If you’re working remotely it can be easy to fall into bad eating habits. You might find yourself raiding the fridge every time you feel a little peckish and, unlike working in a city, it’s not so easy to pop out for a salad at lunchtime. It can also be difficult to find time to cook properly.
However, healthy eating remains an important element of a happy lifestyle. With that in mind, here are 6 tips on how to eat well when working from home:
1. Shop well
It’s all very well having great intentions to eat lots of fruit and veg, but if your cupboards are full of crisps and biscuits you’ll just end up eating them instead. Give your willpower a helping hand by not buying junk food in the first place.
2. Stock up on healthy snacks
We all have energy lulls mid-morning and mid-afternoon. In the office you can quickly grab a chocolate bar from the vending machine for a sugar boost, but at home it’s easier to choose healthier snacks. Stock up on nuts, fresh fruit and vegetables and dried fruit like raisins and apricots. That way you can have a bowl of healthy finger food ready for when you’re feeling peckish. If you’re craving crisps, try low-fat popcorn instead – it’s wholegrain and much healthier.
3. Prep your snacks
If you’ve got a really busy day ahead and only have a few minutes to grab a snack when you’re hungry, there’s no way you’re going to spend valuable time washing, peeling and chopping vegetables – you’ll likely grab a handful of custard creams instead. To avoid bingeing on unhealthy stuff, make sure you have some cut-up carrots, peppers or celery ready in the fridge. (You could even be really organised and have portions ready in a sandwich bag.) That way you can just grab a pot of hummus and start dipping the next time you get the munchies.
4. Schedule your meals and snacks
Working from home can be very liberating, but it’s easy to lack routine when it comes to eating. In the office, everyone tends to go out for lunch or head out for an afternoon coffee at a similar time. At home you may get tied up in a task, skip lunch and then end up eating crisps at your desk all afternoon. To avoid missing meals or overeating, plan mealtimes into your calendar and make sure that you move away from the computer to eat. Scheduling meals also means you can keep track of how much you’re eating, instead of constantly grazing.
5. Meal plan
It may sound dull, but planning out your meals for the week is a great way to eat healthily while saving money. Knowing what you’re going to eat every day helps you to stay focused, as you’ll only buy the ingredients that you need for each meal. It can also be fun looking through cookbooks and trying out different recipes. Anticipating whatever delicious combination you’re going to cook at the end of the day can also help you to avoid snacking.
6. Socialise
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you always have to eat alone. If you could do with some company, call a friend and arrange to meet for lunch. They could pop over to your house or you could meet at a café or a park. It’s also a great way to get some fresh air, which will definitely make for a more productive afternoon.
Posted by Julie Tucker