Staying on-line

~Well-balanced meals, nutritious snacks help avoid mid-afternoon grogginess

It's almost lunch time. What are your choices? A quick run through the drive through? Sitting down over a lunch special or a trip through the salad bar?

Or is it going to be the same old tired tuna salad sandwich from home or taking your chances with something out of a vending machine?

What you have for lunch makes a difference in the rest of the work day.

Tiffany Steffens, a registered dietitian at Fitness Plus, says three meals a day should be fairly equal in size and balanced with protein and non-starchy carbohydrates. Small snacks in between keep the body's system regular and avoid mid-day sleepiness.

"You don't want to over-stress your system at any one time of the day," she said.

Having three equally-sized meals avoids overstuffing at a meal which can make one sleepy and less productive afterward.

A good lunch makes a difference, especially for people who work the swing sift, said Mary Etta Dunaway, a registered dietitian and diabetic educator with HealthPoint Plaza. She recommends employees bring food from home and separate it into a meal and snacks to keep the energy level constant.

"People will drink caffeine to keep going and not eat and then have sugar for a quick pick-up," Dunaway said. "That doesn't last very long. It's better to pick meals and snacks that can tide you over and keep you going through your shift. You'll be more productive and a better worker too."

Some prefer to eat a small lunch, then have a larger dinner at home after work. Others debate whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day or one that can be skipped. Still others feel the biggest meal of the day should be in the middle of the day.

Some companies give their employees an hour for lunch; others offer only a half hour. The amount of time you spend at lunch does make a difference. The longer you have for lunch, the less likely you are to overeat.

"It takes 15 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you're full," Dunaway said. "If you don't have much time, you tend to eat quickly and eat more and before you know you are full. You need to slow down and enjoy your food."

It's tempting to eat on the run at lunch and cram as many errands as possible into the allotted time. Both dietitians agree that the lunch hour is better spent eating lunch and taking a break from the workday. If there's enough time after lunch before going back to work, some mild exercise, such as a short walk, will not only help burn calories, but will energize the employee for the rest of the day.

A variety of lunches is better than the same old bologna sandwich thrown together every day. Good nutrition is not difficult; it just takes planning.

Steffens suggests leftovers from the previous night's dinner work well. Frozen dinners designed to be low-fat or low-sodium can be good choices, and easily heated in a microwave.

Dunaway advocates fresh deli meats on whole wheat bread or pita pockets, selecting from a variety of healthy breads and meats to make lunch more interesting. Frozen dinners and canned soups have improved to the point that it's possible to choose from a variety of low-fat, low-sodium soups and entrees.

As far as snacks in between meals, fruits and vegetables are good choices, as are convenient 100-calorie packs, small packages of nuts, yogurt, popcorn, and low-fat cheese or pudding -- instead of raiding the vending machine in the break room for a doughnut or candy bar.

Dunaway suggests that employers encourage their staff to look at the break room as a place to relax and regroup, and avoid making it an oasis of temptation by leaving out unhealthy cakes and doughnuts and other tempting goodies.

"And never keep snacks in your desk," she advises. "It's easy first thing you'll go to when you're stressed."