Eating Lunch at Your Work Desk May Increase Your Waistline

The habit of eating Al Desko has grown to such an extent that two thirds of people now eat lunch at their desks most days of the week.

There are various reasons to hamper our work in the office and a recent study has found that eating at the work desk, especially, smelly food is also a major reason.

Having lunch at the desk is now becoming common at work place and two out of five people were too busy to take a proper break for lunch.

Snacking at Work Desk can Make You Gain Weight
A new survey has found that eating unhealthy snacks at your work desk makes you pile on almost half a stone a year.

‘Al desko diners are those who have food at their work desk. They run the risk of increasing their food intake later in the day which can lead to weight gain and obesity.’

In a survey of 1,000 office workers, two out of five said they were too busy to take a proper lunch break, while over half branded colleagues who eat strong-smelling food as ‘anti-social’.

Gareth Cowmeadow, of interior landscaping firm Ambius, which conducted the research, said, “Some people may not realize how much of an effect their lunch choices could have on co-workers who sit near them.”

Pungent packed lunches include oily fish, cheese and egg sandwiches and these have an adverse effect on working conditions and office culture.

Exercises You Can Do at Your Work Desk
Easy work exercises involve sitting, standing, stretching, yoga, and breathing techniques for the muscles of the hands, shoulders, wrists, neck, back, legs, and ankles.

The worst smell was said to be mackerel or sardines, followed by cheese and eggs and the best smelling were buttered toast, fresh pastries and bacon sandwich.

But desktop dining may not only be bad workplace etiquette - it could also have a detrimental effect on waistlines.

Eating Lunch at Work Desks Increases Productivity?
Employees who eat their lunch at their work desks were more productive compared to those who go out for a leisurely meal.

Experts have warned that the growing culture of eating in the office could lead to weight gain, with health psychologists saying it distracts people into forgetting they have eaten.

Prof Ogden advised office workers to build a proper lunch break into their schedules and said, “Any form of distraction, including eating at our desks can lead to weight gain.”

Carbohydrates and Its Role in Obesity
Over 1 billion people world-wide are obese thus affecting their health due to their nutrition and lifestyle. 3.9% of India’s population is obese! Know more about obesity and its prevention.

Eating at one’s desk is also highly unhygienic - with computer keyboards and worktop surfaces being riddled with millions of bacteria. In 2014 Dr Lisa Ackerley, Professorial Fellow at the Royal Society of Public Health, warned that the average office worker comes into contact with 10 million bacteria a day.

“We know from studies 3,000 organisms per square inch can be found on a keyboard or over 1,600 a computer mouse”, she said. Over the course of a day you might be picking up those bacteria and then if you suddenly decide to have lunch at your desk without washing your hands first, you’re basically transferring those bacteria into your mouth.

Source-Medindia