Healthy Snacks for the Office

By: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC
Category: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC

Have you ever caught yourself yawning at 3pm in your office and grabbing candy or coffee to give you that extra boost of energy? Here is some guidance to help you select healthier snacks to eat at the office. The key to healthy eating is to make sure we eat several meals and snacks throughout the day. This ensures our metabolism is going strong and our blood sugar and energy levels remain stable, preventing us from overeating.

We usually eat lunch around noon, which means by about 3 or 4pm we are ready for a SNACK. If you are home, it is fairly easy to grab a healthy snack, but what about at the office? This is actually easier to do than you think. The most important things to keep in mind when selecting a snack is to make sure it contains protein, fiber, healthy fats and whole grains.

Below are some healthy ideas for office snacks, which can be stored in your desk drawer or mini-fridge.

Desk Drawer at Office

• Fruit (apple, grapes, orange, banana)
• Trail Mix (nuts, seeds, raisins or goji berries)
• Nuts (almonds or cashews)
• Roasted Edamame (soybeans)
• Whole Grain Crackers
• Instant Oatmeal
• Granola Bars
• Air-Popped Popcorn
• Single Serving of Baked or Reduced-Fat Chips

Mini-Fridge at Office

• Plain Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Nut Butter (peanut or almond)
• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Mini Light Cheeses
• Cut-up vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery, peppers)
• Hummus

Having these snacks readily available at your office will prevent you from seeking “unhealthy alternatives” to satisfy your hunger. Here’s to healthy snacking!

Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their lifestyle. She has run several successful weight loss contests and published an e-book weight loss program. She has led seminars for several corporations, including Starwood Hotels and YMCA, written articles for numerous publications and ehow.com.

Rachel also hosts her own radio show on blogtalkradio.com called Healthy Bits and Bites. In addition, Rachel was the nutrition expert for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille, a unique summer camp for women.

You can contact Rachel at [email protected]. You can follow Rachel on twitter: www.twitter.com/anutritionista or become a FAN on facebook: Personal Web Nutrition.