Surviving the office candy dish

It’s 2:00 in the afternoon and you are feeling hungry and tired. How many of you immediately reach for the office candy dish or grab a brownie from the snack tray in the kitchen? Sharing food is a sign of friendship, camaraderie or appreciation but have the office treats gone too far? Even people with the greatest resolve can fall into the trap of grabbing a Hershey Kiss, or sharing a brownie with a co-worker. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a treat once in a while, but once in a while can quickly lead to everyday or even a few times a day.

According to Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and human behavior at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and author of "Mindless Eating", "the proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult's consumption."  There is research to show how irresistible the candy dish can be. A four-week study of 40 secretaries found that when candy was visible in a clear, covered dish, participants ate 2.5 pieces of chocolate on top of the 3.1 candies they would have eaten had the chocolates been in an opaque container, according to the 2006 study in the International Journal of Obesity. Moving the dish closer, so the subjects could reach the candy while seated at their desks, added another 2.1 candies a day to their intake. Being consistently faced with unhealthy food options may be tiring when you are trying to make the right choices for your health.

But don’t lose hope! There are plenty of ways to avoid the candy dish...

• Take the time to plan and pack healthy snacks to eat throughout the day.
• Take a different route to bypass temptations.
• Bring fruit or vegetables to share.
• Chew on gum or mints instead.
• Keep satisfying snacks in your office drawer for when an urge strikes.
• Ask the person not to fill the dish anymore!
  

Here’s a little food for thought for the next time you reach for the candy jar…

  Candy   Calories   Sugar (g)  
  Jolly Rancher Hard Candy   25   3.5  
  2 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups   210   21  
  Milky Way Fun Size   75   10  
  York Peppermint Patty   140   25  
  Almond Joy Regular Size   220   20

Does your office have a candy jar looming at every corner? How do you avoid the temptation to snack on the sweets?