
Ask HN: What do you eat/drink during the workday? - kzisme
What sort of food&#x2F;drink do you eat during the workday?  I&#x27;m trying to find things that aren&#x27;t very heavy - it&#x27;s becoming too easy to run to grab fast food, so I&#x27;d like to find a better alternative (obviously bringing food).<p>Drinks - coffee&#x2F;tea I suppose?
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eiriklv
Nothing, as I fast during the workday usually (either 18/6 or 20/4). I drink
lots of water though. Eat the equivalent of 2 dinners in the late evening
(70-80energy% of fat is the target). It's pretty liberating not to think about
food the entire workday. The only awkwardness is the social part - so I
sometimes eat lunch just to join in if I'm working with a team, or for other
social reasons.

Edit: Another benefit is that you don't get the after lunch crash.

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sotojuan
I'm intrigued by this—how long did it take to get used to? Breakfast?

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kzisme
I am as well - I would be interested in hearing a little more since I get
headaches if I go without eating for an extended amount of time. I believe IF
helps some people with weight loss as well.

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eiriklv
I would get those too back when I was a sugar junkie. And I would get them a
lot during the time I transitioned from running on sugar/carbs to running on
fat.

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endswapper
In order of volume and priority...Coffee, leafy greens(in all forms,
especially cabbage - all types, kale, napa, green, etc.) and protein in all
forms, diversity is important, animal and vegetable sources.

I mix in other fruits and vegetables for flavoring and variety. Also, I
eliminated salt and that relieved my stress in a significant, noticeable way.

I start my day at 4am, if I eat heavier, carb-based items, I notice a crash
somewhere around 3 or 4 pm and the last few hours of my day are a struggle. If
I stick to what I listed above, I power through the afternoon and feel more
balanced when I end my day.

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yoosi
Do you supplement iodine?

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endswapper
I do not.

Based on the iodine content that naturally occurs in foods I don't think I am
at risk of iodine deficiency. This is part of my strategy of diversity as
well. For example, turkey and potatoes are both high in iodine. While I try to
avoid carb-based meals I might include a half of a potato in a shredded
cabbage salad that might be 80% cabbage. When you add up other items like
tomatoes, eggs, some beans, etc. I don't think I'm missing anything.

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throw7
The main things I stock are fruits (apples/bananas/oranges/pears/etc.), nuts,
various crisp/flatbreads (wasa), hard candies, various teas/coffee, and a big
water filled nalgene bottle. I keep a rotation of yogurt/greek/cottagecheese
in the frig and then some type of lunch.

lunch varies a lot and it's whatever... sandwich, leftovers, soup. Main thing
is I cut out the processed pre-prepared foods, but I do go out to eat maybe
once or twice a week. I enjoy a burger and beer if I want to.

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basseq
Breakfast is typically a granola bar (I like the old-school crunchy Nature's
Valley ones) and a cup of coffee. 30% of the time the coffee will be a latte
from Starbucks or the local coffee shop.

Mid-morning I'll probably have another cup of coffee, and will start trying to
remember to drink water. I have a big plastic cup on my desk.

Lunch totally depends. I try to bring lunch. Often that's a sandwich or wrap
(with fruit and yogurt)--it so happens that's what I have today. Sometimes
it's leftovers. Otherwise I'll grab something nearby. We often have food
trucks in front of the building, or I'll get a sandwich from the cafteria in
the building (OK) or one of the couple nearby places (Peruvian chicken:
heavy).

Mid-afternoon, I'll drink water, tea, or--if I'm having a bad day--coke. If
I'm hungry, I keep a pile of Clif Bars in my desk drawer.

I'm usually out by 6:30, so will go home and make dinner.

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eswat
Breakfast - I skip breakfast so usually just tea or coffee if I’m at a cafe

Lunch - Bowl of mashed sweet potatoes, avocado, apple, chicken or beef and all
of it mixed with coconut oil, cinnamon and garlic. Takes less than 5 minutes
to prep, most time spent after is just waiting to steam the potatoes and
cooking the protein source. Can be made ahead of time and put in containers (I
usually work from home so I make this during the day as a break). Not exactly
a light meal but can be really filling.

Throughout the Day - Water most of the time, usually cut out caffeine past
noon unless I’m at a coffee meeting.

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theGREENsuit
Breakfast: salt-free cottage cheese with granola, fruit and kefir all nicely
mixed together.

Mid-morning: fruit

Lunch: Left overs from last night's dinner, or sandwich. I try to avoid
lunches that are carb heavy or a on the greasy side. Today is salmon and beets
with a bit of rice.

Mid-afternoon: fruit, nuts or a treat like cookies

Drinks: Just water

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bbcbasic
Way too much coffee and cereal bars. Plus a normal lunch e.g. meat and veg.

For your needs the closest thing I found is a food delivery service for frozen
home made meals. Some are.Veg only, but very tasty and filling.

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_virtu
I stopped drinking coffee because I was ruining my sleep schedule and
appetite.

Drinks

\- Loose leaf teas

    
    
      - Early morning something with caffeine (yerba mate, green, black)
      - Afternoons (herbal teas, no caffeine)
    

\- Kombucha

    
    
      - Morning or afternoon
    

\- Water all day

    
    
      - Buy a waterbottle and leave it at work, whenever you get up, fill it up.
    

Snacks

\- Soylent

    
    
      - Morning or around 3-4 to keep the caloric intake up. It doesn't feel heavy one bit.
    

\- Mixed nuts/trailmix

    
    
      - Great mixed with some goldfish :D

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kzisme
Can you recommend any teas that don't taste very bland (and aren't overly
spicy/over powering)

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orky56
If you want something more satisfying, I recommend roasted barley or rice. No
caffeine and it somehow gives it a nutty/savory taste.

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cableshaft
I usually skip breakfast, have a coffee or energy drink in the morning, go out
somewhere for lunch, go out about 75% of the time for dinner (cook the rest,
trying to bump that up a bit), and maybe eat a couple squares of dark
chocolate or cheese sticks at home as a snack or instead of a full dinner.

It's rare that I eat snacks while I'm at work.

Meals usually consist of some combination of the following: meat, cheese,
salad, veggies. I avoid fruit, grains, and sugar.

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kp1234321
What energy drink do you have in the morning that helps you avoid sugar?

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cableshaft
I just have a diet one (Diet Rockstar Punched is my favorite). Yeah I know
it's artificial sweetener, but I don't have good enough sleep habits to kick
the habit effectively.

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zhte415
Breakfast: Winter is coming so some oat porridge is nice - porridge takes only
the amount of time to boil some water then pour water over the oats for 2-3
minutes, super convenient and super light yet filling. Add milk, condiments,
etc.

Lunch: Most often something from a restaurant in the park I'm based in. If
time is no issue 1-2 hours shared with a former colleague to catch-up,
thoroughly nice and heartwarming; if only 30-60 minutes, the same food and
source but take-out and eaten at desk. As I'm in northern China this is
predominantly rice or wheat-noodle based. I tend to go for soupy noodles. If
traveling and find a place with good bread I pounce on it, but there aren't
where I'm usually based.

Afternoon: Some fruit: whatever's looking good and in-season in the local shop
in the park or from visiting trucks.

Dinner: Depends on time. Like to do a good cook on the weekend and use some of
that for convenience; a lot of comfort food especially bean-inspired,. Just
variety from taste to ingredients: mix in a lot of stuff which isn't in a
common (northern) Chinese diet (beans, nuts, cheese). If time is easy I'll buy
a fish and/or some seafood and steam, stew or fry.

Drink: Water. Have always disliked coffee and never much into tea of any kind.
Gin+tonic is good at any time and any place though leads to reduced capacity
after consumption.

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CssPaulrowlyk
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs Elevenses - Croissant and coffee Lunch - Local
Burger or Pizza Mid-afternoon - sandwich Dinner - yogurt with banana

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Mz
I blog about what I eat and why:

[http://miceats.blogspot.com/](http://miceats.blogspot.com/)

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justanton
Breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, avocado. A bit of dark chocolate with a cup of tea

Lunch: salmon in theriyaki sauce with lots lots of salad.

Diner: usually leftovers from salad and toast with some cottage cheese on top.

Drinks: water or mint tea

That's pretty much how my typical day (but not every day) looks like.

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miguelrochefort
I only drink water.

I only eat one meal a day, at 7PM.

I'm looking forward to exclusively eat beef for a whole month.

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source99
Coffee around 8am. Not much else till I get hungry around 1:30. Then a zero
carb meal. Usually some mix of avocados, cheese, meat, sardines.

Then a dinner consisting of meat and vegetable.

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randelramirez
I eat salad most of the time(vegetables)...rest of the time, I grab some food
from the nearest fast food. + Water/Orange Juice.

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Tomte
Mostly water, Sometimes tea.

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cm2012
Many many Coke Zeroes.

