Avoiding Office Munchies

After eating various lunches I find myself wondering why I don’t make certain meals more often.

Tuna salad is one of those meals.

It is flavorful, filling and protein-packed. It really should make more debuts on this blog!

To make my tuna salad, I combined:

• 1 can chunk light tuna, drained
• 1 tbsp. light Miracle Whip
• 1 tbsp. mustard
• 2 tbsp. sweet relish

I then placed the tuna salad on a bed of spinach leaves and surrounded it with red pepper slices to round out my salad.

For some extra sweetness, I also enjoyed a banana.

Pre-lunch, this little baby found its way into my mouth:

It was a coworker’s birthday today and I had to help celebrate! 🙂 (The Thanks on the cupcake is there because they were out of birthday cupcakes at the grocery store.)

Office Eating: Avoiding the Office Munchies

This little cupcake inspired my afternoon blog post because I started thinking about all the little treats and goodies that seem to pop up around the workplace.

Sometimes it seems like it’s someone’s birthday every day!

Cupcakes, brownies and cookies seem like staples in the workplaces of many.

When I worked at the Orlando Museum of Art after I graduated college, there was a two-month time frame around the holidays where the office was literally inundated with sweets and decadent foods due to museum event leftovers.

Bagels and quiche in the morning, pizza and subs at lunch and a tray of rich desserts in the afternoon.

My office just happened to be right next to the break room so I always heard people oohing and ahhing over the delicious goodies. I needed to call in a serious dose of self control to resist overindulging daily.

That experience helped make me aware that just because sweets and decadent foods are there at your workplace doesn’t mean you have to overdo it. A cupcake or a cookie is completely fine, but when birthday after birthday occurs and you find yourself eating several pieces of (leftover) cake every day, it can be hard to jump off the sweet train.

Here are my tips for handling the indulgent goodies that may pop up at your workplace:

• Indulge… But Don’t Overindulge. Have a piece of cake, a cupcake or a brownie and enjoy every bite. Not eating what everyone else is eating may cause you to feel deprived, making you want the dessert even more, which could lead to overindulgence later in the day.

• Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Offer to put the leftover cake in the fridge, away from your viewpoint. When a large cake is no longer staring you in the face, it’s a lot easier to resist.

• Keep a Snack Handy. I always try to have a cup of Greek yogurt in the fridge at my work just in case I am feeling particularly snacky. I always have a healthy go-to snack option and don’t have to resort to rich desserts to satisfy my hunger.

• Bring in a Healthy Dish. If you work is holding an office potluck, offer to bring in a healthy side so you know a great nutritious option will be available. Fruit salads, whole wheat crackers with cheese and grapes and sweet potato casserole (healthified, of course) are always popular dishes.

Of Possible Interest

• Bethenny Frankel’s Thoughts on Low Carb Diets (FitSugar.com)
• 6 Healthy Lunches to Bring to Work (Health.com)
• Understanding Why You Gained Weight (FitBottomedGirls.com)

Questions of the Afternoon

• Is your workplace inundated with sweets and indulgent dishes?
• What are your tips for healthy eating in the office?