It’s common that during work day, 8 hours or more in office you want to indulge something, often junk food to fight stress and work frustration. You know sodas, chips, pizza or sweets are not the best of your choices, so you have to think about healthy snacks to eat at your office, to keep you charged and with energy.
But be careful when you eat at your desk, pay attention not only to what you eat but also how much you eat.
Usually people snacks at their desks in front of computer and tend to eat fast, furiously and more than they really need. It’s the same thing like eating while watching TV, a mindless eating, tending to take extra calories.
Another problem is the nervous or emotional eating. You are not really hunger but you snack because of boredom or stress. After eating you feel relieved but at the same time guilty. You must control that emotional snacking by managing stress and asking yourself if you really feel hungry.
So the best choice is to take your time when you are eating and to put aside work. Enjoy your food while not risk overeating. Snacks are very important into your daily diet but remember that their calories matter so be careful on what you choose.
Considering these advises here is a list of healthy snacks to eat at your office:
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Integral crackers
Multigrain wheat crackers are always a good choice. It contains fiber and is under 200 calories. You can add peanut butter and this combination of protein and carbs keep you full for a long time.
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Oatmeal bars
Oatmeal is usually used for breakfast, rich in fiber and carbohydrates it fuels your body for daily activities. But oatmeal can be eaten even as a snack like oatmeal cookies or bars. You can prepare by your own at home or you can buy ready bars with low level of calories and fat.
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Nuts
For a crunchy alternative choose nuts. They taste good and are rich in healthy fats, protein and fiber but the quantity matters. Pack about an ounce of almonds (about 163 calories) or other nuts and satisfy your hunger.
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Popcorn
Popcorn is a perfect snack, high in volume and low in calories if you cook them by not adding butter or oil. Instead you can add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. This snack contains only 150 calories or without cheese it contains 100 calories, also rich in antioxidants, so eat a large bowl of popcorn and increase your mood.
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Fruits
Fruits and vegetables must be consumed all day long even as snacks. They do not only have a variety of nutrients, fiber, vitamins but are also low in calories so you don’t have to worry about how much you eat. Take an apple, grapes, blueberries, banana or other portable fruits or mix them as a fruits salad. Their nutrients will keep you full and away from emotional eating. A serving of fruit is around 70 calories.
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Non-fat yogurt
You can eat just a creamy, Greek yogurt or you can put pieces of fruits or nuts to add flavor to your snack. Yogurt is rich in proteins, calcium and low in sugar. It helps to fill you up and contains around 110 calories per serving.
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Pitas with humus
Enjoy some mini pitas with a creamy hummus made by chickpeas that you can make at your home or buy at the grocery. The combination of fiber and proteins helps to keep you full for a long time.
It’s never too late to start with little changing that can lead to big results. Minimize those “bad habits” at your work, don’t ruin your diet and sacrifices just for a frustrating moment. There are so many healthy choices, it all depends on you.