Buzz
Avoiding the sun, unsafe food,... many office workers opt to bring homemade lunch to eat at work. However, some habits of office lunch inadvertently lead to negative health consequences in the workplace.
These days, many people choose to bring lunch to work instead of eating out, which ensures food hygiene, provides delicious, nutritious, and economical lunches. However, you need to pay attention to some habits to avoid below to have a delicious and safe office lunch!
Eating office lunch at the desk
Effects of Eating Lunch at Your Desk
Eating office lunch at your desk can inadvertently spread bacteria, causing illness for yourself
Putting Hot Food in Office Lunch Boxes
Many people often have the habit of putting hot food in their lunch boxes without realizing the harm it can cause. Using plastic containers for hot food can cause them to warp or melt. They can also leach harmful chemicals from plastic products into the food. Additionally, leaving hot food in the box for a long time can cause it to steam, becoming less tasty and possibly spoiling faster. To avoid these hazards, wait for the food to cool down before putting it in the box or use glass/insulated lunch boxes.
Office lunch menu should avoid easily perishable food items to prevent bacterial growth
Takeaway food is usually stored in airtight containers and left in external environments for quite a while. Bringing perishable and quickly spoiling food items will make the food not last long. This is also the reason why other shared food items spoil faster. When these types of food are sealed in a container and left at normal temperature, they also lose their taste. Therefore, to avoid affecting the flavor and health, you should limit bringing perishable food items in your office lunch menu. If you want to consume these dishes, store them in the office fridge and reheat them before eating to ensure quality.
Office lunch menu should steer clear of easily perishable food items to prevent bacterial proliferation
Combine rice and food in an office lunch box
To avoid bulkiness and save on containers, many people have the habit of combining rice and dishes into one container. Each dish has a different cooking and spoilage time, fermentation, and maturation point. Therefore, if combined, the risk of bacterial contamination will increase, especially when combining stir-fried dishes with white rice because in normal conditions, rice will spoil within 5 hours. If combined with food, this process will occur faster, potentially leading to bacteria and pathogens.
You should choose office lunch boxes with multiple compartments or use supermarket foil to individually wrap each type of food
Incorrect reheating of office lunch boxes
Many workplaces are equipped with microwaves, so you can easily reheat your lunch. However, some incorrect microwave usage habits, such as using improper plastic containers or leaving food wrapped in plastic wrap... can be harmful to health. These actions can cause chemicals from the plastic to leach into the food. Therefore, be sure to use products specifically designed for microwaves to safely heat your food.
Office lunch boxes should be made of heat-resistant materials such as ceramic, glass, or safe plastic for reheating food in the microwave
Having office lunch at the workplace is no longer unfamiliar to office workers. Preparing lunch at home not only provides enough nutrition for the body but also ensures food safety for office workers. However, some lunchtime habits inadvertently lead to negative health consequences. If you have any of these unhealthy habits mentioned above, it's time to make a change!
