Diet for sedentary work - how to eat when you spend 8 hours in a sitting position

22.06.2024 02:10

Are you not getting enough sleep every day and are you in a rush in the morning? Many women and men have the same problem.

We need to get ready for work, and often there is not enough time to have a proper breakfast. Also, we often do not take lunch with us, not to mention dinner.

Many of us lead a sedentary lifestyle. Due to lack of time, we reach for snacks and fast food.

This leads to excess weight and health problems. How to fix the situation and what should you eat at work?

Diet for sedentary work

Paradoxically, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle often end up being very busy.

food
Photo: © TUT NEWS

We are faced with deadlines, we are stressed, and all our carefully crafted plans for diet, exercise, and rest are falling apart before our eyes.

Few people realize that lack of organization also affects the functioning of the body.

Irregular and skipped meals disrupt brain function, create abnormal relationships with food, and contribute to excess weight.

Regardless of whether a man or a woman needs to eat at work, it is worth setting a specific time for eating.

How many of them there will be is an individual question. There are people who choose 5 small meals, but more often, and there are those who feel better taking 3 large portions a day.

According to the Institute of Food and Nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle requires a balanced diet that supports brain function and provides the body with all the nutrients it needs.

It's also worth paying attention to foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish and seafood, as well as seeds and nuts.

Breakfast is essential

A sedentary lifestyle does not relieve us from the need to resort to healthy eating.

It is a well-known fact: a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. And the most important meal of the day is breakfast.

Without it, we will have a hard time functioning at high speed. You can take a diet breakfast with you to work, but it is much better to eat it at home.

Research shows that if you are on a diet, you should have breakfast at work within an hour of waking up. This will have a positive effect on our mood and concentration levels.

Interestingly, a diet breakfast at work will provide the body with less need for carbohydrates, and we will not feel hungry.

What to eat for breakfast during and after a diet? It's worth focusing on several food groups:

  • whole grain cereals - bread, buns, bran,
  • vegetables - preferably seasonal,
  • fruits,
  • dairy products in limited quantities: milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt,
  • lean meats, high-quality processed meats - preferably as little processed as possible,
  • nuts and seeds.

Consequences of Skipping Breakfast

Breakfast at work is a staple for men and women. If we skip it once, the world will not collapse, but such regularity can lead to unpleasant consequences that will torment us for several days.

Without breakfast it is harder to lose weight! Neglecting carbohydrates in the morning slows down the metabolism. This means that we will gain fat faster.

Skipping breakfast at work for both men and women can lead to sluggishness and a general feeling of being run down.

The first meal of the day affects the level of immunity. Refusing it is revenge on your own health!

Without breakfast, we cope with stress more easily.

The body wants to make up for the lack of carbohydrates, so during the day we often experience cravings for unhealthy snacks - sweet and salty.

You will experience problems with concentration.

An empty stomach produces gastric juice in excess. This can lead to ulcers.

What to Eat for Breakfast at Work

Instead of skipping breakfast, you can take it to work with you. For example, scrambled eggs on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato slices are a great option.

Alternatively, you can opt for overnight porridge, which you prepare the night before in an airtight container and take with you so you have something to eat for breakfast at work.

Choose regular meals

The human body loves routine. It guarantees safety and regularity. That is why it is so important to eat at work.

Eating regularly is important not only for the digestive system, but also for the nervous system. This affects health, satiety and well-being.

According to research, we should ideally eat five times a day. However, this is very individual: some people feel better when they eat three large portions, while others prefer six small ones.

When we eat at a certain time, our body is always ready to receive a certain portion of calories for energy at the same time.

If we do not follow the correct diet at work, this is a signal to the body that it is running out of additional "fuel" and needs to save the accumulated energy. As a result, the metabolism slows down, and we gain extra fat rolls.

Let's also remember that the evening diet for sedentary people should be light. Give preference to small portions that do not interfere with sleep. Vegetable dishes should be especially rich.

Healthy snacks and a sedentary lifestyle

Diet food at work doesn't have to be boring and tasteless. It's good to have a snack at your desk that you can reach for.

So we won't be heading towards the chocolate bar vending machines. We'll be choosing what's at hand.

What foods are best for work? These include:

  • Carrot and cucumber, cut into sticks,
  • A handful of nuts,
  • country cheese,
  • Crispy bread,
  • High fiber fruits such as apple, kohlrabi, vegetable juice.

Such dietary products for work do not require long preparation or even cooking. They can be taken with you anywhere, and reaching for, for example, a carrot, you can satisfy your craving for sweets.

Try to maintain a healthy body weight

The right breakfast for work for a guy and a woman will provide energy for several hours. However, dietary breakfasts for work are not all.

It's worth taking food with us for other parts of the day as well, depending on how long we'll be away from home.

First, you should calculate your energy needs. Usually, it turns out to be less than we assume.

You can use an online calculator to calculate your energy needs.

Knowing this, we can determine how much and what to eat at work to lose or maintain weight.

The foods we choose to eat at work have a huge impact on the appearance of our figure and our health.

Help your gut survive sitting

Eating lightly at work and getting some exercise are very important for the whole body.

When working at a desk, our diet will be different from the diet of people who prepare food for physical work.

If we lead such a lifestyle, we should know what to eat when we have sedentary work. Avoid foods that cause bloating and gas. Stomach tightness will not help us feel better.

Don't forget to get up once an hour and move around and stretch a little. This will help improve intestinal peristalsis.

Reduce your risk of disease with proper nutrition

A proper diet for work, limiting the consumption of carbohydrates, including sugar, will help prevent many ailments.

People who lead a sedentary lifestyle should be wary of heart disease, high cholesterol or diabetes. Choosing whole grains and good alternatives will simply make us healthier.

Movement - Change what you can influence

A diet for those who sit at a desk cannot do without movement. It is an extremely important part of life.

Stop work once an hour, do a short stretch, take a walk and, if possible, get some fresh air. In addition, it is worth preferring walks and replacing the elevator with the stairs.

A properly prepared workplace

A diet for a sedentary lifestyle is not only about nutrition. It is also about proper ergonomics of the workplace. Do not forget about a comfortable chair and adjust it to your height.

Position your monitor so that it is in your line of sight. Avoid crossing your legs and try not to hunch over while working.

Keep everything within reach and in order. Neatness improves your mood and concentration!

Earlier we talked about what to marinate beef in to make it soft.

Valeria Kisternaya Author: Valeria Kisternaya Editor of Internet resources


Content
  1. Diet for sedentary work
  2. Breakfast is essential
  3. Consequences of Skipping Breakfast
  4. What to Eat for Breakfast at Work
  5. Choose regular meals
  6. Healthy snacks and a sedentary lifestyle
  7. Try to maintain a healthy body weight
  8. Help your gut survive sitting
  9. Reduce your risk of disease with proper nutrition
  10. Movement - Change what you can influence
  11. A properly prepared workplace