We all want to be healthy. Rather than turning to a new fad diet that you’re likely to ditch, try to incorporate these healthy snacks during your workweek.
Why have snacks at your desk? It’s important to listen to your body’s hunger signals because it knows what energy you need throughout the day. If it’s telling you that you’re hungry, it’s because you are. Learn how to feel your physical hunger and then respond to it with food. Snacking at your desk while you’re hungry will also help keep you from overeating or binge eating later in the day if you let yourself go too long without food. Check out these desk-ready snack ideas:
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Mixed nuts & seeds
Make your own trail mix filled with unsalted nuts and seeds, and maybe even a chocolate chip or two. Nuts are an easy way to get a boost while working because they have protein and fat, both of which will help tide you over until your next meal. Pre-measure out a ¼ cup in a Ziploc so you won’t mindlessly eat a large amount of nuts while you work. My favorite simple combination includes almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries (unsweetened), and some chocolate chips.
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Fruit
Grab an orange, some clementines, or make a chopped fruit salad. Fruit is fabulous for when you’re craving something sweet and light, plus they’re packed with so many vitamins and antioxidants.
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Bars
Whether you have time to make your own from scratch or just grab one at the grocery store, bars are an easy snack to keep in your desk drawer that’ll last longer than some of the other options. When you find yourself stuck at the office later than you anticipated, you can avoid getting too hangry by pulling out your stashed bar. When shopping for bars at the grocery store, look for those with more protein and fiber with less sugar and salt. Some of my favorites are Larabars and KIND Bars.
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Apple & nut butter
This combination of the first two snack ideas gives you the benefits of an apple while adding some fat and protein to your snack to add a bit more substance to your snacking. Chop up an apple before heading to the office or simply grab an apple and toss a nut butter packet into your bag before you leave.
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Roasted chickpeas
While meal prepping on Sunday, throw some chickpeas in the oven to roast for the week. Simply toss 2 cups of cooked chickpeas with spice combos like a teaspoon of paprika, ¼ teaspoon of chili powder, a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt together in a large bowl. After coating evenly, roast on a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees. Make sure to stir every 10 minutes and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Chickpeas are great because they’re budget friendly and are a great source of fiber and protein, not to mention a bunch of other micronutrients, including folate.
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Veggie sticks & hummus
Chop up a bunch of celery, carrots, zucchini, and/or cucumbers at the beginning of the week and grab a container of hummus for a quick snack. Get your veggies on while eating some more chickpeas, in hummus form.
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Hardboiled egg
Eggs are a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. They’re another great inexpensive source of protein. They’re full of great vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, B6, B12, A, E, K, iron, zinc, and copper. Set yourself up for success ahead of time by hard-boiling a few for the week and pre-peeling them so there are no excuses when you’re complaining mid-morning that you forgot to eat breakfast.
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Goat cheese, tomato, and cucumber salad
Toss together chunks of tomato, cucumbers, and goat cheese with some extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper for a simple salad.
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Dark chocolate
Keep a dark chocolate bar in your desk for when you’re feeling extra PMS-y, that way you’ll be able to meet your cravings without making yourself feel sick with less favorite sweet-tooth offerings in the office. You can have some even if you’re not PMSing, too.
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Quinoa salad
Remember how eggs were a complete protein? Guess what – so is quinoa, which is pretty unique for a plant. Plus, it’s also a whole grain. Basically, it’s a nutritional rock-star that’s easy to combine in a salad. My favorite is throwing together a southwestern style salad: chopped bell pepper, a can of black beans, a cup of quinoa, an avocado, a cucumber, a can of corn, chopped green onions, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and chipotle seasoning.
(Psst…Some of our faves from past conferences include Tillamook, Vita Coco, and Skinny Pop!)
Photos by Caca Santoro
