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In the often tumultuous office life, a balanced and healthy diet is difficult to implement for most people. Hectic, time constraints and high pressure are only some of the reasons. With permanent overload and stress, healthy nutrition often takes a back seat.
The fact is: a healthy and balanced diet leads to higher performance and an improvement in the quality of life. Those who eat consciously benefit from a healthy body shape and a strengthened immune system, and prevent diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The risks of high blood pressure or stroke are also reduced, as is the risk of a heart attack. Furthermore, nutrition has an influence on the psyche. People who eat a balanced diet are more likely to feel happy and relaxed.
If eating right has so many benefits, why do most people find it so difficult?
One factor is simply lack of knowledge. Most do not even know that the food they eat is unhealthy. And contain hidden fats, chemical flavour enhancers and sugar. Another reason is that a healthy lifestyle is often more time-consuming, as it doesn’t just involve shoving a pizza in the oven. However, the time put into food preparation comes back in the end: through an extended life expectancy. 🙂
The basics of a healthy diet
A healthy diet is characterised above all by balanced and varied meals composed of little processed food.
For optimal performance, the body needs a steady supply of essential nutrients to generate sufficient energy. This includes healthy carbohydrates as well as vitamin sources such as fruits and vegetables. Another important component is healthy fats in the form of unsaturated fatty acids, as well as sufficient protein and the intake of vital minerals and trace elements. It is at least as important to make sure you drink enough water or tea. Fruit spritzers or fresh smoothies can occasionally serve as a supplement.
Integrate healthy nutrition into everyday working life
So how do you integrate healthy eating into your daily work? In the hectic office routine, this is a challenge for many – but there are various tricks that can still succeed:
Tip 1: Preparation is the key
Driven by cravings, we quickly reach for unhealthy things. Therefore, preparing for a balanced diet at the office starts with breakfast at home. If you leave the house hungry, it’s easier to treat yourself to a sweet pastry at the bakery. Therefore, it is generally recommended to have a snack at home. For example, oatmeal with banana and yoghurt (or vegetable alternative). If this doesn’t fit into your schedule, a ‘muesli to go’, ‘overnight oat’ or ‘chia pudding’ can be prepared the night before to take to the office and eat.
Tip 2: Eat mindfully
Eating a chocolate croissant in front of your computer is not only bad for your keyboard, which is already full of crumbs, but also for your health. Eating consciously means not snacking at your desk in between meals, but taking time to focus only on the food. Because only those who eat mindfully enjoy the meal, chew more slowly and are satisfied more quickly. If you constantly eat unconsciously on the side, you don’t notice how much (also unhealthy) food you take in.
Tip 3: Healthy lunch with and without canteen
Healthy and balanced food can often also be found in canteens. The advantage here is that nothing has to be prepared or reheated and the meal is usually offered for free or for little money. However, if insufficient healthy meals are offered, “Meal-Prep” can also be resorted to. You can simply prepare your meal at home and bring it to work. It sounds like a lot of work at first, but it doesn’t have to be. It is best to prepare the meals the night before and store them in the fridge or freezer. It’s important to get the right storage boxes with separate compartments so that the meal doesn’t become a uniform mash and stays fresh long enough.
Healthy Meal-Prep recipe to try:
Lentil curry with basmati rice
INGREDIENTS FOR TWO SERVINGS
(AND THUS TWO OFFICE DAYS):
- Approx. 100-120 g red lentils
- Approx. 200 g fresh vegetables of your choice
- 1 onion
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp curry paste
- Approx. 200 ml coconut milk
- Ca. 200 ml Approx. 200 ml vegetable stock
- Approx. 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
- Fresh herbs optional (e.g. parsley or coriander)
- Approx. 100-120 g basmati rice (also available as a wholemeal variety)
PREPARATION
Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Peel and dice the onion and ginger and gently fry in a wok pan with the heated coconut oil. Meanwhile, chop the remaining vegetables and add them gradually. Fry everything for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring again and again. Add the curry paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Then pour the coconut milk and vegetable stock over it and mix everything well. Add the lentils, put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes on low-medium heat until the lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally. Season with lemon juice and fresh herbs.
Snacks
Healthy snacks, such as fruit and vegetables, are now often found in office kitchens. If this is not the case for you, you should still not resort to unhealthy snacks such as rice pudding, crisps or pudding, but rather bring something from home. Fruit or vegetables in the form of vegetable sticks are perfect for this, but you can also use untreated nuts. But caution! Thanks to the many healthy fats, these little energy bombs have more calories than chocolate!
Conclusion
A healthy and balanced diet helps us to cope with daily life in an efficient and active way and to prevent various diseases. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to put good intentions into practice. The above tips and tricks can make this task much easier. It is especially advisable to eat breakfast at home to avoid cravings and to always have water and a selection of fruit and vegetables on hand to supply the body with sufficient vitamins.
