Posted by
Sara on
Friday, January 24th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Mindless Eating at Work: Put Down the Bag of Pretzels & Step Away From Your Desk Comments
If portion control is key to weight loss success – as much of the current research on American diet suggests – then what determines how much we eat?
It’s not always hunger, which won’t come as groundbreaking news to anyone who’s sat at their desk with an open bag of pretzels, only to look down ten minutes later and discover with surprise that half the package has vanished. Environmental eating cues, from the size of our plates to the background music we hear, can have a substantial impact on what we eat. Unfortunately, this is especially true when it comes to eating at the office, when we might have less control over our environment than we do at home. There are a few things to keep in mind, however, that will help you make better choices while you’re eating at work.
Don’t be a victim of mindless eating at work.
Image source: flickr user Victor1558
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 with
Comments Off on Admin Assistance: How to Organize a Last-Minute Office Lunch Comments
Here’s a scenario many administrative assistants will instantly recognize: it’s ten o’clock, and you’re in the middle of a project when you get an email from your boss. “Having the marketing department get together for an office lunch meeting at noon today in the conference room. Can you take care of it?”
“Sure, I have time to plan a lunch meeting right now!” Image source: flickr user Steve Guttman NYC
One simple question and your morning has taken a totally new direction. Two hours and counting, and you have an office lunch to organize. Here are a few simple steps to streamline your new schedule:
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 with
Comments Off on Catered Lunches to Surprise Sundaes: How to Feed an Accounting Team During Busy Season Comments
It’s busy season. If you work for an accounting firm, or are married to an accountant, or are friends with an accountant, you know what “busy season” means. It means working early in the morning, through the lunch hour, into the evening, and on Saturdays (and possibly Sundays). Busy season, which begins in January and runs up to the April 15 federal deadline for tax filings, means work. Lots of work.
Of course, a tax firm office full of employees working long hours (and potentially spending more time with their colleagues than their spouses) can also mean stress and burnout. As John Shank of Birmingham-based accounting firm Barfield, Murphy, Shank, & Smith tells Business Alabama, “So much work is compressed into such a short amount of time, and stress with employees is inevitable.”
Busy season can take its toll on tax firms. Image source: flickr user carltondramaticsociety
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 with
Comments Off on Identifying the Three-Ounce Filet: Practicing Portion Control at Office Meals Comments
Anyone who has tried to read up on healthy eating and weight loss is probably very familiar with the term “portion control”. But what, exactly, does portion control mean? And how can we put portion control to practice in our daily lives — especially in the office, when takeout lunches and catering tables are in ample supply?
The truth is, we all encounter two portions or serving sizes in our daily lives: the portions we’re actually served (or serve ourselves) and the portions that are recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Portion control at a catered event can be a challenge.
Image source: flickr user Univeristy of Michigan’s Ford School
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Monday, January 20th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Use the Latest News About Multivitamins to Recharge the Company Catering Plan! Comments
It seems as though the experts have (mostly) agreed: multivitamins aren’t doing us any favors. An editorial in the latest Annals of Internal Medicine, efficiently titled “Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements”, argues that evidence is clear enough to conclude vitamin supplements have no benefit on our health.
“The message is simple: Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided,” the editorial states. Its closing line is even more clear-cut: “[W]e believe that the case is closed— supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful. These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.” Written by Dr. Eliseo Guallar and his colleagues, the editorial was prompted by three independent studies published in the journal that month. All of them pointed to insufficient evidence that multivitamins and other supplements led to any positive impact on health or prevention of disease.
Vitamin supplements are a “waste”, according to a new editorial.
Image source: flickr user bradley j
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Friday, January 17th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Hosting a Hackathon: Whatever You Do, Don’t Forget the Office Snacks! Comments
A “hackathon” may sound like an illicit activity, but these all day (and occasionally all night) work sessions for computer programmers are soaring in popularity among tech companies. Hackathons put a premium on creativity and collaboration, allowing colleagues who might typically spend their time isolated before a computer screen to work together on projects. As Faceboook programmer and hackathon organizer Pedram Keyani shared with Fast Company, “[The] thing about hackathons is that the most critical rule is you can’t work on the same thing as your day job. It’s a way to experiment with ideas in a low-cost way.”
Hackathons are intense, often all-night sessions of creative problem-solving.
Image source: flickr user LachlanHardy
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, January 16th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Is Your Catering Menu Putting Your Conference to Sleep? Switch It Up With Superfoods Comments
When planning for an office event or business meeting, take the time to ask yourself an important question: Is your catering menu going to leave attendees feeling energized and ready to work, or send their energy levels crashing to the floor?
If you usually opt for safe and easy meals like box lunches or pizzas, it’s likely the latter. The highly processed carbohydrates and sugar usually found in sandwich bread, potato chips, cookies, and pizza crust provide a quick boost to blood sugar — along with a subsequent crash. A roomful of sleepy employees or conference participants is not what you’re looking for at 3 pm during a long day of meetings! Instead of simply feeding the cycle with coffee, sodas, and more sugary snacks, consider an alternative solution: plan a catering menu rich in superfoods that will provide long-lasting nourishment and energy for the rest of the day.
Plan a catering menu for all-day energy. Image source: flickr user Oceanview Med Spa
Let’s be clear. “Superfood” is a loose term that essentially means a food rich in nutrients and low in undesirable characteristics, like sugar and saturated fats. It’s also a frequently-abused buzzword applied to questionable choices like dark chocolate, beef, and coffee in top ten lists just as often as blueberries and flaxseed. However, when it comes to a task like planning a catering menu, it’s much more pleasant and creative to think in terms of all the wonderful, healthy foods you can serve to boost health and energy levels, rather than just listing the items you should avoid. Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Getting the Staff Meal Right: Avoid the Backlash Against Free Food in the Office Comments
Who’s going to complain about free food? In some cases, it may be your employees.
Staff meals are a workplace perk that has become almost commonplace in the tech industry. In companies where employees are asked to work long hours and spend a lot of time in the office, providing meals and snacks is an easy way to communicate a message of appreciation and prioritizing employee comfort. However, it appears there can be too much of a good thing: in a recent article in the New York Post, health-conscious employees list the reasons why the free food trend may be facing a backlash.
Pizzas and donuts can leave some employees feeling overwhelmed and heavy. Image source: flickr user jetalone
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, January 14th, 2014 with
1 Comments
When offices order lunches from sit-down restaurants as a special treat, employees might automatically think they’ll be eating healthier food than when they grab a quick burger from the fast food place down the street. However, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior indicates that may not be the case.
Ordering healthy lunches takes a little know-how.
Image source: flickr user massdistraction
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Monday, January 13th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Office Lunches: How Administrative Assistants Can Order Approachable Ethnic Cuisine Comments
Administrative assistants know all too well that it can be difficult to order lunch for a large group of people, especially on a regular basis. It can be challenging to suit a wide range of tastebuds without ordering the same meals over and over again. If your office is stuck in a sandwich-and-salad rut and your coworkers are looking to you for inspiration, it’s tempting to switch it up and order in from an Indian restaurant or arrange for a sushi bar for a little variety… but a few picky eaters can make it tough for you to provide variety while pleasing everyone.
Ordering office lunches can be a tough job.
Image source: flickr user matt.hintsa
Read the full article…
