- Image by havankevin via Flickr
By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
A lot of us find ourselves hitting a slump at about 2:30 or 3 in the average workday. You know the feeling– you’re getting sleepy, finding it hard to concentrate, zoning out on conference calls or in meetings. You may have a craving for something sweet or caffeinated, thinking that it can get you through until the end of the day.
Keeping healthy snacks at work is a great way to counteract those cravings for sugary or caffeinated snacks. Your body is looking for an energy source, but rather than giving it refined sugar (which leads to a bigger “crash” later on), try a low-fat protein-packed snack– you’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel by the end of the day.
The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois provides a great list of healthy snack ideas. It shows that no matter your preference, there’s something healthy that can satisfy you.
Like sweets? Try these goodies: pudding with vanilla wafers, oatmeal-raisin cookies, fig bars, graham crackers or rice cakes with peanut butter, hot chocolate, frozen yogurt, dried fruit, raisin toast, frozen fruit bars, whole fruit sorbet, homemade low-fat bran muffins, whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas, and sugar-free Jell-O made with fresh fruit and marshmallows.
Here’s the list for you to consider next time you’re at the grocery store:
- One-half of a cantaloupe filled with ½ cup of fat-free yogurt
- A frozen fruit bar and sparkling water
- One low-fat granola bar and a small banana
- A fruit smoothie
- Air-popped popcorn topped with Italian seasonings and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
- Baked tortilla chips and salsa
- One orange and six animal crackers
- One-half cup of frozen yogurt and a small banana
- Low-fat hummus and pita wedges
- Celery stuffed with low-fat bean dip
- Cinnamon bagel chips and ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese
- Fat-free pretzel stick and 1%, skim or soymilk with chocolate syrup
- One-half cup couscous topped with tomato sauce and ½ teaspoon of Parmesan cheese
- Dried fruit such as apricots, apple rings, or a small box of raisins and a low-fat string cheese stick
- Reduced sodium vegetable juice and two white cheddar popcorn cakes
- Ready-to-eat whole grain cereal with soymilk
- A tortilla rolled up with vegetarian fat-free refried beans and a sprinkle of Mexican blend cheese (heat in the microwave to melt the cheese)
- Apple slices and homemade apple dip
- Ants on a log: celery stick with peanut butter spread in the center, topped with raisins
- Raw sweet potato sticks instead of carrot sticks (carrots sticks are good also!)
- Two Graham cracker sheets with one tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter
- One medium size low-fat muffin with a juice box or chocolate milk box
Happy snacking!
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Great stuff. Eating right during the day is so important because it allows us to keep our insulin levels in check and to ward off an desire to binge. The more we choose the right foods the better our energy levels will be and the motivation to push through the day driven to succeed. I just wrote on snacks as well.
Hi Nate, fellow blogger and fitness enthusiast,
Thanks for reading and commenting! Healthy snacks are important not only to help us maintain our energy levels but also to allow us to more easily digest our food. Too much sugar makes us hyper and then when the insulin kicks in too much too fast…we crash.
Thanks again for reading and commenting! Happy blogging!
Sue