Ways to get an 'extra' from the work covers

The preparation of our daily menus, although it may seem very simple, is ultimately limited by our current cravings, the ingredients at our disposal (which although we have just made the purchase, it seems that something is always missing) and the time we have. Even so, it is possible to have a healthy and balanced diet.

A completely different story is when we have to cook beforehand to get a caper to work. To foresee in advance what we want to eat and at the same time to endure in good condition until the time to do so has more crumbs than it seems.

“You must always bring food to work. The one you buy there usually has twice as many calories.”

There are few dishes that meet this requirement. The easiest thing, of course, is to eat pasta, but it is not advisable to eat spaghetti bolognese every day because our health may end up resenting. Very much so.

In addition, not all caps are the same or, put another way, some are healthier than others. When, in the office, we put the plastic of the container in the microwave of a company, certain compounds harmful to our health, such as bisphenol-A, a chemical compound whose ingestion is considered dangerous, can be released when exposed to heat.

What to do

With regard to the choice of materials for our tablets, there is still no official conclusion, but it is planned that in the coming months the European Food Safety Authority will rule on the safety of three different types of plastics in contact with food (such as tablets), dibithiophthalate (DBP), benzylbutylphalate (BBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl)phalate (DEHP). According to the current regulation, drafted in 2005, these compounds (which are added to plastics to improve their properties such as flexibility) are safe, but a new report published by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has forced a reassessment of their safety. This is because new effects of certain substances on our health have been revealed (e.g. prolonged intake of DEHP can cause liver and testicular problems).

Until the safety of these compounds is more than proven, replacing plastics containing them with glass containers is a good option. In addition, the glass allows us to ‘pasteurise’ or directly sterilise our food (by heating the container with the lid still open in the bain-marie until it is ready and then, before it starts to cool, closing it).

Planning

Using these methods and with the help of our fridge we will be able to plan and prepare the midday meals of the whole week on Sundays. To do this, we must be aware of the distribution of nutrients that we want to use in our diet (if we have decided to eat a ketogenic diet, we will eliminate carbohydrates as much as possible; if we are following a diet based on proteins, we will increase their presence; and if our objective is to eat a balanced diet such as the Mediterranean diet, we will increase the proportion of foods rich in slow-release carbohydrates high in fibre, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and a multitude of vegetables that cover our need for micronutrients).

The advice of the experts

Dietician Susie Burrell, a first-rate reference in Australia, strives to post on her blog recommendations for eating a healthy diet or losing weight by changing many aspects of our lives. Regarding the office, he has two very clear tips, “considering that at least 70% of us suffer from chronic dehydration“. This not only poses a risk to our health, but we tend to fill that void that the lack of water leaves with food and the vending machine of the company is too close.

The dietitian also considers it essential to have some times to ‘peck’ (healthy, of course) “prefixed, so we can better control the amount of calories we eat. And it clarifies: “It must be every 2-3 hours in front of the screen“.

Finally, Susie Burrell explains that you should always “take the food with you to work, because the food we buy once we’re there doubles the calories we prepare at home.

They are small tricks capable of making a big difference in our diet and our weight, as well as making the office a more comfortable place and respectful of our body.