How to continue your healthy eating regime when transitioning back to work- Tedi Nikova, MPH, RD

There is no denying many of us have gotten comfortable with the convenience of working from home. There has been a lot of healthy behaviour perks such as, being able to prepare fresh meals for breakfasts and lunches, less time spent on meal preparation, and more opportunities for gentle movement throughout the workday. However, the reality is that many of us will be transitioning back the office, at least partially, as the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The question is, how do we maintain the same healthy eating patterns in the office? It may seem like a big transition; however, I am here to provide you with the top tips from our dietitian team to simplify, and reduce stress in sticking to your nutrition regime, when transitioning back to the office!

 Step #1: Take time to make a food plan

The first step is scheduling a time to create a weekly plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is important to keep your meals simple, delicious, and easy to take on the go. I would recommend sticking to three staple breakfasts, 5 staple lunches, and 20 staple dinners. Having staple meals can aid in reducing the stress around what to make and can reduce the time thinking about what to eat. If you are new to meal planning, I would recommend starting with planning your work lunches for 3 days of the week. Some of the go-to meals we see our patients loving at the High Metabolic Clinic is:

BREAKFASTS:

1.     Oat-less oatmeal

Recipe inspiration: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/easy-low-carb-keto-oatmeal-recipe/

2.     Egg cups

Recipe inspiration: https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-eggs-on-the-go

3.     Greek yogurt parfait

Recipe inspiration: https://simply-delicious-food.com/low-carb-breakfast-berry-parfaits/

 LUNCHES:

1.     Egg sandwich made with lower carbohydrate bread alternative

Recipe inspiration: https://livingthegourmet.com/2021/03/blt-hard-boiled-egg-sandwich.html

2.     Chicken Caesar salad

Recipe inspiration: https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-caesar-salad

3.     Red pepper sandwiches

Recipe inspiration: https://perfectketo.com/bell-pepper-sandwich/

4.     Turkey meatballs with zuchinni noodles

Recipe inspiration: https://www.purewow.com/recipes/meal-prep-turkey-meatballs-

5.     BLT lettuce wraps

Recipe inspiration: https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/blta-lettuce-wraps

SIMPLE 15-MINUTE GO-TO DINNERS:

1.     Turkey burger wraps

Recipe inspiration: https://blissfullylowcarb.com/lettuce-wrap-burger/

2.     Lowe carbohydrate chilli

Recipe inspiration: https://thealmondeater.com/15-minute-low-carb-chili-no-bean-chili/

3.     Salmon sheet pan dinner

Recipe inspiration: https://themodernproper.com/asian-salmon-sheet-pan-dinner

 Step #2: Execute your plan

Once you have your go-to meals, it is time to make a grocery list, and get all the essentials. You may also want to consider investing in fresh tupperware, this may be an incentive to motivate you to pack a lunch. I really enjoy mason jars; these can be purchased from Dollarama. Mason jars make the perfect vehicles for breakfast dishes like the Greek yogurt parfaits, and salads.

 Another important step in executing your meal plan for back to work. is having a plan on the best time to assemble your meals. What works well for our clients at the HMC clinic is:

• Prepping your work lunch as you are preparing dinner

• Choose a breakfast recipe that can be prepped the night before, that is quick and convenient. Examples include chia pudding and oat-less oatmeal.

• Consider doing ‘partial meal prep’ this means preparing the ingredients that take the most time on one day, for the upcoming few days. This can include cooking your protein and chopping and cooking your favourite veggies. The benefit of partial meal prep is it saves time during the week, and allows you to assemble your meals for work, and dinner in the matter of minutes. To read more about partial meal prep CLICK HERE.

Step #3: Reward yourself

It is important to reward yourself on the days you were able to meal plan successfully. When we are creating a new habit, our brain looks for a reward or benefit. Most positive health behaviours have delayed rewards in the future, while less healthy behaviours have immediate rewards, but later consequences to our health. Research shows providing yourself with a reward after a positive health behaviour can aid in building your new habit of planning in advance your meals for work, and after work.1 A reward can be as simple as a check mark or treating yourself to a spa day at the end of the month. It is important to choose non-food rewards, as you want to begin dis-associate food as a reward- a concept many of us have been taught since childhood!

Step #4: Reflect and adjust

We may have a perfect plan, however, let’s be honest, the journey to healthy eating in the office may not be smooth sailing, this is because we will be in a different environment, with different people, this will inevitably bring up obstacles. Once you launch your healthy eating plan it will be important to ask yourself:

o   What is working well?

o   What time of day is the most challenging to stick to my healthy eating regime?

o   Is the food environment triggering me to make less healthy food options?

o   Am I dealing with ‘food pushers’ in my workplace?

Lastly, and most importantly, be gentle with the process, this is a BIG transition. Instead of feeling like a failure, learn from the experience and use this opportunity to improve your planning, and execution of your health behaviours! This will not be a perfect process, but consistency, reflection, are the keys to leading to a successful healthy eating in the office.

^References:

 ^{1. Michaelsen, M. M., & Esch, T. (2021). Motivation and reward mechanisms in health behavior change processes. Brain Research, 1757, 147309–147309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147309}