Tuesday, 16 December 2008
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Work Food: What Do You Eat?
It's hard for me to get too excited about my lunch break at work. My choices are either a sub-par frozen meal, or grabbing something quick at the drive-thru. I've yet to pack my own healthy meal at home and bring it to work.
That's the odd part - I eat healthy at home, but when I'm at work, I'm grabbing cookies in the break room and getting nachos or a burger if I go out. I'm just looking for instant gratification without really thinking about the fact that what I'm eating tends to be empty calories. Plus, with the holidays, we've been having snacks and sandwiches catered to the office.
As for fast food, there are only a few choices that are within a reasonable driving distance, so those are the ones I frequent most often. And we're talking Panera, Burger King and Taco Bell - nothing to be proud of when it comes to healthy eating. However, I've been getting on their web sites and looking at their lower-calorie choices. So for instance, I'll do a half-order of salad and a cup of soup at Panera, or a grilled chicken sandwich at Burger King. (Um, Taco Bell has no healthier alternatives, but I usually go with the bean burrito...protein maybe? Ha, OK, I got nothin'.)
Frozen meals are alright every now and then, but they can't be THAT good for you. since there's usually a ton of sodium and other preservatives in them.
So what do you eat at work? What kind of routine do you have for lunch usually? Is your lunch always at noon, or do you tend to work later shifts?
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Comments (21)
I'd like to say that I eat healthy at work, but that would be a lie. I get Chipotle frequently. But sometimes I'll just get a sub sandwich at Ebert & Gerbert. I really need to work on healthier eating habits during the work day. Thanks for bringing it up.
I'm in college now, so I'm not currently working... but when I used to work, I would get Thai food from the Thai place right down the street. Probably not really healthy, but it sure beat fast food.
Well Panera is not that bad when compared to Burger King and Taco Bell. I am lucky there's not Taco Bell by my job otherwise it would be Taco Bell all day long for me.
yeah I was going the frozen food route for a long time, but the preservatives and sodium, not mention how unsatisfying they were for the calorie count were a large deterrent. I'm currently trying to cut out sodium and sugar as much as possible.
I've been doing a lot of fresh veggies and canned soup lately. it's just so much better to bring your own lunch. we have the added advantage of a full freezer/fridge and kitchen at my office, so that makes it convenient to keep all my lunch stuff at work.
home-cooked ftw
When I'm eating healthy, I usually eat lots of small stuff throughout the day. And its stuff thats easy that I can just toss into a lunch box. This includes oatmeal for breakfast; fruits, granola bars, yogurt, and raw veggies w/ hummus for my snacks. And lately for lunch I've been warming up half of a large wheat pita and stuffing it with turkey, cucumbers, sprouts and hummus. Its REALLY good and very low cal. My absolute favorite frozen meal though (its literally the only kind I buy) is Michelina's Lean Gourmet Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans. Its not a very large serving, but I think its delicious.
@Hathaway_Lane@xanga - It's time to shape up and put down the Chipotle. I'm so glad there's not a Chipotle around here. It sounds like a place I'd eat at every chance I could.
@point_of_no_R3turn@xanga - Are you a freshman? If so, beware of the freshman 15!
@vanedave@xanga - Taco Bell is just nasty, yet delicious. I try not to think about the horrible things I'm putting in my body when I eat there.
@spokenfor@xanga - Yeah, we have a fridge and a microwave here, too, which is why I should take advantage of it by bringing my own meals that I make. I could go for some fresh veggies right now.
@elelkewljay@xanga - mos def.
@kirlynz@xanga - Hummus is something I really want to try, because I'm pretty sure I'd like it. I tend to like things a lot of people think are disgusting (sushi, for instance). I'll check out the Michelina's - thanks for the tip.
@sam - Are your services for hire? HA! I need someone to tell me to step away from the burrito every now and again.
@Hathaway_Lane@xanga - chipotle is doable, but even a veggie burrito bowl with no cheese or sr cream or guac is gonna cost you in the 700 cal range. everything else is over 1000 cals. it's insane. and their food is so good. the best bet is to eat only half of what you get at chipotle and don't add any cheese/guac/sr cream. you could def. do worse, because their food is fresher and far healthier than many other places of its ilk.
Chipotle Nutritional Facts
I love Chipotle! A lot of the ingredients are organic or free from unnecessary hormones. Not to mention that it's yummy nummy in my tummy!
But generally speaking, I either bring restaurant leftovers from home (though occasionally the leftovers are from a home-cooked meal -- I hate cooking for 1) or I'll go to one of like four restaurants near me and grab something. I'm usually looking for food with enough calories to keep me satisfied until I leave the office. Probably not always the healthiest choices but I rarely eat fast food these days. (Panera Bread? So not fast food.)
When I used to work I tended to have the late shift. So I would eat a big plate at home and when it was break time, go into Starbucks and get a drink. When I had the morning shifts, since I don't like eating breakfast too early, I would give in and some pizza or Wendy's. It was hard sometimes though, since I worked at a restaurant, sometimes the managers made pizza for the staff. Which I would limit myself to two thin slices top.
Is Taco Bell really that bad? Darn.
No Subways? Hell, who am I kidding? I go to Quizno's so much more often than Subway. I can't help myself; the prime rib is amazing.
@sam - Yes I am... and actually I've lost 15 pounds since I've been here. Most likely because I can't afford to buy snacks or anything, lol.
Since im a stay at home mommy, I usually eat lunch between 1130 -1230. On fridays Kayla and I eat out as our mommy daughter day (while the boys are in school) but my kids eat fruit, pitas, string cheese or applesause......stuff like that. We eat pretty healthy (and organically)
Lame I know but my kids love it and Ive noticed they ahve a lot more energy and can focus better. (I guess that my COTA coming out lol)
Taco Bell did have something called Fresca or something like that which is lighter stuff. It's not all bad, bean burritos are that bad, for example. Home lunch is the way to go though, it's cheaper and healthier and you can bring snacks for breaks too so you're not starving at lunch time or sneaking bites of cake or whatever snacks pop up around the office. When I "have to" go out like for an office lunch or something, I try to order healthier items like salads or chicken or fish.
I work a couple of yards from where I live, so I dont normally have a problem with eating out... which is probably a REALLY good thing cuz I'm a taco bell addict.
Normally, I have a full throttle at lunch... dang, I'm freakin' addicted to those too!
Don't judge me! lol
And 2pm is the best time for lunch!
When I used too work, I used to just drink water and not eat much and wait until I was home, mainly because there wasn't anything nearby food wise, unless I brought sweets, which I didn't want, although I did have peanut m&m's a few times. The staff room had a fridge that I never used once, It would have contaminated anything left in it. The microwave didn't work. I used to have lunch between 12-3. They used to send me home quite abit so I didn't bother with bringing anything in at all after a while.
There are essentially only two restaurants within walking distance at my work, so I tend to bring a lot of leftovers and things from home. Definitely not the healthiest eater here though, I probably should get on that...
I have the same problem at work. I love Panera Bread but the line is always like a mile long or something. I think my town has the most fast food restaurants ever. We have two mc donalds within a mile of each other, a burger king, wendys, arbys, tacobell, and kfc. Not to mention the two other mcdonalds in town. it's ridiculous. we also have dunkin donuts of course. not to mention most of those are within 2 miles of each other.