Simple diet to do at home in smart working: what to eat?

Smart working, or agile working, has become part of many people’s lives in Italy, especially in the last year, when the health emergency made it necessary. This new way of working involves bringing the work routine within the home. However, it’s not just the place of work that changes: the whole day is changed in its rhythms, in socializing and even in meals!
Whether it is more or less appreciated, smart working is certainly at the origin of many lifestyle changes, which are not always easy to manage. The most common tendency is to gain a few extra kilos due to increased sedentary lifestyle and more irregular lunch breaks. This is why it is necessary to find the right balance in order to protect your health and make working from home pleasant and healthy.

Following a diet does not mean sticking to a weight loss plan, but rather acquiring a proper dietary education towards a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In order to have a balanced diet even during smart work, all you need to do is follow a few simple tips that can be counted (literally) on the fingers of one hand.

Organize meals. One of the most important but often overlooked aspects is organization: considering the time available for cooking and planning in advance what and how much you will eat for lunch and snacks is very important to avoid falling back on improvised meals and extra snacks. When we are in the grip of hunger, there is a risk of creating unbalanced combinations, mixing on the plate the first foods we find in the fridge and in our pantry. Try to anticipate what to eat in your day as a smart worker to get around this obstacle!

Healthy eating. It probably sounds like a trivial piece of advice, but sometimes it’s the most obvious aspects that are forgotten! Being at home and having all kinds of cookers and ingredients on hand can be risky. When organizing your meals remember, in fact, that it is preferable to opt for less elaborate preparations and with simple ingredients, but complete with all the macronutrients, with an eye to the portions! Too heavy meals can make you less clear-headed at work.

Give yourself a real break. Mealtimes are necessary not only for nourishment, but also to take a break from work and recharge the batteries for body and mind. Eating in front of your PC not only means that you don’t pay attention to what and how much you are eating and that you don’t feel full, it also reduces your attention span for the afternoon work hours.

Don’t forget to drink! Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day is essential for the body to function properly. Drinking water, and liquids in general, are also helpful in combating nervous hunger: drinking at or after meals helps to fill the stomach and prolong the sense of satiety.

The last but not least tip: keep active. Remember to exercise: leave your desk for a few minutes from time to time to go for a walk and, if you can, use your lunch break to take a short walk. At the end of the working day, enjoy at least half an hour of physical activity: a walk, a bike ride or some home fitness. Your body and mind will thank you for it!

The main problem with dieting, as it often happens, is inconsistency. We are constantly exposed to temptations of all kinds: dinners out, unexpected aperitifs, snacks and packaged snacks bought for the children... Everything starts from the conviction that a little deviation from the rules does no harm to anyone. And that’s true, but only if it doesn’t become systematic! But don’t worry, even if you have a particularly sweet tooth, there is a key to surviving all the temptations which, paradoxically, are always more at home than you might expect. As we have already seen, the famous solution is called organization.
Knowing how to manage your meals is in fact extremely important, and to do this you can proceed day by day or even plan for the whole week. This will also make shopping easier and faster!

Be careful, however, in order to organize not only what to eat but also when: the timing of meals is fundamental for maintaining a regular rhythm. The suggestion is to have 3 main meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, separated by 2 snacks, perhaps based on yogurt, fresh and/or dried fruit.

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve discovered all the strategies you can use to run a healthy diet from home. But now it’s time to get practical: some creative ideas for healthy, balanced meals, ideal to introduce into your smart working diet and, last but not least, also pleasing to the palate.

Potato and zucchini lasagna with Tuna Tomato Sauce is a great recipe if you want to include a complete and tasty meal in your diet to follow at home. You can make it ahead of time, maybe on the weekend, and store it once cooked in the freezer. This way you’ll always have it on hand to save lunch breaks or dinners on hectic work days. Preparing the lasagna is really easy: just cut thin slices of potatoes and zucchini, place them in a baking dish alternating with a layer of Tuna Tomato Sauce, a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and slices of Fontina cheese. Repeat these steps until you have finished all the ingredients, add a drizzle of our Pure Olive Oil. That’s it and an explosion of flavors is served on your plate.

If you are looking for taste and simplicity for your lunch break, spelt salad is for you. It’s very easy to prepare: once you’ve cooked the spelt, a wholemeal cereal rich in fiber and minerals, combine it with whatever you like. Our proposal, for a complete dish, is to combine it with vegetables such as Grilled Zucchini, with their appetizing taste, and a source of protein with a delicate flavor such as our White Tuna Filets in Olive Oil. A healthy and tasty dish that can be eaten cold.

For cooler days we suggest a creamy mixed vegetable soup with a drizzle of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil Delicato, to give your dish a sweet and gentle personality. The addition of a few pieces of Crispy Genoese Focaccia to dip in the vegetable soup enriches your dish with a contrast of textures.

To complete your meal with a protein part, after the soup, we recommend a second course that is perfect for enjoying our White Tuna Filets in Olive Oil in its purest form: serve it with a mixed salad with lettuce, apples and walnuts. The right sapidity and delicacy of the tuna steaks is perfectly combined with the sweetness of the apples and the slightly bitter notes of the dried fruit.