In an era where lunch is often reduced to a quick snack while sending off emails or a rushed bite between meetings, many workers have moved away from what was once normal to previous generations: taking a real lunch break.
Employees routinely stepped away from their desks and treated a midday meal as an essential part of the workday. And as it turns out, that old-fashioned approach to lunch is a good idea.
Today’s hustle culture tends to praise constant availability, but research suggests the old-school approach has far better results. So, use that lunch break to fully disconnect and recharge the way your grandfathers did!
Workers who don’t skip their lunch breaks are often healthier and more productive.
For many, especially those with high-pressure, fast-paced jobs, working straight through the day is the norm. There’s always something more pressing to do, and if you don’t want to risk going into overtime, it seems like an easy sacrifice to make. A 2025 survey conducted by Talker Research revealed that 55% of employed Americans skip lunch on busy days to be more productive. However, it may actually be doing the opposite.
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Experts say that not eating lunch during the workday can affect our health, stress levels, and even our performance. Bill Gilbert, PhD, a primary care behavioral health clinician with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, says, “We think we’re saving time, but eating at your desk can actually work against you — physically and mentally. Your body needs real breaks. Your mind does too.”
Research has proven that taking a one-hour lunch break is extremely beneficial to employees’ health. We need fuel to function throughout the day. When you skip lunch, your blood sugar levels may drop, leading to headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. A healthy, well-balanced meal gives you a boost of energy to help you make it through the afternoon slump.
When you rest, your body enters a parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode. This means that your digestive system is optimized to process the food you eat and absorb all of the necessary nutrients. In comparison, eating while you multitask causes stomach acid and enzyme production to be delayed, making digestion far less efficient.
Without taking a proper lunch break, your mental well-being can also suffer.
Our brains rely on nutrients as much as our bodies do. Eating the right kinds of food at lunchtime improves your attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. You’ll have an easier time staying focused on work, and certain foods can influence your creativity and how you think.
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Giving yourself short breaks plays a crucial role in managing your stress and reducing mental strain. Stepping away from work provides the brain an opportunity to rest and recover from significant cognitive demands. A short period of disengagement prevents workers from becoming overwhelmed and overworked.
Not to mention that lunch breaks can be a convenient source of socialization. Sharing a meal with coworkers and taking time to get to know each other, or even just hashing out the day, helps solidify teamwork and collaboration within the workplace.
It’s easy to get caught up in the grind, but the problems that arise from skipping lunch all add up later on. It’s worth it to take an hour, set your work aside momentarily, and let your mind and body recover fully.
Kayla Asbach is a writer with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
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