Lunch hour versus lunch minute
Do you eat lunch at your desk? or maybe skip lunch completely?
I read an interesting news story through our wire service recently about how this is a new trend.
In the past 10 years, the lunch hour has become shorter and more “purposeful,” often spent in the office at a desk while doing work.
It seems with cuts in number of employees and job insecurity today, people are working during their lunch break to show an effort to cut costs and show commitment.
According to the story, a new CareerBuilder survey found the typical lunch break is 20 to 40 minutes. It also found 32 percent of workers take less than a-half hour for lunch, 18 percent typically don’t leave their desks during their lunch break and eat in their workspace five days a week, while 10 percent never take a lunch break.
Executive coach Regina Barr of Red Ladder, a business consulting firm, said image is a concern, too.
The report said, for most managers, eating at your desk has become the new status symbol of efficiency.
“What is eating at your desk saying about you professionally? Oftentimes when a guy eats at his desk, it’s seen as a power lunch,” said Barr. “People think he must be doing a deal.”
However, when a woman eats at her desk there’s a different perception. “People think she’s frazzled and can’t get her work done.”
Warns Barr: “Be careful about what image you’re giving off.”
Here at Creston Publishing Company our safety policy does not allow eating at your desk except under special conditions, such as meetings or events. That policy is not well enforced and many of us do eat at our desks.
Of course, the biggest concern is for electronic equipment. A splash of any liquid can kill a computer keyboard pretty quickly.
A review of the labor force since 1960 suggests some of the obesity problems we are seeing today can be attributed to declining physical activity during the workday. It seems that everything we do, or don’t do, contributes to the obesity epidemic in this country — but that’s a whole other topic for another day.
I’ll admit, I do eat at my desk and sometimes skip lunch completely.
When I do leave for lunch, I usually go home. The problem with that is I never know what to have.
According to a Self magazine article, a healthy lunch sets you up for a high-energy afternoon and curtails evening bingeing, but a skimpy or fatty pick can wreck your mood and bring on cravings.
If you’ve ever tried to follow the menu on most any diet, the lunches aren’t realistic.
Not to pick on Self, but that particular story recommends dark, leafy greens with grilled steak, red peppers, broccoli and orange slices, topped with vinaigrette. Lunch, it says, should be 400 to 500 calories made up of 30 percent protein (4 to 5 ounces of fish, lean meat or tofu), 50 percent complex carbs (whole grains, veggies and fruit) and 20 percent healthy fats (olive oil and nuts).
Another recommendation is grilled or baked wild salmon, a medium sweet potato and spinach sautéed with olive oil to help your brain stay sharp.
One cup of whole-wheat penne with 4 ounces of grilled chicken breast, tomato sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan, broccoli and sliced zucchini, is recommended if you are planning to go work out after work.
Also, a stir-fry with shrimp, pea pods, onions, mushrooms, 1/2 cup soba noodles and a-half ounce of sliced almonds (about 5 nuts) will help you avoid overeating if you are going to have cocktails and snacks after work.
Excuse me, I’m going home to fix my lunch. I’ll see you in a few hours.
