Hey,
you, with the Reuben, dripping Russian dressing on the expense
reports. And you, with the chopped salad, dropping bacon bits
into your keyboard.
The
office lunch — which 62 percent of us eat at our desks,
according to the 2011 Desktop Dining survey from the American
Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods — can deal a caloric
wallop if you’re not careful.
Deceptively
fattening salads and sodium-heavy soups can surprise people
who think they’re making healthy choices, said Jenny Sucov,
editor of EverydayHealth.com.
Skipping
lunch, or waiting too long to eat, slows metabolism,
encourages overeating and hurts concentration, said Amy
Jamieson-Petonic, director of wellness coaching at the
Cleveland Clinic and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic
Association.
And
though the Desktop Dining survey shows that most office
workers make the healthful choice of bringing lunch from home,
giving them control over ingredients, for the 41 percent of us
who buy lunch out or eat takeout at our desks, popular meals
can pack a heavy punch.
Take a
look at the top lunch foods eaten at restaurants and those
taken back to the office to eat, according to market research
firm NPD Group. We give examples of each from popular
restaurants, then used the calculator at everydayhealth.com/calorie-counter.aspx
to determine what you’d have to do to burn them off.
Of
course, calories aren’t the only concern. People should also
watch sodium, saturated fat and added sugar, Sucov said. And
it’s best to eat a nutritionally dense meal of complex
carbohydrates and lean protein, plus fruits and veggies, to
leave you feeling full and nourished, said Jamieson-Petonic.
But when
it comes to weight loss, the key is to burn more calories than
you consume (erase 3,500 calories to lose a pound).
The
calculations are based on a 150-pound person. People who weigh
less would have to exercise longer to burn the same number of
calories.
———
Carbonated
soft drink
Coke, 20
fluid oz
240
calories, 0g fat, 75 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
38
minutes of tennis or
1 hour
of mopping
Healthier
alternative:
Water
0
calories, 0g fat, 0 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
Nothing
———
Sandwich
Subway
Melt, 6-inch (turkey, ham, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes,
onions, green peppers, cucumbers, honey mustard sauce on
wheat)
400
calories, 11 g fat, 1,330 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
30
minutes of vigorous biking or
78
minutes of light gardening
Healthier
alternative:
Subway
Turkey sandwich, 6-inch (turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, onion,
green peppers, cucumbers, yellow mustard on wheat)
285
calories, 3.5 g fat, 915 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
20
minutes of vigorous biking or
56
minutes of light gardening
———
Burger
McDonald’s
Quarter Pounder with Cheese
510
calories, 26 g fat, 1,190 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
71
minutes of walking (4.5 mph) or
45
minutes of running (6 mph)
Healthier
alternative:
Cheeseburger
from McDonald’s
300
calories, 12 g fat, 750 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
42
minutes of walking (4.5 mph) or
27
minutes of running (6 mph)
———
French
fries
Wendy’s
natural-cut fries (medium)
420
calories, 21g fat, 460 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
46
minutes of basketball or
123
minutes of bowling
Healthier
alternative:
Apple
slices
40
calories, 0 g fat, 0 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
4
minutes of basketball or
12
minutes of bowling
———
Chicken
sandwich
Chick-fil-A
chicken sandwich
430
calories, 17 g fat, 1,410 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
63
minutes of walking (3.5 mph) uphill or
100
minutes of walking (3.5 mph) on a level surface
Healthier
alternative:
Chargrilled
chicken sandwich
290
calories, 4 g fat, 1,030 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
43
minutes of walking (3.5 mph) uphill or
67
minutes of walking (3.5 mph) on a level surface
———
Poultry
KFC
two-piece Original Recipe chicken (drumstick and thigh)
370
calories, 24 g fat, 1,040 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
41
minutes of jumping rope or
93
minutes of vacuuming
Healthier
alternative:
KFC
two-piece grilled chicken
260
calories, 14 g fat, 829 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
29
minutes of jumping rope or
66
minutes of vacuuming
———
Mexican
Chipotle
burrito with steak, rice, black beans, cheese, sour cream,
tomato salsa and lettuce
970
calories, 38 g fat, 2,070 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
86
minutes of swimming breaststroke or
171
minutes of kayaking
Healthier
alternative:
Chipotle
burrito bowl (no tortilla) with chicken, rice, fajita
vegetables, cheese, tomato salsa and lettuce
460
calories, 18.5 g fat, 1,340 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
41
minutes of swimming breast stroke or
81
minutes of kayaking
———
Tea
Argo Tea
Classic
chai with 2 percent milk (medium)
234
calories, 4 g fat (sodium not listed)
Burn it
off:
31
minutes of power yoga or
83
minutes of light yoga
Healthier
alternative:
Sugar-free
classic chai with nonfat milk (medium)
70
calories, 0 g fat
Burn it
off:
9
minutes of power yoga or
25
minutes of light yoga
———
Pizza
2 slices
of Pizza Hut Supreme pan pizza
580
calories, 28 g fat, 1,300 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
1 hour
of soccer or
114
minutes of golf (walking the course and carrying clubs)
Healthier
alternative:
2 slices
of Pizza Hut Veggie Lovers Thin ‘n’ Crispy pizza
360
calories, 12 g fat, 1,050 mg sodium
Burn it
off:
37
minutes of soccer or
71
minutes of golf (walking the course and carrying clubs)
