Heath at work: it’s also balanced lunch breaks !

Published on : 06 April 20213 min reading time
 Lunch breaks should be a real meal. Eating too fast in a corner will not do you any good for your health. Even though lunch breaks are often short, you still need to take your time. You need to eat a balanced meal to recharge your batteries and last until the evening. Whether at a restaurant or at the office, it is possible to have a balanced diet. The length of lunch breaks must also be balanced. In addition, well-balanced lunch breaks play a very important role in worker health.

Golden rule for lunch break

For a well-balanced lunch break, just follow the basic dietary rules. Each day an adult should ingest an average of 2000 kilocalories, including 800 brought by lunch. Nutrient intake is also important. The ideal composition of a balanced lunch: a starter (soup, salad), a dish constituting a source of protein (egg, fish, meat) accompanied by starchy foods or vegetables. And fiber to finish the meal (fruit or yogurt). Sweet notes are allowed, but with great care. When it comes to drinks, forget about alcohol and sodas. It is best to opt for sparkling or still water and green tea. You can also drink coffee without cream and without sugar. Employers and members of the CSSCT as well as the CSE can register for the SSCT training, a training course on health, safety and working conditions that lasts 3 or 5 days.

Lunch break: what does the law says

The law imposes in the labor code that the duration of the lunch break must be at least 20 minutes for a work of six hours per day. But sometimes collective agreements are more generous. In addition, in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code, an establishment or company agreement, a branch agreement or an agreement may provide for compensation for breaks. Small information that can be useful, accidents which occur during lunch breaks are declared as work accidents only if they take place in the restaurant of the company.

The importance of lunch breaks

You have to understand that the lunch break is linked to work and societal organization. From a physiological point of view, the lunch break is essential because it not only provides nutritional benefits but also stimulates concentration and reduces stress. Indeed, eating a balanced meal during lunch is part of the process of preventing stress at work. Finally, eating daily breakfast also seems to prevent weight gain. Without this effect, the body will be in calorie restriction and store fat.