Speaking about the results of the BBC Breakfast poll, Alison Clark, of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), said: “Of course, from time to time we have all sat at our desk and worked through lunchtime or two. However, this should not be allowed to become the norm. Indeed, eating lunch at your desk should be an occasional occurrence.
“Eating at your desk can be a fast track to piling on unwanted weight. For example, it is far too easy to partake in a bit of ‘mindless eating’ while working away at your desk.
“While your mind is fixed firmly on tasks at hand, your actual hand is automatically dipping into a whole raft of treats lying around on your desk.
“Also, working through lunchtimes often means a quick dash to the local sandwich shop without enough time to properly read food labels and understand what you are about to eat and this type of ‘grab and go’ habit can soon add up.
“It’s not just about weight. Wellbeing is also very important to maintain. Vitamin D, which is crucial to bone health (enables calcium to strengthen bones), is very hard indeed to get the levels we all need by food alone.
“The vast majority of our Vitamin D intake comes from direct sunlight on our skin. By stepping away from your desk and sitting outside for 10 minutes can make a really big difference to Vitamin D levels in your body.
“On average, someone with a fulltime job will spend around 60% of their time in the workplace and will eat and drink at least a third of their daily calorie allowance during this time.
“Too often, stress and certain cultures in the workplace takes priority over healthy food choices and ensuring that employees’ health and wellbeing needs are met. This is a very important issue that all employers should address.”
The BDA offers a programme called Nutrition in the Workplace designed to help support employers throughout the UK to improve employees’ health and wellbeing , in addition to improving levels of sick days taken.
Nutrition in the Workplace covers topics such as:
* Good Mood Food
* How to Sustain Yourself Through a Busy Working Day-The Healthy Way
* Heart Health
* Eating Well for Cancer Prevention – the Facts