Nutrition | Work From Home And M

Healthy Eating

Nutrition is an essential component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating a diet of nutritious foods keeps you fuller for longer periods and fuels the body. In turn, this enhances productivity and makes it easier to concentrate throughout the day. Working from home can come with many challenges in maintaining a balanced diet. There are several ways employees can start or restore healthy eating habits while working from home.

How can working from home affect your diet?

In one 2020 study that collected data from 1,028 adults in Switzerland ages 18-≥75 (Ammann et al., 2022), it discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted individual health behaviors, including whether food choices increased, decreased or remained the same.
52% of employed individuals of the sample worked from home.
Participants were asked in an online survey on their concerns on food availability during the lockdown.

Remote work was associated with making healthier or less healthy food choices depending on individual circumstances.

1.) It was reported that the lockdown allowed for more time to purchase

nutritious food or cook more fresh, healthy meals.

2.) Those affected by pandemic-related stress were susceptible to snacking

more.

Results: Results of the study found that working remotely has been positively linked to making healthier food choices during the lockdown, including an increased produce intake. At the same time for others, there was a reported increased intake of unhealthy options such as sugary snacks. This variation was more dependent on participant circumstances. Participants who experienced heightened stress from the lockdowns snacked more for comfort and were less likely to be focused during work (Ammann et al., 2022).

Another study found foods prepared from home are generally higher in nutritional value & lower in caloric content (Restrepo & Zeballos, 2020).

what this means?

Working from home provides the opportunity to make healthier food choices. But different stressors or changes that may come with working remotely or from everyday life can deter the path to good nutrition. Eating healthy foods can help you cope with stress quicker and better!

See below for some tips on maintaining healthy eating habits while working from home.

nutritional tips

Do meal prep

Making your own meals puts you in control of the ingredients and portion sizes. To plan meals for your workdays for the week, set aside time the day before heading back to work in your home office to meal prep. Experiment with different healthy recipes to keep meals interesting and enjoyable for you or your family. Click below on MyPlate for more info to refer to while meal planning!

Stay Hydrated

Don't forget to drink water throughout the day to avoid fatigue and remain proper hydration. The general recommendation is 8 oz cups a day, but how much water you need every day depends more on your activity level and diet. Take small sips at a time from a reusable water bottle or glass. Always choose water over sugary beverages. Try lemon or fruit-infused water as a different alternative to plain water.

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Take breaks from work to eat

Set a schedule for regular mealtimes to eat without doing work in front of a screen. Being present while eating meals allows you to be more likely to enjoy the food in front of you, avoid overeating, be more satisfied with the food and make healthier food choices. You also may be more aware when you start to feel full when you are not multitasking between work and eating.

Have healthy snacks on hand

Prepare snacks ahead of time and have them ready whenever you're hungry in between meals. Snacks can give you some energy during the workday. Ask yourself whether you are snacking out of stress or boredom. Doing so for these reasons can lead to overeating. Choose snacks with a high protein and fiber content to help keep you full.

Choose fresh fruits like bananas, oranges or apples or vegetables like carrot or celery sticks. Have nuts as an alternative to chips. Avoid snacks with high amounts of added sweeteners or salt whenever possible. Have whatever is both healthy and tastes good to you!

How to improve productivity with good nutrition?

Watch this short video for an overview of some of the ways you can change your eating habits for better productivity at work!