You should always take care of our diet, but you have to pay special attention to what to eat if you have a sedentary job. It is easier than you think.
More and more people, whatever our role, dedicate ourselves to working sitting for hours. In these conditions it is important to know what to eat if you have a sedentary job that makes you spend much of the day without hardly moving.
At work we spend at least a third of our day, there are those who even more. And the other approximate third, we should be sleeping, logically at rest. This implies a very low activity, which translates into a very low caloric burnout.
If we combine this situation with an inappropriate diet, the result can lead to a high level of fat in our body and poor health.
So, we are going to guide you with some recommendations when preparing your lunch menu if you have a sedentary job.
What to eat if you have a sedentary job
We have spoken with the president of the Healthy Food Foundation, Jesús Román, who has helped us to establish some questions when it comes to knowing what to eat if you have a sedentary job.
"Being sedentary is a big problem, and if you add an inadequate diet to it, the result in ten years will be that you will probably have ten kilos left over," says Román.
This nutritionist confesses that the best diet for these cases is the Mediterranean. And if the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for the entire population in general, it is even more so for people with little activity and a lot of sedentary lifestyle, because:
· It is made up mostly of fruits and vegetables.
· Include the intake of protein-rich products, such as grilled meat and fish.
· It is rich in cereals and legumes.
· It includes a lot of fiber through cereals and whole grain products.
And this is just what the diet of people who have a sedentary job should contain: fruits and vegetables and fiber in abundance. Without forgetting the substances that protein gives us and that our body needs.
Also, it is preferable that this daily diet is divided into five meals. A strong breakfast that assumes between 20 and 25% of our energy intake; a light fruit-based lunch; a meal that is configured as the most important intake of the day, combining vegetables, protein and fiber; a snack so that the forces do not falter and a light dinner to end the day.
Tips for eating if you have a sedentary job
In addition to doing sedentary work, many people find themselves in the situation of having to eat out every day. The continuous working day allows us to reconcile our family and work life, but perhaps it causes us some oversights in our diet.
Eating from a container does not always allow us the same options as eating food freshly made at home, of course. But there are some options that will make eating out while having a sedentary job not a problem for our health.
Avoid fritters
It is very tempting to fry some croquettes or breaded steaks, and take them as a meal to work the next day. To a job that by the way, is probably office and sedentary. Error! We must avoid this practice as much as possible if we do not want to enter the dangerous circle of sedentary lifestyle and an inappropriate diet with a high level of fat.
The fruit on the menu
There are many very comfortable fruits to eat if you have a sedentary or office job. You can take a break in your schedule and eat, in a matter of a few minutes, an apple, a tangerine, or even some cherries or strawberries. We recognize that fruits that have more water, such as pears or peaches, can become uncomfortable to eat with your hand in the office, because in the end we put everything lost: the table, the hands, the office supplies ...
However, you can cut the fruit into pieces before going to work, put it in a box and store it in the refrigerator at work until you consume it. Being already in small pieces, you will not have the problem of spreading yourself and everything around you.
You can use the pieces of fruit for both lunch and dessert of your meal.
Not the precooked
With the little time that we generally have throughout today's society, it is also a great temptation to get used to prepared food. As you know, we are against this modality. Like homemade, nothing. You know what ingredients you add to your dishes, but you can't be sure what others have added for you. On the other hand, we assure you in advance that it will be much less healthy than what you prepare.
Even salads are preferable to prepare yourself instead of buying them packaged.
So, whether you eat out or eat at home, and even more so if you plan what to eat if you have a sedentary job and therefore do not have a great caloric burn, say no to prepared and precooked dishes.
Escape the pecking
It is very common for companies to have vending machines for snacks or similar. Or a nearby bar where as you have a coffee, why not have a little sweet or an aperitif. It is especially important that you avoid these types of actions. If you are going to eat something between breakfast and lunch, make it a piece of fruit, as we have explained. This will prevent you from eating fatter than you should and your body will function in the healthiest way possible.
Furthermore, in the case of those who eat at work and cannot always make it as healthy as they would like, Román advises us: “The ideal is to be able to complement with dinners what you have not been able to eat at noon. If there is no place near your work where they always serve vegetables, it is customary for your body to eat them at dinners, for example”.
Movement also has a place in sedentary work
No matter how sedentary your job is, keep in mind that moving around a bit throughout your day can come in handy for your body.
“It is recommended to add any type of activity at work. Standing, even if it's to talk on the phone; take a walk, get up ... Instead of sending a document by mail, if you have it printed, get up and hand it over to the recipient. They are small gestures that prevent total inactivity during your working hours”, explains Román.
And, of course, he adds that supplementing this sedentary nature with some physical activity outside of work would be optimal.
In short, it is about taking care of ourselves and pampering ourselves to the maximum. Since those who have a sedentary job are forced not to be able to have a great activity for a good part of the day, at least one should try to make the diet as light and healthy as possible. Thus, the body will appreciate that, in the absence of exercise or movement, you reward it with healthy foods.
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