10 Not Safe for the Office Snacks

Everyone has a favorite snack or quick lunch that they eat at the office. But you should think carefully about your choice before your next snack break. We want a snack that will keep us going until the next meal, and we want it to be tasty. But, at the same time, we don’t want to alienate our colleagues or have to scrape sauce off our keyboard.

An office is a social space that you share with your coworkers; it’s just polite to think of them when you choose your snack. If you’re new to an office, find out if there’s a “Snack Code of Conduct” in place.

If one of your co-workers insists on eating snacks or food that you find offensive, consider introducing such a code at your workplace. It’s the little things that drive us crazy. (In fact, walnuts are on this list.) Here are ten snacks that are not safe for the office.

Related: 10 Disturbing Facts About Popular Snacks

10 Sandwiches so long and smelly

Hard-boiled eggs have their place at the breakfast table, but you shouldn’t eat them in the office. A tuna and boiled egg sandwich can be a quick and easy snack to make, but your coworkers probably won’t thank you for eating it. Tuna has a pretty strong smell, but mix it with boiled egg and you have a combination that will make sure your coworkers stay away from your desk. Unless that’s what you’re looking for.

What happens with a boiled egg is that the iron in the yolk reacts with the sulfur in the white, creating that noxious rotten egg smell. This only happens if the egg has been overcooked and the yolk is yellow. A perfectly cooked boiled egg has a deep orange yolk and no smell.

There’s a lively online debate over the smelliest ingredient in a tuna and boiled egg sandwich. For me, the boiled egg would always win, but there is strong support for tuna. Maybe it’s best to avoid tuna sandwiches altogether.

9 Avoid the “Popcorn” button

Oh Orville Redenbacker. You have dirty too many offices. This tangy, crunchy, buttery treat is perfect for movie theaters, but it doesn’t belong in the office! First of all, no matter how careful you are, popcorn gets everywhere. You’ll find grease stains on your keyboard, popcorn on your shirt, and grain between your front teeth.

But wait, there is more.

While a microwave may seem easy to use, somehow, people still mess it up. Have you ever used a microwave where the popcorn knob was precisely timed? When you accidentally leave that “Butter Lovers” bag too long, that extra minute can leave your office smelling like burnt popcorn for the next millennium.

8 don’t be shellfish

You have to be very careful with shellfish. Shellfish accumulate heavy metals, which are passed to you when you eat them. Many people are allergic, so tell your colleagues that your salad contains shellfish if you share it.

Another problem is with overheating. If you reheat shellfish (or any fish) in the microwave at the office, the fatty oils will break down and release a strong fishy odor. The next person who wants to use the microwave won’t thank you, as their hot pocket will taste a bit fishy.

7 Curry is NSFW

It’s ok, the curry is amazing. I’ll be the first to say that. The flavors are absolute heaven. But a great bowl of curry just doesn’t belong in your lunch box. Curry usually has an intense smell that not everyone likes. And the curry smell can linger a lot longer than you’d like.

The reason for the intense aroma of this dish is that it is full of aromatic spices and herbs such as cardamom, ginger, cumin, coriander, cloves and turmeric. While these ingredients contain curry that is packed with health benefits, it might not be the best idea to bring this to your next “Lunch and Learn” gathering. But if you’re craving Indian or Thai food at work, try getting a few coworkers together for a group order. After all, “Working together is success.“

6 Misery? You must be crazy!

On a recent flight from Antigua to London, a 14-year-old girl suffered a severe allergic reaction (known as anaphylaxis) when a bag of peanuts was opened by a fellow passenger. The girl didn’t eat a peanut, she didn’t even touch one, but the proximity was enough for her to pass out.

Fortunately, a nurse was on hand to administer oxygen and give the girl two injections from an EpiPen. In this case, the girl’s mother had asked staff to tell passengers not to eat the complimentary peanuts, but one passenger didn’t notice.

There are many benefits of eating peanuts. They reduce the risk of heart disease, are an excellent source of protein, and help you focus. It would seem like an ideal snack, but not if you are going to send a colleague into anaphylactic shock.

5 Donut Bring Any Krispy Kreme

“There are donuts in the break room!”

It’s the ad we all love and hate. The donuts are completely irresistible. And there’s a biological reason for this: We crave high-calorie, high-fat foods because they give our bodies a boost of energy. When we eat a donut, we get a dopamine rush to our brain that urges us to eat just one more (this time with sprinkles).

But donuts are nothing more than fried pie crust with no food value. If you look at an empty box of donuts, you’ll see that the bottom is covered in oil, just like the stomach lining. Still, people insist on bringing donuts to the office, even though most people are trying to eat healthy on some level. Try to eat just one – show Jill from accounting that you have iron willpower.

No, it’s better to reserve donuts for special occasions and not constantly have them in the office.

4 Do not pack anything with garlic

Garlic has a lot going for it. Among other benefits, you can:

• Reduce harmful cholesterol levels
• Protects against some types of cancer.
• Act like an antibiotic
• Helps prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
• Give your immune system a boost
• Reduce high blood pressure levels

Unfortunately, it is also spicy and stays on the breath for a long time. You may not realize this yourself, but some of your colleagues may keep their distance if you eat a garlic-rich snack.

There are a few things you can do to combat garlic breath. Try drinking milk after your snack, eating some parsley, or brushing your teeth well.

3 Watch out for the big drink

Soda, we love it and hate it at the same time. Soda may be a sweet drink with a caffeine boost, but this forbidden nectar can be deadly when consumed in abundance. And many of us like to consume it in abundance. Mindlessly drinking soda while you work can increase your sugar intake, caffeine intake, chemicals, and even artificial colors.

Instead, try drinking cold water with a slice of lemon in it. Not only will you save money since a daily soda, or three or four, will add up, but your desk will also remain free of sticky spills while your body stays more alert without a caffeine headache dulling your thoughts.

2 No kimchi for me

You must have a cruel streak and not like your coworkers if you bring kimchi to the office. Kimchi has many beneficial properties, but it also has a strong, acrid smell that will quickly dominate your office space and linger for hours. It’s no surprise that it smells bad, since fermented cabbage is the main ingredient.

Believe it or not, some Korean scientists are hard at work trying to reduce the smell of kimchi to make it more palatable to Western taste buds, but purists insist that smell is an integral part of the kimchi experience. It may be so, but it is not a good idea to take it to the office.

So far, not many people are likely to bring kimchi to work. But it is becoming more and more popular, and it is only a matter of time. It is better to introduce a no kimchi rule beforehand.

1 The bottomless bag of potato chips

Let’s be honest: half your fries will be gone by the time you open the bag. Your colleagues can help themselves to one or two, and before you know it, the whole bag will be gone. And you’ll find that Dorito’s fingerprints are all over the contract.

And don’t get me started on the loud creaking noise coming from the cubicle next door!

But you’re not missing much. French fries lack healthy ingredients and are high in fat, calories, and salt. They fill you up and are tantalizingly convenient, but they don’t provide you with any benefit. You might as well nibble on your pencil for all the good French fries do you; in fact, your pencil would be a healthier choice.

Also, brown chips may contain acrylamide, which could increase the chance of getting cancer. Acrylamide forms naturally as a result of firing temperatures. Manufacturers are trying to reduce the amount of this chemical in their fries by changing cooking temperatures, but the risk remains.

If you like to munch on something while you’re writing, try substituting healthier alternatives like dried fruit, kale chips, or trail mix.