I used to push through or sit at my desk, but it hurt my creativity and productivity in the afternoons. A few years back, I had a client who insisted on me working in the office, from 10-2 three days a week, which meant I wasn’t technically “allowed” a lunch break, but she’d say, “oh, go ahead and eat” (I had to bring lunch, because there was nowhere to get food in the area), and then ask me to do things constantly while I was trying to eat. If I was lucky, I had maybe 5 mintues to shovel food into my mouth, and then felt sick all afternoon. Taking a real break means I’m fresh in the afternoon and ready to work.