Free Office Food Is Making You Fat

Thank goodness the #dadbod is back! According to a new study, American workers “acquire” nearly 1,300 calories a week in free food and drinks they snag at the office.

Donuts and Bagels in the office kitchen, pizza in the all-team lunch meeting, lattes from the coffee cart in the lobby… oh, and it’s Tim’s birthday, so there’s cake, too!

All that free food laying around the office is too hard – and too delicious – to pass up. Plus – did I mention? – it’s free!

Unfortunately, it may also be making us fat. According to a new government survey, American workers “acquire” nearly 1,300 extra calories a week in free food and drinks they snag at the office (*about 70 percent). For reference, the US Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion estimates a healthy adult woman should consume roughly 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, and a healthy adult man should consume about 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day.

The extra 1,300 calories American workers “acquire” in mostly free office food over the course of a work week is almost the equivalent of adding an extra full-day’s-worth of calories to our weekly intake.

The extra 1,300 calories American workers “acquire” in mostly free office food over the course of a work week is almost the equivalent of adding an extra full-day’s-worth of calories to our weekly intake.

Click to tweet

Now, I’m no dietitian, but it seems that consuming eight-days’ worth of calories in a seven-day week is more than the average person needs – about a day’s-worth more, in fact. And unfortunately, when you consume more calories than you burn off, you gain weight.

But free food is a nice perk though, right? And who doesn’t love a donut – or two – to kick off a day in the office? (I understand dad bods are back, thank goodness for me.) But employees and their employers might be better served if healthier alternatives were offered at work.

As quoted by CBS, “Nutritionist Samantha Heller noted that offering healthy fare could provide a benefit to employers, because employees who eat well ‘will feel better, will have more energy and can focus better.’”

Added Heller, “When we feed our bodies well, our bodies and brains respond. It’s a win-win for the company and the employees.”

So, if you’re trying to keep the pounds off and eat healthy – and consequently improve your focus and energy level – it’s ok to say “No thanks” to that slice of Tim’s birthday cake.

But, c’mon… the occasional donut isn’t going to hurt. Right?

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

Do you find free office food impossible to resist? We want to hear from you! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter.