The Corporate
Diet Planner for Executives
The good thing about being
an Executive is that you call the cards. The
problem is, sometimes you're playing bridge, and sometimes
you're playing 'Go Fish' when it comes to the decision-making
authority where meal times are concerned.
With events,
meetings, seminars and luncheons, food is everywhere
- and not JUST GOOD - rather GREAT GOURMET FOOD. Who
can resist that? Mr. Grant can't; let's take a
peek into the private World-Eat-World of our monster
executive, Mr. Grant:
Breakfast -
Mr. Grant meets with senior staff members to celebrate
profits. His assistant has ordered gourmet muffins
the size of Farmer Brown's mangos, bagels the size of
Farmer Brown's tractor tires, cheese Danish the size
of Farmer Brown's wife's head-bun, tubs of cream cheese,
and a small tray of exotic fruit that Mr. Grant is totally
unfamiliar with. He gives a thumb's up to his assistant
who is waiting with baited breath in a nearby corner
to catch her boss' reaction. To her beaming smile, Mr.
Grant seizes the largest cheese Danish he can
grasp.
Mid Morning
Snack - The marketing department surprises Mr. Grant
with a giant chocolate cake in honor of the Profit Celebration
process. Devil's food surrounded by a decadent
chocolate cream cheese icing and stuffed with chocolate
whipping cream. Mr. Grant's favorite! He
enjoys a giant slice of the cake.
Lunch Time -
Mr. Grant feels a bit wiry for some reason and for a
brief second, fears he may be coming down with something.
His peers are sitting around him at the luncheon
that has been given to honor Ms. Kumquat - an retiring
employee who has been with the company for 35
years. Celebration Mood rekindles Mr. Grant's
spirit and he smiles at the waitress as she sits the
Porterhouse Steak plate in front of him. Oh my,
this is going to set well with that cherry cheesecake
that I ordered for dessert, Mr. Grant loosely decides.
Mid Afternoon
Snack - More cake from the Logistics Department.
After Work Time
- Friends and college buddies meet with Mr. Grant at
the local pub to help celebrate his success. Four
beers and a bowl of nuts later, and Mr. Grant hails
a taxi home to prepare for dinner with his senior executives.
Dinner - No
celebration this time - just back to the bricks
with a dinner and his senior executives. The stress
of the day settles in but is relaxed by the buffet of
caviar, lasagna, garlic bread, fire-oven pizza, salad,
more tiramisu and the mewling whine of a lone violin.
More booze tops off the meeting.
For those of
us who aren't executives - this is reason
to be thankful (as long as we don't run out for the
nearest celebration hall). So what went so terribly
wrong with Mr. Grant's diet? There are some very
healthy choices mentioned above.
The chief problem
is that Mr. Grant is 'chief'. No time for
laokadaisical decisions, such as meal planning. For
one, he doesn't know what items will be available. Mr.
Grant can correct this Food War Wagon Headed For A Massive
Coronary by doing the following:
1. The ability
to pinpoint healthy foods.
2. When in doubt,
reach for natural foods, such as fruit and raw veggies.
3. Don't feel
obligated to chow down 'Surprise Time' goodies.
4. Get the word
out that a current favorite food is something like,
"Fresh strawberries." Choose something
low in fat, low in calories, and something
that can be eaten again and again.
5. Plan executive
meetings at a health spa or golf club rather than dining
at DeVinci's Italian restaurant. The company may
even save big bucks - both on the immediate function
and in healthcare costs for senior executives.
6. Be able to
separate 'Sugar Anxiety' from true warning signals the
body sets off in times of impending illness. Mr.
Grant experienced a True Sugar Overload at Ms.
Kumquat's celebration extravaganza.
7. Wedge some
private time into every day living. All work and
no play makes Mr. Grant a very unhealthy boy.
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