5 Ways to "UnDiet" At Work

“UnDieting” is about breaking the rules of conventional health wisdom to live a vibrant life

By Meghan Tepler, April 23, 2013

For many of us, it may seem impossible to achieve vibrant health, and stay within the boundaries of what may be normal in the workplace. You may look around your cubicle and up at those fluorescent lights, or take a deep inhale of someone else’s fragrance while eating up your lunch that was just microwaved in a plastic container. Is it possible that the only breath of fresh air you get all day isn’t even that fresh if you’re living in an urban centre, or commuting? Obviously, those are not ingredients for vibrant health?

What can we do? How can we UnDiet at work and not be the crazy health nut that has converted her office into the blender-station-health-food-shop? The key in the UnDiet mindset is about taking on little transitions, little changes that easily integrate into everyday life but that have huge impact on short and long term health.

With that in mind, I present you with five easy ways to UnDiet at work.

UnDiet At Work Tip #1: Ditch plastic drinking bottles. We need to stop making plastic water bottles an option. They create a massive amount of waste and leach toxic chemicals into the water. The chemicals that leach from plastic are known hormone disruptors leading to symptoms of estrogen dominance including anxiety, mood swings, low sex drive, and fertility issues as well as breast and ovarian cancer.

Do it: Drink water, lots of it and do it from glass. Disposable/recyclable plastic bottles are no longer an option.

UnDiet At Work Tip #2: Make It A Fragrance Free Zone. You know that person you work with who wears that cologne or perfume that you think is gross? Well someone likely thinks the same about yours. Perfumes are chemical cocktails. We spray them on our neck and wrist, where the blood flows closest to the surface of our skin, allowing quicker circulation. Perfumes most often contain chemicals that are known cancer-causing agents. We invite these substances into our blood steam by rubbing them on the surface of our skin, bypassing our detoxification organs and  increasing our risk of cancer.

Do it: Instead try drops of essential oil or natural perfumes if you want a little extra. Perfume is quickly becoming the next second hand smoke. Don’t inflict this on yourself first hand, or on your office mates.

UnDiet at Work Tip #3: Break For Lunch. Deadlines loom and it’s easy to get caught up in a project. That’s no excuse. You need to leave your desk for lunch. When we eat in a distracted or stressed state, we are in the fight or flight mode where blood diverts from our digestive tract. This is a leading cause of digestive challenges. If we aren’t digesting our food we will have problems all the way through the process leading to gas, bloating and other symptoms associated with IBS.

Do it: Step away from the screen, or park that car. Take a break to eat. Begin by taking a few deep inhales and exhales to switch from fight or flight into your parasympathetic, or rest and digest mode. Then eat slowly and consciously, chewing well.

UnDiet at Work Tip #4: Brown Bag It. Unless you have a business lunch (ill advised, see point 3 above), bring your lunch from home. This will most often be a healthier and more cost effective option than whatever is on offer in the food court. That’s really all I have to say about that.

Do it: Make extras for dinners, or take some time on Sunday to pack up a few salads and make dressings as an easy grab and go lunch option. Make good use of the company fridge and actually keep fresh food in there for your lunches and snacks.

UnDiet At Work Tip #5: Create An UnDiet Posse. All of the above is easy, when you commit to it. It is that much easier when you have a group committing to doing it together. Make sure you stop for lunch and eat together.

 Do it: Get a group of five together and each take on the responsibility of lunch and snacks for one day of the week. That means you are responsible for only one day, and have great lunches and snacks for the other four.

There is more to UnDieting at work than your own personal health goals. When we take care of our health by eating better, staying well hydrated, reducing our toxic load and having group support, morale goes up, as does productivity. We are what we eat, think, breathe and do. The quality of our work, what we produce and how we interact will be greatly impacted by the fuel we use to nourish our brains and bodies.

Meghan Telpner is a Toronto based nutritionista and sought after media personality thanks to her refreshingly humorous, engaging and real approach to healthy living. Her online cooking courses and health programs are improving the lives of people around the world. Meghan’s book UnDiet, Eat Your Way to Vibrant Health is an Amazon and Globe and Mail bestseller. Join Meghan’s community on twitter @MeghanTelpner. For more visit MeghanTelpner.com.