Corporate Productivity Suggestion: Ditch the Snacks

I'm old enough to remember when the only refreshment at the office was coffee. If you wanted a snack, you had to bring your own or find a vending machine. Yet our brains worked just fine without the constant grazing: we all did our work and only new employees needed frequent reminders of standard operating procedures. Anyone too spacy to remember how to do their job was thought to be a stoner.

Now, cake for every birthday is standard. Some offices have free pop and snacks (read: junk food).

Soda, chips, crackers, and instant oatmeal make for unstable blood sugar in people susceptible to blood sugar swings, and roller coaster blood sugar levels affect mood, thinking and energy for the worse. How often do you see coworkers getting drowsy a few hours after lunch? How often do you hear, "My brain isn't working today"? Snicker-snacking all day long can make for high blood sugar and lethargy in some people--when it's really bad, it's called "carb coma." Think of Thanksgiving afternoon. Thanksgiving is mostly a carbohydrate orgy.

Besides the lost productivity, there's the cost of the snacks. Businesses could give everybody a nice little year-end bonus if they ditched them. There's also the time employees spend walking back and forth to the break room and the time someone has to spend placing the grocery orders, putting them away, and fixing the pop machine when it breaks down.

It's time for the office snicker-snacking to go the way of casual Fridays.

Comments

Lowcarb team member said…

Lori
Yes, I too can remember it used to be a cup of tea or coffee and on with the work. Although I also used to take in some fruit to eat. Now of course you hear "I was in such a rush this morning I'm eating this cereal bar" Shock, horror do you know what you are eating? Carbs, sugar, carbs, sugar Eek!! As Doug on our blog would say "Can't you bring in a low carb strawberry cake instead please?" LOL

All the best Jan

July 14, 2013

Lori Miller said…

It would be just as easy to grab a couple of boiled eggs or some full-fat cheese or yogurt if you're running late.

July 14, 2013

Galina L. said…

Ditching the snacks is good for almost everything - loosing weight, saving money, saving environment (American garbage consists mostly of wraps) and a kitchen space. I remember giving my son several spoons of a sourcream as a quick breackfast when time was an issue.

July 16, 2013

Lori Miller said…

Good point--I didn't even think about the trash. Back when my father hunted elk (think how many calories are in an elk), we used some butcher paper and tape and put the meat in the garage freezer.

July 16, 2013

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