How you eat throughout the workday sets the pace for how you feel and perform.
Food choices in our work environment are impacted by many factors, such as availability, cost, and convenience. Having the right meals and snacks spaced throughout your day can fuel you to be productive, energized, and healthier!
Let us help you learn how to snack in a smart way so you can tackle your day at work with the great fuel and energy.
Smart snacking for the workday
Smart snacking can provide an energy boost between meals in your workday, supply nutrients your body needs, keep you satisfied, and curb your hunger throughout the day. We recommend aiming for snacks with 200 calories or less!
Creating successful snacking habits at work
- Snack only when you’re hungry. Eating out of boredom or for emotional reasons can lead to weight gain. Rate your hunger before reaching for a snack to avoid mindless eating.
- Plan and portion ahead of time. Fix and portion out snacks in advance -like washed and cut-up fruits and vegetables, air-popped popcorn, and low-fat cheese – can save time later on.
- Practice food safety. Keep perishable foods refrigerated or in a cooler bag with ice packs to help reduce the risk of food poisoning.
- Add some variety. Choose different fruits and vegetables, depending on what is in season or on sale. Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried are all good options. Compare labels to limit items high in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.
Eating out for work
Even if you are eating out for lunch during work or have a carry-in meeting, you can still make healthy choices. Think ahead and plan where you will eat or what will be served. If you know you are going to have a larger meal for lunch, try to make breakfast and dinner lighter meals. Soups and salads can be a great way to get in extra veggies and fill up on lower-calorie menu options. Limit or pass on the appetizers such as chips and salsa or bread.
Buffets and all-you-can-eat specials are challenging and can make it easy to eat larger portions. If you are going to have a buffet line, fill up your plate with the vegetables first. Eat slowly and listen to your hunger and fullness cues to help you know when to stop eating.
Smart snacks, for anytime or place
- Make your own trail mix by combining whole grain cereals, unsalted nuts or seeds, and dried fruit (Tip: portion into ¼ cup servings).
- Blend a smoothie by adding 1 cup fat-free milk or milk substitute and frozen fruit to a blender.
- Mix 3 cups air-popped popcorn with grated cheese or dried spices.
- Bake vegetable chips, like kale or beets.
- Roast chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) and season with spices.
- Make a dip using low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for raw vegetables.
- Mash an avocado with salsa and eat with whole-grain tortilla chips or spread on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with low-fat cheese, then roll it up and enjoy.
- Cut up fruit to make kebobs and serve with a low-fat yogurt dip.
- Slice a medium apple and eat with 1 tablespoon of peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter.
- Mix equal amounts of fat-free plain or flavored yogurt with 100% fruit juice, then pour paper cups and freeze for a tasty treat.
- Top graham crackers with nut or seed butter or dunk them in low-fat vanilla yogurt.
- Cut a whole pita into wedges and serve with 2 tablespoons of hummus or bean dip.
- Top fat-free Greek yogurt or fat-free cottage cheese with ¼ cup of fruit.
If you’d like to learn more about what healthy snacking looks like for you, reach out to your Marathon Health provider.