Diane Gottsman | Leading Etiquette Expert | Modern Manners Authority

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Why You Should Avoid Eating Lunch at Your Desk

18 Apr 2022 By: Diane Gottsman

Why You Should Avoid Eating Lunch at Your Desk | Happy student female sitting on the green grass at the college campus on a sunny day, have lunch and studying outdoors. A smiling young woman takes a rest eating fast food and learning in the park.

Although your office setup may look quite different from just a few years ago—you might be working from home, or your workplace may have an entirely new configuration to keep germs at bay—you may still feel the pull to “work through” lunch by juggling your salad and your laptop at your desk. Perhaps you have a deadline and aren’t sure you can spare a few minutes away (more on that later), or you’ve simply gotten in the habit of dining at your desk. Whatever the reason, please allow today’s post to serve as a friendly reminder to prioritize yourself (and your health). You’ll feel better overall—mind, body and spirit—by taking a well-deserved break from the glaring screen and Teams notifications. Keep reading for a handful of reasons to avoid eating lunch at your desk.

Physical Movement Helps Your Health

Taking breaks throughout the day is always beneficial, but eating lunch at your desk means staying seated for a longer period, and prolonged sitting is linked to everything from heart disease to high blood pressure. You are also “distracted-eating’ by ingesting foods that are probably not best for you and then not properly digesting them.

Decrease Brain Fog

Working through lunch on a regular basis draws on the pool of psychological energy. We only have so much energy we can utilize, and according to a recent study by John Trougakos, there are definite diminishing returns associated with not taking a proper lunch break. Mindlessly eating empty calories instead of a healthy meal can also affect your health and your healthy weight.

If you feel you must eat at your desk on occasion, choose foods that are brain-friendly such as:

  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fresh fruit
  • Leafy Greens Fish
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Oats and grains

Boost Employee Morale

As a manager, your actions set the pace for the team. If you typically power through lunch and fail to take time for yourself, employee morale may suffer. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Ruchika Tulshyan writes, “When leaders take breaks and make it known that they’re protecting that time, employees feel empowered to do the same.” Tulshyan goes on to say the goal is to “make it okay to leave your workplace (remote or not) and take a break, whether that’s to eat, exercise, or go for a walk.” If you’re working remotely, don’t forget to hit the “at lunch” notification.

Socialization and a Change of Scenery

Picture of young business colleagues on break in cafe

Use the 5 to 6 hours of weekly lunchtime to your advantage. Getting along with your coworkers makes the office workspace a more pleasant and productive environment. Make an effort to go to lunch or eat in with them a couple of times each week. Run errands you are stressing about, go for a walk, meditate at the park or find something to do that allows you to step away from your desk for a while.

Virtual Is No Exception

The same rules still apply if you work virtually from home or have a hybrid schedule. It’s important to move away from your regular workspace to get a different perspective during lunch. Even if you are having a “lunch meeting,” consider sitting at another part of the house, serving yourself a healthy meal and sitting outside, in a shady space where you can enjoy the experience better.

Dirtiest Place To Eat Your Sandwich

If you must eat lunch at your desk, prepare yourself. According to multiple research studies, an average desk is dirtier than a toilet seat or kitchen table. So bring in your cleaning supplies and do a weekly cleaning to ensure you eat and clean up after yourself in the most hygienic office environment.

For more information about working with Diane, America’s “Go to” social and professional (manners) skills authority, please visit The Protocol School of Texas.

You may also like 10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Lunch Break. See what Diane is up to by following her on Instagram and Facebook. Find etiquette inspiration on her Pinterest account and keep up with her latest tweets. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips, refer to her posts on Inc. and The Huffington Post. 

 

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Diane Gottsman

Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert and modern manners professional, sought out industry leader, television personality, accomplished speaker, Huffington Post blogger, author, and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in executive leadership and etiquette training. Diane is routinely quoted in national and international media including The New York Times, The BBC, CNN, Bloomberg Business Week, Kiplinger, Huffington Post Canada, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes. She is the resident etiquette expert for two popular morning talk shows, SA Living and Good Day Austin. She has been seen on The TODAY Show, HLN Headline News, WGN Chicago, and CBS Sunday Morning. Her clients range from university students to Fortune 500 companies and her workshops cover topics ranging from tattoos in the workplace to technology at the dinner table and the proper use of social media.