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We've all done it and many of us do it five days a week. A hint: if you can shake crumbs out of your keyboard like it's a toaster, you're probably proficient at it. Whether it's a bagel and coffee, a sandwich and soup, last night's leftovers or a takeout meal, desktop dining has become a common way people multitask their way though e-mails, paperwork, phone calls, breakfast and lunch, even dinner.

Opting for a bite at your desk can save time during a hectic work day, but there's an unhealthy downside to eating at your desk. And it has nothing to do with the lingering smell of a co-worker's tuna sandwich or microwave popcorn. Desktop dining could leave you feeling ill, lethargic, and carrying a few more pounds than you'd like.

Consider this: the average desktop is home to 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more than the average toilet seat. That's what a team of microbiologists from the University of Arizona learned when they measured bacterial levels inside offices located in New York, San Francisco, Tucson and Tampa.

The five most germ-contaminated spots were (in order) phones, desktops, water fountain handles, microwave door handles and keyboards. The office toilet seat had the lowest bacteria levels of the 12 surfaces tested.

These results aren't too surprising when you consider that everything on your desk gets touched by you and by anyone else who shares your work space. What's more, many people don't take the time to wipe down their work area -- unless they start sticking to it.

Since the majority of bacteria that cause food poisoning are spread through your hands, you'd be wise to keep a supply of anti-bacterial wipes handy.

In the study, the researchers divided co-workers into two groups -- one group used disinfectant wipes to clean their desks, phones and computers; the other didn't. Among people who didn't clean their desks, bacteria levels increased as much as 31 per cent during the day. If desktop surfaces were wiped down once daily, germ levels declined by 99.9 per cent.

Even the office candy jar can be risky if the candies aren't individually wrapped or the hands that reach for them aren't clean.

Because most food-poisoning bacteria are odourless, colourless and tasteless, there are no clues to a harmful food. The only way to guard against food-borne illness is to handle foods safely in the first place -- and that starts by keeping your desktop and your hands clean.

There are other reasons to stop using your desk as a kitchen table, even if you do keep it bug-free. Eating while you work can lead to overeating. If you pay more attention to your inbox than your meal -- or cram in a sandwich en route to an afternoon meeting -- you're not likely to notice when you feel full. You won't savour your food and you may even forget what you've eaten.

Eating at your desk also means you don't get up and move around. Even a 10-minute brisk walk can increase your heart rate and keeps you feeling energized for up to two hours.

Safe desktop dining

If you do eat at your desk, or in the lunchroom, take precautions to keep your food safe to eat:

Keep the desk clean. Don't expect the cleaning staff to do it for you. Regularly sanitize your work space using disposable anti-microbial wipes or a cloth with cleaner.

Wash your hands often, using soap and hot water for 20 seconds. If you don't have time for soap and water, use a hand sanitizer stored in your desk drawer.

If your brown-bag lunch contains perishables -- meat, cheese, leftovers, salads, dairy foods -- make sure it gets stored in the fridge within two hours of making it at home. Ensure leftovers -- from your brown bag or takeout meal -- don't sit out for more that two hours. Disease-causing bacteria multiply rapidly in the danger zone, a temperature range of 4 C (40 F) to 60 C (140 F), leading to food contamination.

When reheating leftovers for another meal, heat foods to a safe internal temperature of 74 C (165 F). Keep a digital meat thermometer in the company lunchroom.

Be leery of pizza, deli trays, salads and sandwiches left lingering in lunchrooms or boardrooms. If the food has been there for two hours, give it a pass.

Keep anti-bacterial wipes in the lunchroom so co-workers can clean up spills and splatters. Avoid using dish rags and sponges that can spread germs if they're not run through a dishwasher daily.

Make sure the office refrigerator is cleaned out weekly by those who use it. Schedule Friday afternoons to pitch and purge and check that the temperature is set at 4 C (40 F) or colder.

Avoid stocking a grocery store in your desk drawer. A drawer full of goodies can attract pests and spoil in high temperatures when the office is closed. Keep a limited supply of non-perishable snacks like individually packaged almonds, energy bars, ready-to-go tuna and cracker kits, and single servings of canned fruit.

You may not have the luxury of a one-hour lunch break, but try taking 15 minutes to focus on eating your meal. And if possible, do it away from your desk.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Visit her website at lesliebeck.com.