Alison Dougherty's job can be hectic. Working on multiple projects at once, often without time for lunch, the Washington, D.C., learning consultant grabs what she can when she can. Most times, that means the food she keeps at her desk.
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Dougherty's desk drawers are stocked with everything from protein bars to instant soup mix. She used to keep a stash of Dove chocolates there, replenishing it when it was empty. After one particularly stressful day, though, she ended up eating an entire bag, or about 30 chocolates. "I got pretty sick," says Dougherty, 30. "I had wrappers laying across my desk. It wasn't good."
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Recently, Dougherty, who calls herself a "stress eater," decided she needed to get rid of the bars and chocolates and fill her drawers with healthier fare like sugar-free instant oatmeal.
Workplace snacking habits like Dougherty's are played out in offices across the country. We've all done it. When we're stressed, when we're bored and sometimes when we don't even realize it, we'll go for something--anything--within reach. Cookies in the drawer. Heat-and-brown vending machine entrees. The candy jar on the receptionist's desk.
The majority of Americans eat lunch (67%) and snack (61%) at their desks, according to a survey by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and over one-third eat breakfast there. Especially during these times of instability in the job market, many workers are putting in longer hours, so it's not surprising that the office desk has become the dining table of choice.
Dougherty's oatmeal is better than chocolate, but what's even better? Don't keep food at your desk at all. The biggest snacking mistake people make is keeping food that close at hand, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian with the ADA and author of The Flexitarian Diet. "It could be whole grain crackers, but if you [eat] mindlessly while you're answering the phone or typing, it can get excessive," says Blatner. "The idea is that it's lazy-access. Having [snacks] there is not healthy."
Keep snacks in the kitchen
Avoiding snacks altogether isn't the answer, though. Snacking can be an important bridge from one meal to the next, and it keeps your energy up. Eating small snacks can also help you avoid overeating at mealtimes. The key is to keep it somewhere--like the office kitchen--where mindless eating won't be a problem. "You have to get up to go to the kitchen, get a plate and bring it back," says Blatner. "You have to make a conscious decision."
Portion it out
Jennifer Smith keeps snacks in the kitchen, but she likes eating crackers at her desk too. While Smith, who works for a New York City marketing and corporate incentives firm, tends not to be an all-day nibbler, "if I'm working intensely and have a pile of crackers sitting there, it could be gone," admits Smith, 32. In order to keep herself from eating the whole box at work, Smith indulges her craving and avoids overeating by bringing a small baggy of the crackers to work.
"Never, ever eat directly out of a large package," says Blatner. Eating from a baggy or even better, putting it on a plate, lets you see what you'll be eating. Your brain will actually register what you're eating and, if anything, seeing that huge mound of Cheez-Its on the plate might just shame you into eating less.
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