cookies or bagels for the whole staff. Or maybe it’s someone’s birthday and there’s cake for everyone. Or perhaps you’re at happy hour and the appetizers and drinks just keep coming. You couldn’t possibly say “no” — or could you?

Thankfully, you don’t need to say no to social gatherings, but you may want to look at how much you are consuming and how often you are consuming it. There is nothing wrong with celebrating special events, just keep it under control.     

Tips for Social Eaters
• Cut down portions. Savor the flavor and still be part of the crew by cutting portions in half. Eat only part of a bagel or donut and then put it aside. Enjoy half a piece of birthday cake instead of a whole. Limit beverage intake at happy hour by having a glass of sparkling water for each alcoholic or sugary nonalcoholic beverage you consume.

• Substitute. Most restaurants have healthy choices that can substitute for their heavier-fare versions. Employ nutritional common sense: Choose baked over fried and thinner sauces over creamy dressings.  

• Plan ahead. If daily restaurant lunches are common, try researching the healthiest menu choices in advance. Be open to trying new places that may require a short walk to get there, time permitting. Also, if you have a regularly catered meal at work, seek out the best choices from the menus and consider bringing in a small green salad to complement a main dish, or a piece of fruit to substitute for dessert.

Task Nibbler Rationale
“I just need something to get me through this.”
“I don’t have time for lunch or breaks.”
“I’m hitting my afternoon slump.”

Profile of a Task Nibbler

It’s just before noon and there’s no way you’ll be able to go to lunch; you have to power through a project or presentation. So you peel yourself away from the desk for a quick detour to the snack machine before you’re off to work again. Or perhaps it’s 3 p.m. and you’re fading fast. Thankfully, your snack drawer and candy jar are both in arms’ reach because you’ve got so much to do — time’s ticking.  

Multitasking may require fuel for focus, but like watching television with your favorite snack, eating while computing can be disastrous. It’s easy to consume too many high-sugar, high-fat foods because of the temporary energy lift and calming effect they seem to provide. Task nibblers may even eat when not physically hungry and, over time, eating in front of the screen becomes an associated habit.

Tips for Task Nibblers
• Keep it healthy. If your frenetic working style isn’t going to change anytime soon, substitute unhealthy snacks with healthier ones. Ditch chocolate and trail mix in favor of unbuttered microwave popcorn. Shy away from vending machine cookies and chips in favor of your favorite vitamin-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grain crackers. Exchange coffee drinks with unsweetened teas or sparkling water.

• Take time to focus. The busiest of workloads can benefit from a well-timed break throughout the day. Instead of relying on sugar- and carbohydrate-rich foods to provide focus, take a five or 10-minute break to stretch.  

All-or-Nothing Rationale
“I might as well since I blew it earlier.”
“I’ll start eating better tomorrow (or next week).”  
“What’s the use? I have no willpower.”

Profile of an All-or-Nothing Eater
You’ve been a saint today with a well-balanced breakfast, but your resolve is caving fast. You’re staring down a lunch menu and know you should get the salad, but go for broke and order the double cheeseburger with a side of fries and sugary drink.

Later that day, a coworker nabs you for a coffee run and you find yourself with an ice-blended mocha and a chocolate chip scone. You’ve been “bad” all day, so what’s the use — just eat whatever you want. Right? Wrong. You don’t have to eat perfectly to make more healthful choices that positively affect your health. All-or-nothing dietary choices can provoke worry and guilt and are associated with negative relationships with food and being overweight. Health is a sum of your nutritional intake and activities, so even the smallest of changes can bring benefits.     

Tips for All-or-Nothing Eaters
• Put perfectionism in its place. Just because you had one heavy meal or snack does not mean that you’ve “failed” for the day. Make better choices right away with your next meal or snack.

• Adjust your food view. There are no “good” and “bad” foods — only healthier and less healthy choices. The healthier you eat on the whole, the better. Experiment by substituting healthier versions of the heavier foods you love, and use portion control overall. It takes practice, but gets easier as you go along.

• Listen to your body. Physical hunger and satiety cues differ from person to person — get to know yours, and don’t ignore them. If you ignore hunger to “be good,” you can set yourself up for overeating later. Likewise, ignoring feelings of fullness to cram unhealthy choices in the moments you’ve allowed yourself to “be bad” only reinforces the overeating habit. No matter what you’re eating, the moment you feel full, stop.

Chrissy Coleman is a freelance writer and editor living in Los Angeles who fights against task nibbling and surprise appearances of Krispy Cremes at morning meetings.