Don’t Work Hungry

Article written by Joe D’Eramo

You shouldn’t shop when you’re hungry as you are likely to purchase items you wouldn’t ordinarily buy. It’s similar when you work from home. Unlike a traditional office, you have access to every food item in your home. And that can lead to any number of bad eating habits.

My HOH called in an expert for this topic, Marissa Szabo, wellness coach and owner of Well & Simple, to offer suggestions on foods to keep around when you work from home. She also provides some very helpful dos and don’ts when it comes to eating and working from home.

Working from home comes with a whole slew of challenges when it comes to our eating habits, some of them unique and some the same as we faced working in the office. One of those commonalities is eating out of stress, boredom, procrastination, etc. Before I get into some strategies here, I want to make something clear: it is normal to eat for these reasons. It’s a normal thing we do as humans because we don’t just eat for fuel. There are all kinds of reasons why we eat and each of them is valid. The problem is when those eating habits don’t align with our health goals.

When it comes to snacks to keep on hand, protein and complex carbohydrates are key. They will both keep us feeling satisfied and provide us with the fuel we need to stay focused and productive. Here are some options:

• Carrots and hummus

• Celery and nut butter

• Crunchy chickpeas (Such as Biena) (check the sodium on each flavor)

• String cheese and whole grain crackers (I like Mary’s Gone Crackers)

• Apple and nut butter

• Almonds

• Edamame

• Protein bars (I like Zing and Barebells)

• Avoid making snacks like chips, pretzels, candy, etc. commonplace for your work-time snacks. These are simple carbohydrates that won’t stay with us very long and can be easily overeaten.

Because the way we eat is never just about the food, we need some strategies to go with these snack ideas.

1.  Don’t eat straight from the package. Dish out a portion for yourself and put the container away. This helps cut down on mindless eating and overeating.

2.  Try to avoid mindless eating. As much as possible, stop working when you are eating so you can focus your attention on the food. This will increase your satisfaction and decrease your likelihood of overeating.

3.  Use a tool like the Hunger Scale to check in with yourself before and after you eat. This strategy is particularly helpful if you struggle with eating out of stress, etc. You can Google the Hunger Scale and select one that you like best based on your needs. Use that to help you tune in to your body to determine if you’re truly experiencing hunger and if it’s a good time to eat.

Remember that it’s OK to eat enjoy your favorite fun foods from time to time and there will be days when our eating habits just don’t align with our bigger goals. That’s OK! Every time you eat is another opportunity, so go easy on yourself and find strategies that work best for you.

You can these tips and others by subscribing to Marissa’s newsletter on workplace wellness by clicking here.

National Napping Day

One of the great benefits of working from home is you can take a short cat nap—10-20 minutes—and feel refreshed. IMHO that’s why people ARE working longer hours during the pandemic. They are able to nap here and there and that can buy you several more hours of productive time. Hence that is why we honor National Napping Day.

For more on this treasured holiday, particularly on the first day of Daylight Savings, click here.

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