We spend most of the time of our day at work and most people don’t have time to go home for lunch. Often the goal of healthier eating is constantly endangered by lunch in the office or in general by the habit of eating outside the home. We talk about this issue with Professor Daniela Lucini, head of the section for exercise medicine at Humanitas.

Four simple rules

Adult workers on average are engaged in work activities about 8.8 hours a day. By following these four simple instructions, you can significantly improve your power supply outside your home:

Keep away from the bowl of sweets and replace it with a fresh fruit basket. It has been shown that simply moving the candy container significantly reduces the consumption of added sugar during the day. Conversely, a well-placed fruit bowl is good for healthy snacks.

Watch out for the vending machine. The machines deliver snacks rich in sugar, salt and calories with little nutritional value. It is also better to give priority to fresh fruit or vegetables to break hunger.

Plan healthy snacks in advance and bring them from home. Relying on chance is never the right choice. Better to keep your meals under control by deciding what to eat before leaving home, taking into account mixed walnuts and cereal bars. Among the snacks from the refrigerator opt for yogurt, raw vegetables and fresh fruit.

Stop eating by yourself at the desk. Research has shown that eating with colleagues can increase both cooperative behavior and overall work performance – a win-win solution. Another alternative? Getting out for a walk during the lunch break will reduce the chances of overeating and allow you to get to the table more relaxed and less hungry.

Don’t forget to drink. Even mild dehydration can adversely affect memory and increase anxiety and fatigue, preparing the ground for both reduced work performance and nerve snacks. Finally, keeping a bottle of water handy so you can drink throughout the working day is always a good move.