Healthy Snack Foods for Work

Nuts

In moderation, nuts are great for you. There are some that are healthier than others of course, but if you stick to the unsalted, roasted variety, it will be satisfying to eat a small handful each day without being too hard on the arteries. The top ten healthiest nuts to snack on are macadamias, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews and brazil nuts. They’re filled to the brim with vitamins, protein, fiber and minerals.

Source: http://www.thedailymeal.com/10-best-nuts-your-health-slideshow

Baked crackers

Itching for a crispy snack? Why not try baked crackers instead of reaching for potato chips? Some crackers even have minced vegetables baked into them for a healthier bite.

Kale chips

If crackers don’t do it for you, and you are really craving that crispy crunch of a potato chip, reach for kale chips instead. It has the crisp of a chip without the fat. They’re dead easy to make at home, and all it takes is some chopped up kale lightly brushed with oil, sprinkled lightly with salt, and baked in the oven until crisp. Even diehard potato chip lovers will be hard pressed to find fault with them once they try them.

Sliced raw vegetables

Create little crudité (pre-sliced raw vegetable) packs to go to work with. You can chop up the vegetables on Sunday and make five little snack packs to grab on your way out the door. Great vegetables to snack on raw are carrots, radishes, celery, cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Personally, I like eating them raw without any dip, but if you must dip them into something, choose a light dip such as a yoghurt or cottage cheese rather than a heavy, fat-laden choice like spinach or cream cheese dips.

Fresh Fruit

This one is a no brainer. Pick up a few apples, bananas, oranges, pears and any other fruit that is easy to peel and eat. Throw it in your lunchbox, and when you feel the need to nosh, grab a piece of fruit. If you want to get fancier, try slicing your fruit ahead of time (you could add more exotic fare like pineapples) and packing them into little bags to grab and go.

Dried fruit

Want something sweeter and perhaps chewier? If you are craving taffy, toffee or anything to chew on, try dried fruit. Dried apples, pineapples and mangoes all deliver a big punch of taste and flavour without the processed sugar and additives found in candy bars. Just eat these dried snacks in moderation because after all, sugar is still sugar, even if it’s good fruit sugar.

Yoghurt

Yoghurt cups are one of the easiest ways to snack without reaching for your wallet to head down to the vending machine. Pick up a yoghurt in a full-fat version (the low fat stuff won’t be as satisfying) and treat it like a satisfying dessert at the end of your lunch. If you want to get a little creative, you can even freeze yoghurt and eat it like an ice cream.

Dark chocolate

If nothing will do as a snack but chocolate, eat no more than a few squares of the darkest chocolate you can find as they deliver antioxidants and are healthier for you than white, or milk chocolate.

 

What are your favourite healthy snack foods for work?