7 Healthy Office Snacks

Spread The Fitness!

Do you work to live, or live to work?

Either way, your job requires that you don’t just meet expectations, but that you fly high above them, and perform at unexpected levels.

So, what’s eating you?

If you’re munching on chocolate bars, chips or cookies from your office’s vending machine, or a takeaway from a fast food joint, you most likely are packing on pounds, and even finding it hard to
burn the midnight oil.

Working in an office and spending 40 or more hours a week sitting down (and stressing out!) won’t just weight heavily on your waistline.

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It will weigh heavily on your mental health, attitude, and all-over physical health.

The office is where you spend the majority of your life at. It’s the place that perhaps you shine your brightest, do your best ‘life’s work’, and act like a super star.

On the same token, it can quite possibly be the place you have developed high sugar and high fat eating habits, which today, has taken a toll on your health and well-being.
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The time has come to put as much of an emphasis on smart snacking habits as you do your motivation to get ahead in the rat race.

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Trade in cookies for hummus, strawberry cupcakes for fresh strawberries, and as a result you won’t just fit into your pants better.

You’ll have the energy to tackle spreadsheets, emails, and multiple projects with ease.

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Below are seven healthy and easy-to-prepare snacks to bring to the office, munch on through your lunch hour, and keep your metabolism and your good mood burning until it’s time to clock out!

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7 Healthy Office Snacks

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1. Oatmeal

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The most important meal of your day is and always will be breakfast.

How do you think you can go full force in your morning presentation to the CEO or pitch the next great idea to your sales team if you’re depleted of energy?

Get into the habit of slow cooking homemade oatmeal the night before, and grab it to go.

Add some antioxidants to the mix, such as fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, raisins and a dollop of maple syrup.

Oatmeal is a smart way to get your carbs, but don’t skip it just because you want to lose weight.

Oatmeal will give you the ‘good carbs’ you need to become focused, articulate and productive while you’re at work, and for the rest of your day.

You need carbs, and while a doughnut or bagel may be tempting to your palate, oatmeal will fuel your body and mind up with complex carbs that release slowly in your bloodstream.

For the busy day that lies ahead, it’s just what you need to keep your mind and body at its best.
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2. Brie/Camembert/Cottage Cheese and Raisins on Celery Sticks

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This may be the perfect office job food to keep your performance at its highest!

Ants on a log – celery, peanut butter and raisins was a favourite childhood snack, but here we’ll give it a twist and replace the peanut butter with healthy cottage cheese. (It may be difficult to find peanut butter made naturally WITHOUT hydrogenated oils ~ so best to avoid it!).

This re-invention gives you a good source of fat (which your body needs in moderation), calcium and zinc.

Prepare a few sticks of this delicious snack before leaving your house in the morning and seal it in an easy-to-go air tight container.

Enjoy it as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack before your blood sugar has a chance to crash.
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3. Rice Cakes

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Rice cakes are once again making a comeback in the snack aisle of the grocery store.

From cheddar, to apple cinnamon and even caramel corn, grab a pack of your favourite rice cakes and eat at your desk, guilt-free.

Usually and depending on the brand, a single serving of rice cakes only amount to 50 calories, so have a few and fill yourself up with something that is low in carbs and sugar.
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4. Delicious (NOT Low-Fat but FULL-fat) Cheeses
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Cheese is another smart way to get your daily intake of fat in, without feeling guilty.

By the time it’s 10am, (and assuming you ate breakfast within an hour of waking up, which is recommended for boosting your metabolism), enjoy a piece of cheese, a few whole wheat crackers and some dried fruit.

You’ll feel perked up and with enough energy to plow into your next project with enthusiasm and focus.
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5. Greek Yogurt
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Do you want to limit your calorie intake in the afternoon, but aren’t quite sure how to kick your sweet addiction?

Give just one serving of Greek yogurt a try.

You’ll limit your consumption to just about 300 calories a serving, and it will make you feel satisfied (as opposed to vending machine chocolates and sweets that don’t do a thing to help you feel full).

Greek yogurt comes in a variety of flavours to choose from – raspberry, vanilla, and even chocolate, so eat up, and eat to your heart’s content.
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You can even add fruits like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries which are easily packed into a tupperware to take to the office.
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6. Berries, Nuts and Dark Chocolate
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Trail mix is often a snack that’s forgotten in the workplace, but it can give you all the essentials you need to thrive, and all week long.
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Nuts (like pecans, Brazils, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia and almonds – avoid peanuts), dried fruit and even some dark chocolate will fuel your body up with antioxidants, protein, calcium, and ‘good fats’.
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Enjoy, but just don’t eat more than a few handfuls at one sitting.
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7. Pita Bread and Hummus

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Just like Greek yogurt has hit the supermarket as the latest healthy snacking trends, so has individually portioned and pre-packaged servings of hummus.

Take a container with you to work, and spread it in a whole wheat pita, wholemeal crackers, or even fresh vegetable sticks (like carrot, celery and cucumber), giving you the perfect late afternoon snack.

It’ll feel great going down and supercharge you with essential nutrients to have you looking great, feeling satisfied and full until dinnertime.
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With a smart, new healthy, way of snacking while at work, you don’t need to feel controlled by every co-worker’s birthday cake that stares you in the face anymore.

You don’t have to give in to muffins, brownies or sugar cookies that your co-worker would love to share with you.

Instead, think one step ahead and fill your body up with healthy snacks so you’ll be less likely to resist unhealthy office treats.

When you do, you’ll impress yourself with a new and improved attitude for healthy office living, and perhaps set the tone for your co-workers to follow!

It’s curious how the foods you think are ‘healthy’ are actually the ones that are making you fat.
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Snack happy! Stay tuned for more healthy eating tips!