We’ve all been there. Your stomach is grumbling but you’ve got a stack of work to do, so you just shove some lunch down at your desk.

More than 16 million UK workers eat lunch at their desks due to work-related stress according to research by workplace catering company Eurest Services.

The study reveals an ‘indulgence curve’ where employees start the week with healthy eating goals — but as the work piles up, the good intentions start to fade.

Around 44 per cent of workers admit their attitude to healthy eating declines as the working week progresses.

The curve is also evident during the day as workers turn to unhealthy snacks by 4pm despite having good intentions at the start of the day.

“Stress can significantly affect the amount of food eaten and actual food choice, with people moving away from healthy low-fat foods, such as fruit, to much less healthy high-fat options, like chocolate,” psychologist Geoff Beattie says.

“The reason that people choose these foods is to feel better. It is, in effect, a form of self-medication.”

Meanwhile, lunch isn’t the only meal people are eating at work. Around 21 per cent of workers have breakfast at their desk while 8 per cent eat dinner
at work too.