You may think between-meal snacking is something to avoid, but in actuality, noshing at work may keep you healthier than ever. Your body is designed to be fed every three or four hours in order to stay focused and on task. If you go too long without food, your blood-sugar levels drop and you can get so hungry that you start consuming junk food without any self-control. It’s best to snack on healthy foods throughout the day to help manage stress, meet your nutritional needs and to keep yourself from gorging on potato chips and candy bars from the vending machine.
Avoid Office Temptations
Unhealthy snack temptations often lurk in offices, and they are best to avoid. Workmates bring treats to share, potlucks are held, and working-lunch entrees are often fattening dishes that are hard to pass up. It’s best to be prepared, so you can socially dine with your coworkers and stay healthy at the same time. Try these tactics:
- A recent infographic compares fruit to the usual junk food items reminding you to bring fruit to share on Donut Fridays, so everyone has a choice between peaches and maple logs.
- Bring salads or veggie trays to potlucks.
- If working lunches are preordered and contain more calories and fat than you would normally eat, just eat half of everything and/or skip dressings and sauces.
- Stay away from communal bowls of candy or trays of cookies, or just take one and move away from the source.
Bring Your Own Food
One way to keep your blood sugar up so you won’t be as tempted with workplace treats is to have a ready supply of healthy snacks to munch on. It’s a lot easier to say no to a piece of birthday cake when you just finished eating a crunchy apple.  Some great portable snacks to keep at your desk include:
- Almonds: A serving of these nuts contain 20 grams of protein, lots of vitamin B, and 11% of your daily fiber. You don’t have to worry about refrigeration, spoilage, or mess when you snack on almonds. Just dip your hand in and eat up.
- Turkey Jerky: If you are a meat eater, turkey jerky can be a tasty and satisfying snack-at-your-desk. Again, it’s not messy, and contains plenty of protein, which is beneficial for maintaining your energy level. Plus, if you’re having a stressful day, chewing on a strip of jerky can be quite satisfying.
- Pumpkin Seeds: You don’t have to wait till October to roast pumpkin seeds. In fact, you don’t have to roast them at all, because you can buy snack-packs of these tasty seeds. This snack choice contains magnesium, protein, and zinc to energize you and enhance your immune system, to boot.
- Bananas/Oranges/Apples: Fresh fruit is a perfect workplace snack, because it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, stored in a special container, or prepared ahead of time. All you have to do is peel (bananas and oranges) and eat. Don’t just settle for these classics; buy whatever produce is in season, which will give you a variety, not to mention optimum taste and nutrients. You can even have fresh fruit delivered to your workplace by a company that specializes in healthy office snacks.
Don’t make workplace in-between-noshing a taboo! Instead, change your attitude and bring in healthy snacks for work that are good for you.