When you’re hungry in the middle of your busy work schedule, you often end up choosing high calories, fatty snacks that you can easily find around your office building (for example, gorengan). These kinds of snacks actually can make you sleepy and have low energy during the day, which will lead to lower productivity. Not to mention boredom and stress that often leads to mindless snacking.
That is why keeping healthy snacks on your desk is a preferable option than running into those junk foods. In case you didn’t know, healthy snacks are actually important in order to get optimum nutrition in the diet, and also prevent unwanted weight gain over time.
For you who have no time to prepare healthy snacks every day, you can store some in your desk drawer that will come in handy when you have no time to fill your tummy. Here are some snack options that are better than your favorite gorengan and potato chips:
Popcorn
Yes, there are indeed many instant and ready-to-eat types of popcorn that you can find at nearby convenient stores. However, those are packed with sugar and preservatives that you probably won’t want to add to you healthy diet. You can make easy air-popped popcorn at home by adding ¼ cup of popcorn kernels to a microwave-safe bowl and popping it in for about 3 minutes. Stash seasonings like red pepper flakes, cinnamon, or dried rosemary to add flavor. Keep in airtight jar.
Dried fruits
Dried fruits can satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your weight. Dates, dried grapes (raisins) are enough for your daily healthy fat intake. Just make sure that you eat them in moderation to avoid over-doing it on the sugar.
Mixed nuts
Nuts have a positive effect on appetite due to their high protein content, which makes people feel fuller and helps curb hunger. While carbohydrates like crisps can trigger a rise in blood sugar that leads to more hunger when it drops, nuts won’t cause such rise. As a result, nuts may aid weight loss.
Roasted seaweed
This is probably the lightest (literally) healthy snack option that you can choose. This savory snack is a great alternative to unhealthy chips and crackers, and it’s packed with minerals and vitamins. Roasted seaweeds are low in calories, have rich fiber, and packed with nutrients. You can find dried seaweed in convenient stores around you, and make sure that you choose the plain ones as they are lower in sodium.
Dark Chocolate
Who doesn’t love chocolate? If your job is prone to stress, maybe it’s time to bring your favorite dark chocolate to your desk drawer. Cacao is great source of magnesium, which is a natural stress-reliever. Be sure that you choose chocolate with 70 percent cacao or higher.
Fresh fruits
You’ll never go wrong with fresh fruits. It’s obvious that fruits are loaded with important nutrients to boost your energy all day long. They are also a great source of antioxidants needed for a stronger immune system and a better performance at work.
Hard-boiled eggs
Eggs are excellent source of protein, which will satisfy hunger and stabilize your blood sugars. Plus, hard-boiled eggs are very easy and fast to prepare, and they can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
