Healthy Diet for September 7 – Home Work – Eat Smart

Whether paid work or volunteer work, working at home offers easy kitchen access. Whether that’s a benefit or a hazard to smart eating depends on you.

To eat smart as a home-office habit, set regular mealtimes, rather than heading to the kitchen on a break. When you do need a break, “do” rather than eat: walk the dog, pick a lower bouquet, start a laundry load. Especially if you work alone, go out for an occasional lunch with a friend or a colleague. Enjoy the home-office advantage: take your afternoon break to put dinner in the oven or start a simmering pot of hearty stew.

Since you likely have no workplace deli or cafeteria to rely on:

• Stock your kitchen for easy workday meals: fruit, canned soups and stews, salad ingredients, whole-grain bread, lean deli meat and cheese, frozen microwave “bowls” and other prepared foods, milk, yogurt.
• Plan ahead, then re-create last night’s leftovers. Heat leftover stir-fries, and wrap in a warm tortilla for a quick fajita. Microwave a baked potato; top with yesterday’s stew or lentil soup. Slice leftover chicken to arrange on a freshly tossed salad.