If you’ve ever felt like you’re so rushed off your feet and there’s just no way you’ve got time to have a nutritious meal, you’re definitely not alone.
Our lifestyles are more hectic than ever and, despite our best intentions, it can often feel like a long day’s work gets in the way of eating well. But let me challenge this way of thinking: isn’t it exactly at these busy times when you’re juggling so much that you need to be on top of your game? Can you really afford to get sick or lack focus?
As you guys know, I’m big on making it as easy as possible for everyone to eat nutritious meals every day, breaking down the barriers when it comes to changing up our eating habits. In my book, Eat Yourself Healthy & Love Your Gut, I troubleshoot the biggest hurdles we face: time (we all have those crazy busy periods when eating well gets pushed right down our priority list!) and access (depending on where you live and work, the options can often seem limited). Dull sandwiches and fast food should not be the only choices!
That’s exactly why I’m teaming up with Feedr to make high fibre nutritious lunches more accessible – especially when you’re in the office. I’ll be sharing my tips on optimising gut health and improving overall wellbeing. I’ve also hand-picked a selection of ‘Expert Choice’ meals from their extensive list of options, indicating which ones your inner community of microbes are going to like best.
Now onto the bigger challenge of the NHS and public canteens!
In the meantime, here are a few of my top tips to look after your gut at work
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Make sure there’s always something on your plate for your gut microbes, even when you’re ordering in for lunch al ‘desko’ – that is, a portion of plant-based fibre whether it’s veggies, fruit, wholegrains, legumes, nuts or seeds. My Expert Choice meals now available with Feedr have you covered.
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Try to establish a regular eating pattern and keep hydrated. Skipping meals may sound like a harmless idea. However, having an irregular eating pattern may in fact do more harm than good for some. This is because when we skip meals, we’re more likely to overindulge at the next meal and, in doing so, add a large load of food into our tummies. Although the average adult stomach can expand up to four times its usual size, it’s certainly not something we should be testing – particularly for those with gut symptoms or more active IBS. This is because the added pressure and nutrient load can trigger a cascade of tummy symptoms such as bloating, tummy pain and diarrhoea.
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There’s no need to stress. We all go through busy times and it’s important not to overthink it, as being mentally exhausted can often trigger some gut symptoms. Try to take some time in your day to relax, even 15 minutes a day with a mindfulness app can make a significant difference. I share de-stressing exercises in my book too, including my gut-directed yoga flow.
What is Feedr?
Feedr is a platform that connects you to tasty artisan food vendors in London while you’re at the office, so you can get meals with high-quality fresh ingredients where you work. It really is reviving office catering to make delicious and nutritious food accessible in a simple, effortless way.
If you work for a company they may well have partnered up with Feedr already to bring you healthy meals in the office (and if so, look out for my Expert Choice meals) – but if not, check them out at feedr.co. And maybe give your boss a nudge…
What’s more, Feedr also donates a meal for a meal to the Akshaya Patra Foundation. So each time you place an order, you’ll be donating another nutritious lunch to a school child in rural India. Just another way of giving back for a great cause.
Full disclosure: this post is part of a sponsored partnership with Feedr to make it easier for more of us to get nutritious meals, even when we’re busy at work – a very important mission!
