28 foods you shouldn't eat at your desk

Would you really want your CEO to walk by as you're licking the bone of the rib you just scarfed down? I'm guessing you wouldn't. Eating messy foods at your desk is unprofessional. It can be visually offensive to those around you. Plus, if anything happens to drip on your nice white shirt, you'll be stuck sporting a nasty stain the rest of the work day.

Here are a few messy foods to avoid:

• Burritos

• Spaghetti with red sauce

• Ribs

• Wings

• Tacos

If the sound of your crunching or slurping is even giving you a headache, imagine how your desk neighbors feel!

If you're not sure how loud you're being when you eat a particular food, ask someone around you if it's distracting. Or, try eating that food at home and ask your partner or a friend to be honest about whether the crunch or slurp is annoying.

Here are some noisy foods to avoid (if you can't figure out how to eat it quietly):

• Soup

• Potato or tortilla chips

• Pretzels

• Nuts

Similarly to messy foods, greasy foods aren't a great idea at work for a few reasons.

One:Your keyboard, computer mouse, and anything else on your desk will be shiny for days. And two: Greasy foods often smell, well, greasy, which may be offensive to those around you.

• French fries

• Burger

You need to be aware of and sensitive to your coworkers' food allergies.

Try not to bring these foods in to work — but if you do, eat them away from the people who have allergies, and always wash your hands once you're finished.

Here are some common allergens:

• Peanuts/peanut butter

• Tree nuts

• Shellfish

Okay, so anything noisy or smelly or gross-looking will be distracting — but candy and cupcakes can be, too ... for different reasons.

Bringing in the occasional treat for a coworker's birthday or a holiday is a nice thing to do and will be appreciated by all, but constantly offering your desk mates candy or brownies, day after day, can get a bit distracting.

• Candy

• Cupcakes

• Brownies

High-fat, high-sugar meals and snacks make us sleepy and have low energy, Lisa De Fazio, a healthy-lifestyle expert and registered dietitian, previously told Business Insider.

If you want to maintain a high level of productivity throughout the day, stay away from these foods:

• Doughnuts

• Cookies

• Ice cream