According to the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods Foundation, approximately 70% of working Americans eat at their desks several times a week.  This habit can lead to poor nutritional choices as well as food safety problems. 

Eating at your desk can be as bad as eating in front of the TV or eating in your car.  Your focus is shifted from one task to another and you easily lose track of the amount of food you put into your mouth.  Since it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full, many extra calories are eaten without thinking.  

Not leaving your immediate work area for lunch also prevents exercise.  Lunch time can be a great opportunity to add a few extra steps to your daily routine.  Recent studies indicate that small, but frequent exercise “sessions” are almost as beneficial as the solid hour spent at the gym.  Every step counts.  It makes little difference if the step is on a treadmill or walking the dog.  Every step counts toward the 10,000 daily steps as recommended by the surgeon general. 

Food safety can be another problem.  Transporting food to the office can be a great way to help harmful bacteria multiply and grow.  Throwing a sandwich in your brief case or pocketbook is one of the best ways to get bacteria started on unlimited growth.  The bacteria temperature growth zone is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  “The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times more dirty than your toilet,” says Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona in Tucson.  “People turn their desks into bacteria cafeterias because they eat at them, but they never clean them.  The phone is the dirtiest, the desktop is next, and the mouse and the computer follow.”

 The best idea is to dine away from your desk.  For those of us who just can’t break away, here are some tips for your desk-dining experience. 

1.       Watch the amount of food that you are eating.  Don’t let the email, phone or other distractions make your focus wander. Bring your lunch from home.  Preplanning meals is a key to good nutritional habits.  Don’t bring more food than you plan to eat. 

2.       Be sure to transport your food in an insulated bag with a freezer pack.  Don’t let your lunch be away from the refrigerator for more than two hours.

3.  Walk whenever and wherever you can.  Look for ways to increase your number of steps.  Park your car at the far end of the parking lot.  A quick walk around the block at lunchtime will refresh your energy and clear your head for the afternoon’s activity.

4.  Keep your desk clean.  Use disinfecting wipes daily to keep bacteria at a low level.

5.  Eat with a friend.  Part of an enjoyable meal is getting away from the routine and conversing with a colleague

6.  Don’t make eating at your desk a habit.