10 Delightful healthy snacks for work
Eating healthy means eating healthy all day long, and that can be difficult when you are at work and looking for a snack. There’s the office vending machine to tempt you or the cake shop just down the street, so, to help prevent you from grabbing the nearest, unhealthy snack at work, pack some of these convenient, healthy snacks instead, or keep some in your office drawer, ready for when you feel the urge for a nibble:
1. Fresh fruit
One of the greatest healthy snacks for work is fresh fruit. For nature’s own, neatly packaged, snack food, you can’t beat some fresh fruit. You have plenty of choice: bananas, mangos, avocados, blueberries, lychee, apples, grapes, pears, oranges, etc…they are all full of nutrients, fiber and natural sugars. Pop a piece or two of fruit in your bag in the morning and you’ll have a delicious and healthy snack to hand, whenever you need it.
2. A selection of Nuts
Make up your own mini-bags of a selection of your favorite nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, etc, and add some dried fruit or a few dark chocolate chips for a bit of added sweetness. Nuts are a great, low fat, high fiber snack and they aren’t at all messy, so you can eat them at your desk and carry on working at the same time.
3. Refreshing fruit/veg smoothies
You can get all kinds of smoothies: detoxifying, tropical, energizing…Mix fruits with berries or fruits with vegetables and enjoy wonderful and refreshing healthy snack that will help you go through your working day, filled with energy and vibrant health.
4. Yoghurt with fresh berries
One of the good healthy snacks for work, which is also easy to carry around is a tub of yoghurt. High in protein and calcium, a single tub of yoghurt will promptly satisfy your hunger pangs at work. You can buy low fat yoghurts, if you are watching your weight, but the standard, plain yoghurt with added fresh berries or fresh fruit slices will satisfy your hunger better.
5. Mixtures of Seeds
Seeds are not just for the birds, they can make a delicious and nutritious snack for you too. Here are some of the most healthiest seeds: chia seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. A handful of seeds or mixtures of the many available will satisfy your hunger between meals, but go for the unsalted varieties, as a healthier option.
6. Cereals
Healthy snacks for work also include cereals. Cereals are not just for breakfast and you can eat them without milk or yogurt as well. If you’ve never tried them without milk, then give it a try, they don’t taste dry and if you chose a whole-grain cereal, without any added sugar, it will give you a healthy snack you can grab any time of the day.
7. A cup of air-popped Popcorn
When you want to fill yourself up, air-popped popcorn makes a far better snack, than heavier alternatives. You can cook it yourself at home in your microwave, bag it up and take it with you. Curious about how many calories in popcorn? Most microwave air-popped popcorn has about 30-40 calories per cup, which means that a serving size, which is 3 cups, has only about 100 calories.
8. Fruit cups
If you’d prefer to have a mix of fruits, rather than just a single piece of fruit, the best way to enjoy the variety without all the preparation, is to buy some ready packed, sealed fruit mixes, which you don’t need to keep in a refrigerator. Choose the ones that are packaged in water, rather than the ones in syrup, as the syrup contains at least double the calories and double the sugar.
9. Healthy snack bars
Snack bars are also wonderful healthy snacks for work. Snack bars that appear to be healthy are easy to find, but be sure of the ingredients first, as some contain huge amounts of sugar and salt or are smothered in chocolate. The best place to find healthy fruit, nut and cereal bars is your local health store, or even try and make your own.
10. Dark chocolate, of course!
Our list of healthy snacks for work can’t be complete without dark chocolate. If you are worried about keeping your resolve to eat healthy, when the doughnuts and cakes are passed around at work, then keep a bar of dark chocolate in your desk drawer for emergencies. It will satisfy your sweet tooth, has far fewer calories, than a doughnut and it contains healthy anti-oxidants too.
Do you have some other ideas of healthy snacks for work? Please, feel free to share them in the comment section.
Stay happy and healthy!