Eating ‘al desko’ three times a day?

Part of the reason lunch can boost your performance at work is that food literally fuels your brain, which needs a constant supply of energy to function optimally.

Part of the reason lunch can boost your performance at work is that food literally fuels your brain, which needs a constant supply of energy to function optimally.

Published Mar 5, 2013

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London - Millions of workers are putting in such long hours they are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at their desk, a survey has found.

The mad dash to get to work in the morning means many of us grab something from the fridge and take it to work to eat on arrival.

Most pop out to buy lunch before hurrying back to eat it at their desk in order to stay on top of the to-do list.

They then find themselves struck by hunger at 5pm and seek a third meal – on which they also dine “al desko” – to keep them going into the evening.

The habit, combined with more snacking, means the average person puts on almost a stone (about 6.3kg) in the first year of office work, with 11lbs (about 5kg) the average weight gain.

The study, commissioned by snack company Wonderful Pistachios, found half of respondents ate breakfast and lunch at their desks – and one in ten eats all three meals at their computer.

And, once the day begins, it appears even those with the best intentions find themselves caving in to the temptation to snack.

Four in ten indulge in at least two unhealthy snacking sessions each day at their desk. Half said they rely on these for an energy boost, while a fifth say it’s essential in lifting the spirits.

The cheer-up may prove crucial in enduring long spells at the desk – with the average worker spending at least five hours and 40 minutes of their day completely desk-bound. The main excuses for such devotion were a lack of time, huge workloads and simply working extraordinarily long days.

And the average worker doesn’t even make it an hour before tucking in to their first snack with 9.58am the most popular time to reach for the treats or visit the vending machine, the poll found. The average person experiences 23 minutes of food-related chatter each day, the survey also found.

A spokesman for Wonderful Pistachios said: “Many people struggle to manage a demanding work life with a good nutritional diet.

“Workplace conversation about food, boredom and a constant flow of treats brought in by colleagues all combine to easily knock people off the healthy eating path.”

More than half of office workers bring in snacks from home, but colleagues handing out treats proves too tempting for a third.

A disillusioned 45 percent think they’ve no choice but to put on weight because of the sedentary nature of their job.- Daily Mail

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