Snacking in the age of the coronavirus
On Friday, March 13th, the coronavirus fears had started to become serious. The BNP Media main office, where I usually work, said it would be open, but it was our choice whether we wanted to work from home or stay working in the office. I took my laptop home, just in case, and it was a good thing I did; by that Monday, coronavirus had started to spread rampantly, and we were highly encouraged to work from home.
Today is day 8 of working from home for me. It's definitely a different setup; at the office, I have two monitors, connected to my laptop, and a desk. At home, I have my laptop and a couch. Since we are all quarantined indefinitely—Michigan's governor, Governor Whitmer, put us on lockdown as of Monday at 11:59pm—I may be here for a while, too.
Which brings us to ... snacking.
When I left the office that Friday, I grabbed a few of my snack samples that I usually keep at my desk; on Monday, I regretting not grabbing more. (Especially the Lay's Poppables ... I hadn't even opened them yet, sadly)
Snacking at home is different than snacking at work because, most likely, you have a plethora of choices which you might not have when you are at the office. We recently posted an article entitled "Coronavirus triggers consumers' guilty pleasures," and it hit the nail on the head: during times of stress or anxiety, we want to snack on delicious foods that will bring us pleasure. The article said:
"While, on one hand, consumers are buying healthy food as a preventative measure, sales of treats like chocolate, cookies and beverages are ticking up. If social distancing measures continue for long, the council predicts people increasingly will seek out little indulgences to bring them joy during anxious times."
These "little indulgences" are what keeps life interesting, and if it helps people keep their anxiety lowered, then I'm all for it, even though by the end of this quarantine we may all end up gaining the "COVID 19," as I've seen in memes (aka, gaining 19 pounds each). I'll admit that right now I have both a pint and a half-gallon of Hudsonville ice cream in my freezer, and I bought a six-pack of Reese's eggs at ALDI, as well as some Gardetto's, on which to snack.
Back in 2016, PLMA did a survey and found that millennials like to snack all day; so I'm guessing it probably doesn't help when we are home all day and have access to our entire pantry of goodies, either.
However, on the flip side, the internet is awash with articles on how to eat healthier at home, too. Fox News suggests planning out snacks ahead of time, especially healthy snacks, and using clear containers so that they are front-of-mind when you open the fridge. The site also suggests changing up your work environment—either moving your workstation, taking a 15-minute break from work, or even going outside for some fresh air—to combat snack cravings.
Whether you're choosing to indulge in cookies or perhaps a salty snack, or you're more health-conscious and are snacking on fruit and vegetables, one thing hasn't changed: Americans love to snack, and they'll continue doing so whether they are in an office setting or at a home office.
