Healthy eating at work and its effects

If you spend many hours every day in your office, you will inevitably have to do your nutrition during this time as well. Many people take the supposedly "easier" route and simply go to the snack bar around the corner during their lunch break. But this is usually a fallacy, because in many cases this food has a negative effect on work performance. Healthy nutrition at work and sufficient water are aspects that you should not underestimate.

In this article, we look at how you can balance productivity and a balanced diet.

the essentials in brief

• Eating healthy at work can boost your concentration and improve your work performance - especially when it comes to vitamin-rich and low-fat foods
• With a healthy diet that you have to prepare, you don't have stress to eat enough and good for your body
• In addition to a healthy diet at work, sufficient water is also an important point so that you can stay focused and productive on long days
• When it comes to healthy eating at work, protein-rich foods and products with little sugar and fat are particularly relevant

These foods are suitable for healthy eating in the workplace

If you want to emphasize a healthy diet at work, you should ban certain foods from your daily schedule or at least only consume them occasionally. Fatty and sugary foods make you sluggish, more prone to headaches and your concentration then decreases. These foods also increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Here are the foods you should avoid:

• Greasy foods such as sweets, certain types of meat or greasy sauces
• Foods containing industrial sugar, such as sweets or soft drinks
• Big, heavy meals
• In addition, loud and impractical snacks such as chips or strong-smelling food that can disturb other colleagues

You should avoid large meals for healthy nutrition at work, as they are very heavy on the stomach. Unless you can rest for about an hour after this meal, because then your body can digest and you're fit again. However, there are also some small fatty snacks that can help you at work - more on that later.

Sitting for a long time every day increases your risk of diabetes and obesity – but food makes this happen faster. You should therefore consider whether you should also establish a height-adjustable desk in addition to a healthy diet at work. This allows you to work standing up and thus promote your circulation - please have a look at the detailed product pages of desqup .

Healthy eating at work – we can recommend these snacks

A healthy workplace diet consists of several small, healthy meals. Your working day should always start at home with a healthy and sufficient breakfast, because this is the only way to create a solid basis for the rest of your day. Experts recommend that you eat your breakfast within the first 20 minutes after getting up and drink enough.

Tip: For a healthy diet at work, we recommend that you always drink at least half a liter of water in the morning, preferably in two glasses. If you can do it, you're welcome to do more, just not all at once.

A light meal is recommended for breakfast, but it still contains some carbohydrates and, ideally, some protein. Here, for example, muesli with Greek yoghurt or skyr is a good choice, since you have also integrated a protein source here. Ideally, you can also add protein powder or use a "protein muesli" from the start. As an alternative to muesli, wholemeal bread with cream cheese and some vegetables is always a good choice.

These snacks are also suitable for a healthy diet at work:

• Fruit or vegetable sticks as a snack between meals, ideally with a yoghurt or herbal dip for extra protein and calcium. Easily digestible and quickly prepared, these are an ideal companion
• Nuts or stone fruits like an avocado are healthy sources of fat that you shouldn't overconsume. For a healthy diet at work, you should eat no more than a handful of nuts or an avocado per day to cover your fat requirements and promote your concentration
• Wholemeal or rye bread, together with cream cheese, is also a good snack for work, as it is quick to prepare and you have many options for variations. For example, you can also integrate sweet ingredients here to create variety
• Rice or corn cakes are suitable for healthy eating, they can be filled with many things and need almost no preparation time. A protein-rich spread such as hummus or grainy cream cheese is recommended here

In addition to a healthy diet at work, you should also promote an ergonomic working posture, because this is the only way you can remain productive and not have to struggle with back pain or posture problems. An ergonomic sitting and standing stool like the desqup Motion will help you. You can learn more here .

Just as important as healthy nutrition at work: Sufficient water throughout the day

If you don't stay hydrated for a long day at work, your work performance will suffer almost immediately. Even if you only work sitting down all day, you should drink at least 2-3 liters of water. If there is activity, you have to quickly increase the amount to 3.5-4 liters, especially with intensive sport.

Tip: Add lemon or mint to your water for a variety of flavors and vitamins in addition to hydration. Other citrus fruits are also suitable here.

If you're a "bad water drinker," you can also set reminders on your phone to always drink a glass of water. This inevitably keeps you hydrated on long days. A water bottle with enough capacity for the whole day is also a good idea, because in addition to healthy eating, you always have a goal in mind when it comes to water.

You notice the consequences of dehydration quickly - headaches, sluggishness, reduced productivity and severe tiredness already in the afternoon. Therefore, sufficient water is an even more important point than a healthy diet at work.

We hope that with this article we were able to give you an understanding of the most important basics of healthy eating at work. If you would like to read more about exciting topics from all areas, please have a look at our desqup blogs .