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Make
sound choices for cubicle cuisine
May 27, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Do
keyboard crumbs and desk dribbles mark
your workspace?
Join the club.
As the push for workplace productivity
continues, many of us have jettisoned
that last little oasis of calm in our day
– lunch.
What has replaced it is often a
hodgepodge of snacks caught on the run
and eaten at the desk. Call it cubicle
cuisine or just plain grazing. Rarely do
we take a full-fledged lunch break, out
of the office, at a table, with an
entrČe and a couple of sides.
That fact alone isn’t cause for
alarm.
The problem lies in the types of foods
that now often replace a more wholesome
meal.
We’re a vending-machine-and
snack-cart nation. That means low
nutrition: too many sweetened drinks,
snack crackers, cookies, candies, cakes,
and fast foods high in trans fat,
saturated fat, and sodium, and low in
fiber and beneficial phytochemicals.
You can do better, and your health and
waistline will benefit.
What it primarily takes is a little
planning and some quality control.
Your individual circumstances may vary.
You may or may not have access to a
refrigerator or a microwave oven, for
instance. To the extent they make sense
for you, consider these tips:
Bring food from home. Chances are
it’s cheaper and better for you.
Bring it in a small cooler or an
insulated lunch bag. Pack it the night
before in reusable plastic or glass
single-serving containers.
Good choices include:
• Leftover salads, casseroles,
soups, baked potatoes, and cooked
vegetables.
• Seasonal fresh fruit. If you take
nothing else, pack 2-3 pieces every day.
• Fresh veggies from the garden.
Cherry tomatoes, green pepper slices,
radishes. No garden? Bring pre-washed
baby carrots, cucumber slices, and other
fresh vegetables from the store.
• Hummus (garbanzo bean dip) and
pita bread wedges for dipping. Warehouse
stores sell hummus in economical two
pound tubs.
• Natural peanut butter (no trans
fats) or almond butter on whole grain
crackers.
• Soup or hot cereal cups. Just add
hot water and stir.
• Whole grain muffins and quick
breads, and fruited bagels – usually
sweet enough that they don’t need
added cream cheese.
Your choices are likely more limited at a
snack stand or food cart. Whole grain
breads are harder to find, and ready-made
sandwiches are likely to contain fillings
high in saturated fat. Commercial muffins
and snack foods are often loaded with
trans fats.
Best bets – if they’re
available: Fresh fruit. Buy more than one
piece. Green salads, fruit salad, and
small bags of toasted seeds or nuts are
also good choices. Steer clear of soft
drinks and sweetened fruit beverages such
as Snapple and Fruitopia. Buy bottled
water instead, or fill up a cup from the
drinking fountain in your office.
I’ve seen vending machines that
dispense fresh fruit and bottled water,
so they’re not always a total loser.
But be very careful. Vending machines
usually offer very little of value and
lots that can do you harm. The best of
the worst: fig newtons, gingersnaps,
seeds and nuts, granola bars. If you
must, then supplement with something from
home – fresh fruit at the least.
In fact, why not keep a bowl of fresh
fruit in your office so that you have
something good to eat in a pinch? Look at
it this way: You can eat apples, pears
and grapes one-handed while answering
email.
And, if you’re the boss, set out a
big, communal office fruit bowl and
you’ll be doing your employees a big
service.
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