Foods to Avoid in Sitting Jobs

Rather than restricting yourself with any food to eat, I would say be mindful of what you are fuelling your body. We are in the era of desk jobs and sedentary lifestyle as we see everything is easily available just on one click. This has now have converted to the full time ‘work from home’ in the current pandemic situation, which is now new future. It’s not uncommon to work at a desk five days a week with limited breaks. Millions of people do this every week! Unfortunately, working a desk job, or sitting for long hours on end, can have a negative toll on your health, both physically and mentally.

Now, key area to focus and learn is the nutrition or mindful eating while on desk jobs. So how we focus or plan on it? People who spend too much of their day sitting with limited movement and food options have higher chances to develop conditions such as carpal tunnel, depression, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. And we see that around already.

Few pointers to adapt slowly which will help in longer run :

Be prepared – Prep your meal in advance, bring your own healthy snacks. Get into weekly meal plan.

Get enough Sleep – Sleep deprivation leads to poor eating and bad food choices. Lack of sleep can increase ‘Ghrelin’ -A hunger hormone, which lead to binge eating or any eating.

Start day right – Do not start with sugary snacking in morning. Start with protein rich food which will keep you full for longer. Avoid packed or processed foods.

Stay hydrated – Hydration is very important factor which majority of people do not concentrate or avoid. Do you know – water has H2O formula i.e. have oxygen in it? Good breathing in and more water intake help body to grasp more oxygen which helps in oxidation process and making the metabolism right. Minimum of 3 litres per day is required.

Make fibre your friend – Do you know fibre snacking can help you in reducing the crave of munching? Bowl of fruits and vegetables during snack time helps you provide micronutrients. Also, fox nuts, any nuts just 10-15gms is good to have for munching.

Nutrient loaded Lunch and Dinner – From few years now people do lot of binge eating and are becoming couch potato. Why is it so? Just remember – Foods that are messy, crumby, smelly, noisy, or sugary can have a serious impact on everyone’s productivity. Do not restrict on essential nutrients – Carbohydrates, Protein and fats. Keep 30% of the complete day eating loaded with Proteins like Eggs, cheese, paneer, chicken breast, nuts, legumes, soya, whey protein etc. But, Quantification is important to understand here. Anything beyond the limit will lead to reverse effect.

Hide the candy bowl – Studies show that visually accessible sweets (like a candy jar /cookie on a desk) leads to greater caloric intake in the workplace than if that same candy jar was stashed away.

If you choose to have a snack, choose something you know you will enjoy and will satisfy you. Make a sustainable habit and healthy lifestyle. Once you are in, I recommend telling people about your goals and what rules you have created for yourself.