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Maintaining healthier diets and lifestyle elevates not just your physical well-being but mental health as well. Healthy snacking habits keep high energy levels and productivity

Have you been working for long hours or have had a busy, tight schedule at your office and before you know lunch hour has become a distant memory? Working at an office can easily eat up your time to the point where you will feel fast food is the best option to satisfy your hunger! But does it need to be that way?

Well, ideally you should void fast food while working, at your office or your home. There are so many healthy snacks and meal ideas that can help you break that fast food habit. When you choose healthy snacks, it is a win-win for your pocket, your waistline, fitness, and overall wellbeing.

Sometimes people avoid snacking because they are afraid that snacks will contribute to weight gain. snacking seems to have developed a bad image but snacking healthily can be an important part of your diet. A healthy snack between meals can decrease your hunger and keep you away from overeating.

How to choose healthy snacks?

• Always read nutrition labels to understand the serving size, added sugar and % of protein
• Always pick the food which is low in added fat & sugar and high on fibre & water. It means an apple is healthier than just a bag of chips.
• Snacks that have a pairing of protein and carbohydrate will keep you full for longer. For example, apple and cheese sticks or whole wheat chips and peanut butter.
• Never eat straight from the bag, always define the portion as it is always easy to eat more than what should be consumed.
• A good balance between calorie size and the right size of snack prevents unwanted weight gain.
• Aim for fruits, vegetable, and whole-grain snacks.
• Limit sugary beverages and drinks with added sugar
• Fresh fruit is always a healthier option than fruit flavoured drink.

When you are choosing healthy snacks, it means:

• You maintain high energy, without which you can quickly run out of your productivity during working hours.
• Increased nutrient intake.
• You have appetite control.
• Better concentration
• Avoiding the risk of gaining weight and other related diseases

Snacking healthy can also be beneficial to people who are struggling with blood sugar levels. After eating a snack, the blood sugar level will rise and then decrease, hence it prevents dropping of sugar level between meals.

Fill your office desk with snacks to curb hunger.

You have probably been in a situation before where you have been working tirelessly to meet the project deadline and you do not have time to cook or prepare your meal. This scenario is very common nowadays in our work life, that is why we need to choose our desk snacks very wisely. You can always opt for healthy snacks like:

• Fruits like Apple, Banana, raisins, or Oranges (35 grams)
• Nuts 1 Oz. (28 grams) or Nuts Trail mix Protein bars (Less sugar or sugarless) because Nuts have a lot of protein, fibre, and essential fats. Avoid salted nuts as they may increase the sodium level in the body.
• Whole-grain dry cereals (Sugarless)
• Air-popped popcorn
• Rice cakes
• Nut-butters like Peanut Butter (i.e., Almond Butter or Pistachio Butter)
• Dark chocolates

Fill your office or home kitchen when you are working from home.

 Ensure you are filling your refrigerator with your favourite fresh veggies and fruits at the beginning of each week. Make sure you plan so you have less excuse to not eat healthily during your busy office hours.

Some food options that are healthy, tasty, and easy to prepare:

• Fruits and yoghurt
• Overnight oats
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Deli meat and cheese for easy roll-ups

 What is the best time to snack?

Usually, mid-afternoon is a common time to snack, especially after a light lunch Ideally, you should have your after-meal snack 3 to 4 hours after your lunch. It is always better to eat small portions.

Conclusion

Maintaining a healthy diet is not just good for you physically but also mentally and eating healthy snacks throughout the day keeps your energy level up and productivity high.  

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