What Do You Eat When You Skip Lunch?

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to remember our lunch before we leave for work, eating at the same time as your colleagues just isn't in the cards. Maybe there's a meeting you forgot about or kids to pick up from school and you just lost track of time. Whatever the reason for missing lunch, what do you snack on to make up for it? Or do you just go hungry?

We were reading this post over Unplggd, which talks about how to beat the afternoon slump at work. Although it's full of great tips, one of the biggest culprits of that 3pm slowdown is lack of lunch.

That said, at least twice a week I manage to skip lunch all together or end up eating a seriously delayed snack (which some might actually consider an early dinner). We've mentioned quick snacks to keep at work for easy munching, but we're curious, what are you really keeping stashed away in your desk drawers?

Are they filled with granola bars? Quarters for the vending machine? Do you keep a loaf of bread and some peanut butter for those afternoons where stopping for lunch just isn't an option? This Flickr member keeps an entire drawer full of items! Share your ideas in the comments below!

(Image: Flickr member Christian Cable licensed for use by Creative Commons)

Comments (32)

I have a drawer with goodies that include: cocoa almonds and soy wasabi almonds, some super old fiber cereal, and peppermint gum. One of these can tide me over in my time of need.

You caught me - a Kellogg's fiber plus granola bar. At only 120 calories, its easy. That and an apple. @OoMegPieoO - how do you not just gobble up your drawer full of goodies! Clearly much more self control than I have.

i wish i could say that i ate something healthy, but meal substitutes are usually last-minute and come from a foggy and nutrient-deprived body and head. i'm ashamed to admit it, but its usually something with lots of sugar. bad bad bad.

i eat well otherwise.

Nothing. I'm really bad at the whole sleeping/ eating scheduling thing... University is awesome!

I don't think I've ever skipped lunch. Ever.

green juice. mmmm.

I don't forget my food.

usually ice cream or frozen yogurt

I also never skip lunch, I'm too much of an anxious planner ahead. But for when it has too be too late or too early for me to get through the day without snacking, I keep a container of dried apricots at my desk.

Skip and lunch are never in the same sentence! But I do have a bag of trail mix for days when i feel especially hungry!

I never forget to pack my lunch - it'd be like forgetting to drive to work. I do have microwave popcorn, trail mix, microwave oatmeal in a mini tupperware and apple sauce cups as emergency office backups.

Yes, I'm with the non-skippers. I don't skip any meal, ever. I would be totally non-functional...

Not only do I never skip lunch, I sometimes add additional meals to my day.

who are these mysterious people who "forget" to eat? sigh. if i haven't eaten by 3pm i hunt down a slice of sad looking pizza from across the street.

By definition, nothing.

I'm with the skip??!? bunch. When I'm not sure I can get substantial food because I'm in a meeting with people who can get by on coffee and cigarettes, I have a bag of "emergency nuts" (cashew nuts, mostly) with me. Sweet stuff doesn't work for me at all when I'm very hungry, just makes me feel sick.

I have a couple of Cliff bars, a bag of almonds, wasabi peas, Trader Joe's fiberful fruit bars, and several kinds of tea. None of these would ever substitute for lunch though. When I have forgotten my lunch, I've just grabbed something out (usually a sandwich)

I always feel sick when I skip lunch but that leads to instead of eating something I just come home and go to bed. Not the healthiest option but I kind of turn into a zombie.

Last week I ate a bunch of cookies and Goldfish crackers, which actually isn't normal for me. I was just under a lot of pressure and needed some junk food. This week I have pears and dried apricots for snackin'. Other times I have good crackers and cheese, or one of those huge blocks of Belgian chocolate and almonds from TJ's. Just one square off of that thing will keep me happy for the whole afternoon!

I work from home now, but when I worked in the office, my this-is-an-emergency lunch (i.e., forgot my lunch at home, no time to get takeout) was a cup o noodles from the vending machine.

I have a emergency food drawer at work too! Breakfast = oatmeal and dried blueberries/cherries/raisins, Lunch = honey peanut butter spread on top of rice cakes (way better than it sounds). I try not to skip meals, but on those days that I am too busy these save me from getting something out of the evil snack machine.

I guess I'm too obsessed with food but I really don't ever forget, and if I did somehow I would go buy something from a nearby restaurant. I do keep a snack/emergencies drawer though with instant oatmeal, honey, almond butter, packaged almonds, some dark chocolate, and an assortment of granola/snack bars. That same drawer also contains my work 'essential' spices like pepper, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes and an assortment of teas. Did I mention I'm obsessed with food? :)

I never do pack lunch- don't know why. My priorities are elsewhere/out of whack. I usually just power through till supper, drinking a lot of water the whole time. It's not good, I know.

Skip lunch? hahahahahahahaha
okay, perhaps this isn't unusual for most people, but I would never skip lunch. Even days when I can't leave my desk(I'm a goverment receptionist, I'm kind of tied to my desk) I still make sure to order something from the deli down the street.

Instant oatmeal, the plain kind with 60 per cent of my daily iron requirement in one pouch.

Larabars.. especially the lemon one!

lunch? what's that. never eat it. clearly the minority here. I survive on breakfast and dinner. works well for me.

Working in a bakery, it's easy to forget to eat because there is always SOMETHING to be doing and not always a good time to stop to eat. My trick is that I have my watch set to have the alarm go off at 2 pm and that reminds me how late it is in the day and I force myself to find the time to at least eat a couple bites of lunch. It reminds my co-workers too!

I have to have breakfast and lunch everyday (I can easily skip dinner) or I become a monster. The only reason I would skip is if I wasn't hungry--like yesterday when I had a tense meeting in the morning and didn't feel hungry until around 4 pm. Then I just had an early dinner.

nowadays i keep a bag of roasted almonds at work, they do the trick along with a cup of strong black tea.

back in high school if lunch was looking particularly gross that day my friends and i would skip it and hit up the vending machines instead. i would always get a pack of s'mores pop tarts. haven't had any in years but god those things were so friggin good.

I can't skip breakfast or I get sick, but because I work at a museum and it's school group season, I often miss lunch. So sometimes, since I get done with work before 5 pm generally, dinner is actually at 4 pm. And then a snack sometime around 9 or 10. Lol...

Today I'm working late at work and forgot dinner (though I ate lunch before coming to work). So I ran to the grocery store just down the street and got a prepackaged sandwich (accidentally grabbed Italian meats instead of ham *sigh*) and a bag of chips.

I've got to get back into the habit of packing lunch. It's so much cheaper than buying lunch!

We've got just the thing for you skippers of lunch - The Good Bean! All natural roasted chickpea snacks, full of protein and fiber and all that good stuff, and available across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Try some!