13 Practical Tips To Eat Healthy While Working From Home

Most of us started working remotely at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak to cope with social distancing norms. While working from home has proven to be a boon for companies worldwide, it has a few adverse effects on employee health.

Eating healthily, for one, can be a difficult task while working from home. With uninterrupted access to your kitchen and refrigerator, you might be tempted to gorge on junk foods many times a day. Such over-eating habits can affect your health and cause serious health problems.

Also, while some of us may overeat foods, others may fall prey to undereating. Deadlines, heavy workloads, and more may cause many employees to miss meals and forget to eat altogether.

Since bad eating habits are not sustainable and extremely harmful, you must learn to eat healthily in your home office.

Eating Healthy While Working From Home

Proper nutrition can help you stay productive and healthy and keep your immune system robust in such dire times. Whereas, lack of the same can cause serious health issues like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and so forth.

Keeping your nutrition in check can be tough in today’s fast-paced world. Especially in times when we can just order anything we want to eat without caring the least for our health.

Since we use the internet and apps for every other little thing, why not wellness? A digital wellness app can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while your calories are in the count.

With these apps offering a wide range of features like calorie counters, nutrition trackers, recipe suggestions, and many more, keeping a tab on your health has become easier than ever.

Employees can now easily track their food consumption and make healthier daily decisions. Furthermore, several digital fitness apps provide social support and community features. These communities can assist employees in staying motivated and on track with their health and fitness goals.

Employees can maintain their physical and mental well-being by using digital fitness applications to stay healthy and active.

In this blog, I have mentioned 13 healthy tips below to help you eat while working from home. These tips and strategies are simple to understand but will benefit you greatly in the long run.

So, let’s delve into each of them -

1. Plan your meals.

The first step is to plan what and when you are going to eat throughout the day. Schedule when you will eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and be punctual. Also, plan what you want to eat so that you have everything figured out ahead of time.

This way, you will be less likely to eat additional meals, and your nutritional habits will become regular.

2. Prepare your meals beforehand.

Preparing your meals ahead of time is very important if you want to ensure that you eat your meals regularly. Meal prep allows you to save up valuable time as well.

Preparing the ingredients for your meal beforehand means you can dive straight into cooking without all the extra work.

Also, specify meal time for lunch and a snack. For example, you will eat lunch at a particular time, and in the late afternoon, you will have a snack. Even if you are a remote worker, behave like you were in your office, where you couldn't graze all day.

You can also use certain apps that will notify you when you need to take your meals. This will help you not forget any meals or eat on time.

3. Count your calories.

Being aware of the nutritional information of the foods you consume is very important, especially the calories. Eating too many caloric-dense foods will cause you to gain weight.

But also, not getting enough calories will cause you to lose weight and experience a lack of energy. Hence, counting the calories in your foods is crucial if you desire good health.

A wellness app like Vantage Fit can help you to easily track your meals and the number of calories you consume throughout the day. With the help of such an app, you can now keep a tab on your calorie count. You can then check whether or not your body is getting enough calories.

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4. Stay Hydrated.

Water is essential for the proper functioning of all bodily functions. Get a reusable water bottle for your desk. Fill it every morning to encourage yourself to consume water throughout the day. If you focus on drinking water and being hydrated, you'll consume less coffee and sugar.

However, most of us do not drink adequate amounts of water throughout the day. The goal is to drink 64 ounces per day. Otherwise, it can lead to dehydration. And dehydration can cause fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and so on, which harm productivity.

Ensure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day as you work from home. Doing so can help suppress your appetite and keep hunger pangs away.

Some apps keep reminding and notifying you to have your water also, and you can keep track of your water intake and see the progress. Features like these and much more help those who struggle to have enough water.

Suggested Read: Water Challenge: A Step towards a Healthy Lifestyle

5. Don’t buy junk food.

Avoid buying unhealthy, processed junk foods as best as you can. Such foods are high in sugar and unhealthy fats and provide little to no nutritional value at all.

Eating junk foods can cause you to binge and overeat. So, do not stock up on junk foods and instead focus on buying real foods that are nutritious and healthy.

6. Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy and balanced diet. These foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and contain high fiber. Fruits and vegetables have many more essential nutrients needed for the proper functioning of your body.

Eating fruits and vegetables regularly makes you feel healthier and fresh throughout the day. Besides that, you notice a change in your energy levels when you start your day with healthy fruit. Also, besides using them in lunches or breakfasts, they can be eaten as snacks.

7. Keep healthy snacks at your work desk.

There may be random times throughout your workday when you feel hungry but do not want to eat a full meal. For such times, healthy snacks are the way to go, as they are tasty and filling.

Snacking on healthy foods can help you stay productive and energized throughout your day. They also provide you with essential nutrients at the same time. Moreover, snacking on these particular foods can boost brain health and cognitive function.

8. Avoid drinking too many caffeinated drinks.

Many people drink coffee or tea while working, as such drinks contain caffeine, boosting focus and energy.

While caffeinated beverages are safe to consume in moderation, drinking too much can cause problems like

• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Digestive issues

These side effects can hinder your productivity while working. Hence, limiting yourself to a certain number of cups of coffee per day is advisable. You can go for herbal tea instead.

9. Limit your salt and sugar intake.

Anyone looking to lead a healthy life should start limiting the amount of sugar and salt they consume regularly. While they are essential for our bodies, most of the foods available in markets contain excess amounts.

Food items such as cookies, biscuits, chocolate, and ketchup. And these food items, when consumed in large amounts, can cause serious health issues.

High blood sugar causes diabetes, whereas salt can cause high blood pressure, both life-threatening diseases. They both can also affect your ability to focus on work-related tasks. Hence, limiting the amount of salt and sugar you consume is a good idea to prevent adverse effects.

10. Try to enjoy cooking and preparing your meals.

Stop looking at food as only a means of satisfying your hunger and learn more about cooking and nutrition in general. Check out recipes online and try to make them on your own.

Once you learn more about cooking and start enjoying it, your creativity will increase. You will also have fun preparing your meals and choosing the right foods to stay healthy.

11. Don’t work near the kitchen.

If your work-from-home space is near your kitchen, try to set it up in a different location. Working near the kitchen or the fridge can distract you from your work. You will be constantly tempted to eat something now and then.

Also, try to avoid entering the kitchen frequently during work hours. For example, come to the kitchen only when it's time to eat lunch during your lunch break. This way, you can stay focused at work and not let food become a distraction.

12. Focus on Your Mealtime

Just because you have a lot of work does not imply you will continue working while eating. Being distracted while eating can lead to overeating and decreased fullness. So you need to take a break from work to enjoy lunch and relax for a few minutes.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that people preoccupied while eating ate more at that meal. According to the findings, increasing mindfulness during meals may aid in weight loss and maintenance.

Take a break, sit somewhere other than your workplace, or close your computer for a few minutes to eat. Enjoy your meal, and be mindful of what you eat.

13. Look for your protein needs.

You will be more productive if you eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet. It keeps you fuller for longer and helps with concentration. What you consume affects your mood and energy levels. Concentrate on protein, fiber, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.

Ensure you meet your daily protein requirements (1gm/kg body weight). To accomplish so, include at least one healthy protein source in your daily meals.

Suggested Read: 7 High Protein Snacks For Work To Boost Energy and Health

Conclusion

Remember to emphasize your health and well-being by adopting these recommendations into your daily routine. Most of all - staying hydrated and being attentive to your consumption.

And to keep track of your nutrition count, you can take the help of wellness apps such as Vantage Fit. This app will allow you to segregate your nutrition count, be it protein, fats, or calories.

Vantage Fit creates one of the most solid solutions for nutrition tracking. It features everything from calorie counting for meal planning to step trackers and other exercise activities like squat tracking and meditation sessions.

The user interface is also easy to understand. The health journal function preserves each employee's daily record of meal planning and water intake. This can help them go back, evaluate their improvement, and plan appropriately. It does what you'd expect a food journal to do.

As an employee, you might find working from home has numerous advantages, such as flexibility, comfort, and convenience. On the other hand, it can also create problems in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including appropriate eating habits.

Little modifications in your eating habits can result in big gains in your general health and productivity at work and home. So, take charge of your health and adopt these suggestions immediately!

FAQ

Q. 1 How can I keep myself motivated to eat healthily while working from home?

The below-mentioned points will help you stay motivated to eat healthily while working from home.

• Set goals for yourself
• make a food plan
• Seek support from friends or family members

To keep things interesting, explore various foods and cuisines.

Q.2 How can I avoid overeating while working from home?

To avoid overeating while working from home, it's crucial to establish a plan for your meals and snacks and to avoid mindless munching. You can also practice mindful eating by eating slowly and taking breaks to concentrate completely on your food.

Make use of these tips to stay healthy by adopting healthy eating habits while working from home. Feel free to leave your comments in the section below.

Besides working as a content marketer at Vantage Circle, Shah Alif Ahmed is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist, competitive bodybuilder and a musician. For any queries reach out to editor@vantagecircle.com