The Office Diet: 'Protocol' That Is Damaging to Your Health

This year I made a huge career switch. Up until this change of pace, I’ve primarily worked in restaurants: everything from counter-food style to fine dining to the art form that is modern sushi. While shifting gears to a more career-driven workplace has been new and exciting, I couldn’t help but recognize what types of unhealthy habits are prevalent in office settings.  

The Office Diet

The cliche office diet is a vicious beast. The psychology of an office can directly impact health consciousness. Cheap coffee and unhealthy pastries are considered the daily normal. At times it can seem almost taboo to turn down office snacks, and fear of being labeled as the ‘health nut’ of the office can lead many to cave in and consume food and drinks that they usually wouldn’t.

In a work environment that is mentally exhausting or physically demanding, healthy meals are important, no matter what job you do. The human body needs to be properly fueled to maintain a level of solid productivity. When I recently started at an office job I instantly picked up on the rituals and diets of my coworkers. While remaining respectful, I began to notice a lot of commonalities. Recognizing bad habits or common situations can help you stay ahead of the curve.

Skipping breakfast

The alarm clock failed to do it’s job, nothing sounded tasty, or traffic was worse than usual; these are all excuses that cause us to skip breakfast.

I enjoy starting my morning off with fruit or other fresh produce and try to stay away from excessively glutenous or processed foods like cereal and pastries. My go-to when I’m in a bind is yogurt with either chia seeds or hemp seeds mixed in. This is a nutritious, fast, and delicious breakfast.

Binge Drinking Coffee, and Forgetting to Drink Water

This is a cliche that is alive and well. Coffee is a symbol for total bliss. It equates to actually being functional at 7 AM, despite rolling out of bed late and barely making it in on time. Coffeehouses are a haven of ritualistic behavior, and distribution companies want nothing more than to deliver pounds upon pounds of their cheap office blends, time after time.

While delicious to some and hair-raising to most, coffee drinker habits are not very healthy. This is certainly the case when consumed in excess. Furthermore, it is important to combat caffeine addictions by staying properly hydrated. Many people drink coffee all morning, and forget to drink water the rest of the day. This is a one way ticket to dehydration.

A much healthier option is to try tea or yerba maté instead of coffee. These drinks can offer as much caffeine, but normally have antioxidant properties and other health benefits.

Microwaves and Frozen Processed Lunches

Although microwaves are one of the most convenient modern appliances, they are effectively killing us one radiation ray at a time.
According to a previous Wellness article:

“Microwaves can significantly reduce nutritional content of food. One study found that broccoli cooked in the microwave lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost only 11% or fewer of its antioxidants.”

In those times of dire necessity, microwaves can suffice. But please don’t be that person at the office who microwaves their food for ten minutes. This not only smells terrible 99% of the time, it’s killing off any nutritional benefit that food may have once possessed.

Too Much Meat

It’s easy to just throw the remainder of last night’s steak dinner into a plastic container and call it good. Or to grill up a few extra burgers Sunday evening and deem that your lunch prep for the week. However, the reality of the situation is that Americans simply consume too much meat.

Practice moderation, and break the mold of many people that think it’s necessary include meat in every meal.

Typical Office Snacks to Avoid

The birthday party, the celebration of a promotion, and the farewell to a leaving employee; these are all times to bond as a team at work, and pig out on sugary carb-filled sweets. These are the real danger foods. Focus on the cause for the celebration, not the food it tempts you with. Here are some common harmful and free treats that are typical of office settings:

• Supermarket birthday cakes and ice cream
• Donuts and other pastries
• Soda/vending machine snacks
• Candy and chocolate
• Company fridges stocked with processed garbage food

Proper Preparation: Your New Best Friend

• What not-to-eat has been addressed multiple times, but how about some guilt-free snack options?
• Raw tree nuts are delicious and often overlooked as a valid snack.
• Try hemp seed popcorn instead of “Monsanto-corn”
• Eating produce that is in season equates to better quality and lower cost.
• Avoid the dirty dozen and all hail the clean fifteen

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

The next step is to plan out healthy meals every work week. This takes a serious level of commitment but the financial and health benefits are far greater than being lazy and ordering food for delivery at work.

Consider how easy it is to make pesto from scratch. Greens and fresh herbs offer many health benefits, and are often viewed as superfoods. Take it a step further and grow your own herbs in your kitchen. This saves money and fills your home with an incredible aroma!

Now that you are a pesto expert and have healthy herbs growing in your home, consider throwing it all together into a clean eating alternative. Welcome the spiralizer to your life! A spiralizer is a kitchen appliance that makes noodles out of pretty much anything. My favorite related recipe is a raw zucchini noodle pesto ‘pasta’.

Another simple and well-rounded idea is hummus and veggies. Once you make your own hummus for the first time, you’ll be amazed at how much better it tastes. Avoid buying gimmicky produce items like baby carrots and pre cut veggie sticks. Instead, make sure you have a sharp knife and proper cutting technique, then chop chop!

You’ve been warned and you’ve been informed. The choice is yours to make smart long-term decisions or to fit the mold of what everyone else at the office does.