5 Tips for Eating Healthy When Working from Home

You might have thought that by 2021 you’d be back in the office and out of the house. Well, now you know the pandemic is not going anywhere anytime soon and, more likely than not, you’re still stuck working from home. This can be a seamless transition if you’re used to it; maybe you’re even thriving surrounded by the things you know and love. Maybe you’re even sticking to healthy habits that were never possible when you were commuting to and from work.

On the other hand, working from home can have its drawbacks. Most of these become apparent when you step on the scale one day, only to find out that you’ve been packing on the pandemic pounds. Without a doubt, adhering to a healthy diet is imperative if you want to maintain a healthy body and mind — but that’s often easier said than done.

To keep the calories at bay, here is a smart and calculated approach to eating healthy while you #WFH:

1. Understand Your Caloric Requirements

Firstly, let’s all agree that tracking your calories every day is a chore and, for many of us, it can be impossible to do so consistently — and that’s okay. Tracking your calories can be a difficult task, and if you’re super busy as is, you shouldn’t be forced to do it. Instead, simply set a healthy foundation by calculating your new caloric requirements.

With most of your time spent indoors, you’re likely not sweating out as many calories as you used to, so it’s important to know how much you should be eating. Once you have a rough number, you can go ahead and cut your portion sizes just enough to avoid gaining unwanted weight. No need to diligently count every calorie you eat — simply control your portion sizes and monitor your weight on a weekly basis.

2. Banish Junk Food to Support Your Health

When you’re spending most of your time indoors, reaching for unhealthy snacks and foods can be the easiest quick-fix. It starts with a single bag of chips to hold you over while working, but it ends up being a daily habit. A habit that could one day jeopardize your physical and mental health.

In fact, unhealthy food can severely impact your cognitive processes and make you feel sluggish and less productive because you’re not fueling your body with the right micro and macronutrients. There is no way around it, you need to invest in your health and banish all unhealthy food and sugary drinks for your home. Try to stick to healthy, wholesome foods, coffee and tea, and pure water.

3. Eat Healthy Even When You’re Swamped

When work proves to be too much and our daily tasks turn into a mountain of tasks to get done, the first thing we tend to sacrifice is a healthy diet. To workaholics, this natural response could be detrimental to your health.

Now that you can have healthy meals delivered to your door on a daily basis, there’s no reason to choose junk food or skip meals. When you’re ordering your food, make sure to choose wholesome, cooked meals that are rich in protein and other vital nutrients that will help you feel sated for hours and fuel your body and mind. 

4. Stick to an Eating Schedule

Of course, it’s not just about eating healthy meals every day, it’s also about eating healthy on a regular basis. Creating a “feeding schedule” for yourself is one of the best ways to ensure you get the right nutrients into your system every day, all throughout the day, in order to maintain your energy levels and power through. 

The key is not only to eat functional foods, it’s also to eat healthy at the same time every day. When you’re eating on a schedule, you condition your body and your metabolism to utilize these nutrients, and you won’t feel hungry at any point. 

5. Prep Your Meals in Advance

Last but not least, consider prepping some of your meals for the upcoming weeks. There are many foods you can prep and put in glass containers that will last all the way to next Friday, which is a great way to ensure you always have something healthy to eat. 

If you don’t have the time to prep your meals, then at least stock up on healthy snacks that you can reach for on a moment’s notice. This can be anything from carrot sticks dipped in humus all the way to Greek yogurt and raw veggies – the possibilities are endless, and no cooking is required to make a nutritious, low-calorie snack.

Wrapping up

Working from home can be very rewarding, and many of us feel less stressed when we’re in the comfort of a familiar setting. Be sure to make the most of your time indoors by sticking to these healthy eating habits that will keep unwanted weight off and allow you to stay fit and healthy, no matter how busy life gets.