Healthy Desktop Fact Sheet

UK Online has teamed up with Wendy Martinson, nutritionist to the Team GB Athens Olympians, to create a Healthy Surfing factsheet. UK Online tips on how to stay healthy at work: Have a bottle of water on your desk and drink it! Have small amounts of slow release carbohydrate foods during the day to maintain energy levels Take breakfast and snacks into work so you’re not caught short Keep a store of cereals, seeds and nuts and fresh and dried fruits for snacking Get up from your desk regularly, stretch you legs and re focus Get out at lunchtime to recharge you batteries and eat a healthy lunch Include physical activity in you day to day routine Wendy Martinson's top tips on how to stay healthy at your PC whether working or playing: What are the best foods to eat at work? Sitting at a desk all day is not going to burn lots of energy, but we still need to fuel the brain. The brain and central nervous system relies on carbohydrate as its main fuel – it uses 4-6g glucose per hour – approx 100-120g per day. Too little carbohydrate will make us feel fatigued, sluggish, irritable and unable to concentrate. The increase in irritability you may feel towards your work colleagues as lunchtime approaches and your inability to concentrate on work projects at this time could be because your brain is running on empty! To combat this, eat small amounts of carbohydrate rich foods during the day to keep the brain running but don’t overdo it as sitting at a desk only uses approximately 80-110kcals per hour. A brisk 30minute walk at lunchtime would use 120kcals or a quick 30minutes swim before work or at lunchtime would use 300kcals. As well as burning calories, a burst of activity during the day will make you feel energised for the afternoon. To maintain brain power eat small amounts of foods containing carbohydrate at lunchtime such as wholegrain breads, crackers, rice, pasta or cous cous with some protein such as chicken, turkey, prawns, beans (which also provide carbohydrate), lean beef or ham, lower fat cheeses plus salad and fruit. If hungry during the day snack on dried and fresh fruits, cereal bars, oatcakes, fruit smoothies, and low fat yoghurt. Avoiding grabbing the fatty carbohydrates such as pastries, croissants, pasties, doughnuts, crisps, chips and mayonnaise laden sandwiches. How can I maintain my energy levels during the day? Eating small quantities of the right types of carbohydrate foods during the day will help maintain brain power. Carbohydrates are digested and absorbed by the body at different speeds. Those that are absorbed into the blood stream quickly are known as high glycaemic index foods and cause a high rise in blood glucose levels. Those that produce a gentler rise in blood glucose levels are known as low glycaemic index foods. The benefit of having more slow release carbohydrates in the diet is that blood glucose levels remain at a steadier stead rather than peaking and troughing and so energy levels remain constant during the course of the day. Research has shown other benefits to having more low GI foods in the diet such as: 1 Helps to lower blood fats 2 Are more filling and reduce appetite 3 Reduces the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease These types of foods also tend to be richer in fibre and so also help to produce healthy bowel function. How can I eat more slower release carbohydrate foods? Choose wholegrain or oat based breakfast cereals such as porridge, muesli, or special K with low fat milk/yoghurt for breakfast Using grainy breads made with whole seeds of barley rye, oats, soy and wheat for making sandwiches at lunchtime Choosing basmati rice, pasta and sweet potato as an alternative to potato. Add baked beans or cottage cheese to a jacket potato to lower the blood glucose response Including pearl barley, beans, peas and lentils in cooking – for example adding kidney or butter beans to casseroles Increasing the proportion of fruits and vegetables in the diet and aiming for at least the recommendation of 5 portion per day Kick start your energy levels in the morning with … Breakfast An extra 15 minutes in bed or breakfast? Sleep is crucial, but so is breakfast. Research shows eating breakfast can reduce levels of tiredness; improve mood, memory and levels of alertness. But rather than grabbing a coffee and croissant on the way to work, take a stock of cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt with you at the beginning of the week instead. This is cheaper and more nutritious. Opt for high fibre, lower salt cereals such as museli, porridge or shredded wheat, wholegrains breads, fruit smoothies, dried and fresh fruits, yoghurt and fresh fruit juice. Essential fats for the brain When your mother told you that fish was good for the brain she was right if it was oily fish! The brain has a very high content of fat particularly the long chain omega 3 fats, Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and Docohexaenoic acid (DHA). We need these to achieve the best in mental health, and low levels of these essential fats have been associated with depression, mood and behaviour changes. Not only that but omega 3’s help protect against heart disease Where can I get these omega 3 fats? How about a salad or sandwich with oily fish for lunch? Oily fish include; Salmon, pilchards, sardines, mackerel, trout, herring, kipper, eel and whitebait. They can be fresh frozen or tinned. Tuna is another good choice of oily fish but tinned tuna is not high in omega 3 fats, so opt for fresh. Aim for at least one serving (140g) of oily fish per week, up to a maximum of 4 portions/week for men and 2 portions/week for women who may want children in the future. Other ways to get your omega 3’s are from linseeds, pumpkins seeds, omega 3 enriched eggs, walnuts, Soya and rapeseed, walnut or Soya oil. Keep a store of seeds, nuts and dried fruit in your drawer for snacking, but remember seeds and nuts are high in energy to watch portion sizes. Liquid assets Fluid accounts for 70% of our body weight, so it makes sense that what and how much we drink will affect our health and how we feel. Dehydration has been shown to affect mental functioning, arithmetic ability, short-term memory and attention span. So if you are seriously flagging at work, with concentration levels and decision-making skills deteriorating think about what you are drinking. Water is best; aim for to have a 1.5-2l bottle on your desk and to get through it by the end of the day. Add a splash of fruit juice or lemon or lime juice to add variety. Caffeine, a quick pick me up There is no doubt that if you’re starting to feel a bit jaded that a shot of caffeine will quickly perk you up as its a well known stimulant. However consuming lots of caffeine rich drinks regularly can cause mild dependency so when you drink less you may get withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability and fatigue. High doses of caffeine may increase blood pressure in those susceptible and can have a diuretic effect. However there is no evidence that drinking 2-3 cups of tea/coffee per day will do any harm, but remember to drink your water as well.