Tips for maintaining healthy eating at work and school
WHEN AT WORK OR SCHOOL,
food options aren’t always ideal for
those trying to manage their weight,
let alone their weight and diabetes.
With effective planning, however,
you can still make the right food
choices when outside the home
environment.
Preparation is key
Although there are more factors outside
of your control when you are outside
the home, making healthy eating a chal-
lenge, these are relatively predictable—
allowing you to prepare in advance.
Here are some situations you might
face and some solutions to help you:
CHALLENGE: Workplaces and
schools are taking steps to offer
healthier choices, but these choices
are intermingled with more tempt-
ing unhealthy options.
SOLUTION: Take your own meals so
you have control over your calorie
and glucose intake.
CHALLENGE: Work makes us hun-
grier. Even if that work is mainly
mental, you will burn calories—the
brain uses 20% of the body’s energy.
SOLUTION: In addition to your pre-
pared meals, take emergency snacks
for when you need to quickly respond
to low blood glucose levels or excess
hunger that would ordinarily lead
you to veer off your healthy eating
track. Also, always keep water with
you—this will help curb hunger with-
out raising glucose levels.
CHALLENGE: The colleague or peer
who brings in “treats” to share.
SOLUTION: Show them how treats
can be healthy by researching
and making some tasty healthier
options. Have you tried Lemon and
Coconut Bliss Balls? Simply mix
together some shredded coconut,
almonds, dates and lemon zest in
a food processor, roll the mixture
into balls, and cover in desiccated
coconut. Your colleagues will love
you, and you will stick to your
weight-management plan.CHALLENGE: Office and school
parties.
SOLUTION: Have a small snack
before you go to the party to ensure
you aren’t ravenous when you get
around the party food.CHALLENGE: Early mornings mean
you skip breakfast for that extra bit
of sleep.
SOLUTION: Don’t skip breakfast.
Since you need to eat about five
to six small meals a day for bet-
ter blood sugar control, the ideal
time for your first meal is in the
morning. This will also ensure you
don’t get a hunger attack or sugar
cravings mid-morning. There is a
huge difference between being
hungry and ravenous. By keeping
the latter at bay with regular eat-
ing, your mind rather than your
stomach will be in control of what
goes into your mouth.
It is important to stick to a fixedmeal schedule even during the work
week/school days. Eat about the same
number of calories every meal to
stabilize both your glucose and your
satiety levels. Preparing your meals
in advance will help ensure that you
won’t go under or over your required
energy intake.Squeeze in some physical activity
Your weight management strategy
should also include regular physical
activity that can be incorporated
into your school or work day. For
example:
Take a few flights of stairs instead
of the elevator
Walk around the office/campus
during your breaks
Stand while on a telephone call
or studying for a test
These may seem like small
changes to your routine, but they
will help you achieve and maintain
your weight goals. This is especially
important if your job requires long
hours of sitting at your desk or you
spend a big part of the day sitting
in classes at school.
The school and work day tend to
be much more structured than a
day at home, so use that structure
to your advantage to help instill
some healthy habits and routines
into your life. Nicola Davies, PhD, is a health psy-
chologist and author of I Can Beat Obesity!
Finding the Motivation, Confidence and
Skills to Lose Weight and Avoid Relapse.Your Weight
By Dr. Nicola Davies
Shutterstock/A
lho
vik60 September/October 2019