Picture this: It’s 3 pm at the office, and your stomach just started to growl. You think about going to the vending machine in your office’s break room, but the only foods you can get there are week-old chips and stale chocolate chip cookies. You know that if you can just get a little bit of energy, the rest of the workday will fly by, but you don’t want to eat junk food.
What do you do?
From time to time, we all need a midday pick-me-up, and one of the best ways to get that boost of energy is from snacking! Office snacking is a time-honored tradition, but if you’re snacking on sugar-heavy, carb-loaded junk food, you might be missing out on the benefits of proper snacking.
We know that it can sometimes be a struggle to find healthy food at the office, so we came up with a list of some of the best options for healthy office snacks. We have some suggestions for individual snacks you can bring, as well as a couple of snacks you could try out for the whole office!
What to Consider
When you’re trying to come up with ideas for snacks, you should keep in mind the type of snack you want. We all know that a healthy snack will give you better nutrients than junk food, but you should know what kind of healthy snacks will work best!
The next time you’re out shopping, try to look for foods with:
- Low-sugar and fat - It seems like common sense, but avoiding your favorite junk foods can be challenging! Help yourself out by checking the ingredients on a snack before putting it in your cart.
- High fiber and water - Snacks with high water and fiber content (an apple, for example) can help you stay full for longer, without the extra calories and fats from junk food.
- Protein and fiber combos - While some foods are great on their own, you can make some great snacks by pairing two foods together, especially if they are high in fiber and protein. Protein and fiber work together to keep you full for long periods while also providing great nutrition!
Hopefully, the next time you’re at the store, this list can give you some great healthy snack ideas. However, we know it’s hard to look for foods by their ingredients alone, so we have some specific suggestions to get you going on the right path.
Snacks For You
We’ll kick off our list with some of the best personal healthy snacks for work. These suggestions are compact and healthy, and best of all, you won’t have to share them with anyone else.
Apples and Peanut Butter
A classic snack, apples and peanut butter will probably never go out of style! Apples are a great source of fiber and contain a truckload of vitamins, while peanut butter serves you protein with every scoop. If you aren’t a fan of peanut butter, feel free to swap it out for other types of nut butter, like cashew or almond butter. Just make sure they aren’t too processed, so you don’t miss out on all the healthy fats!
Greek Yogurt
Even though yogurt is traditionally a breakfast food, greek yogurt has all the makings for your next snack break. This snack is thick, creamy, and rich in protein, giving you an excellent balance for the middle of the day. It also offers less sugar than regular yogurt and goes well with plenty of other foods, so feel free to mix and match with your other snacks!
Health Bars
Arguably the most convenient way to snack, health bars come in all shapes and sizes and can all offer something different. Granola bars cater to the nut and dried fruit crowd, while protein bars provide a broader, more rounded snack! Our MCTbars are perfect for kicking a sweet tooth habit, as they are keto-friendly, gluten-free, and still taste delicious. Just stick a health bar in your work bag in the morning, and you’re set to snack.
Snacks for the Office
If you feel like you have limited snacking options at the office, your coworkers are likely feeling similarly. While donut boxes and pizzas can be nice on occasion, having healthy office snacks can change the workplace. Try setting a precedent with these following foods, and see if your healthy eating catches on!
Energy Balls
As the name suggests, this snack is a quick, cheap, and easy way to inject energy into any day. Recipes can vary from person to person, but most energy balls are made from a base of oats and peanut butter. Often, people add chia seeds to increase the fiber and protein content, and for a tiny sugar boost, you can add in some dark chocolate!
Experiment with some recipes of your own until your find the perfect mix of ingredients for you. In the process, you might just stumble into some healthy snack ideas for yourself!
Roasted Chickpeas
If you haven’t tried roasted chickpeas yet, you’re missing out! Chickpeas are a fantastic source of protein, fiber, and vitamins, contained in a tiny package. Toss some chickpeas in olive oil and sea salt, and roast them in your oven until they turn golden brown and crispy. Bring in a batch of homemade roasted chickpeas to your next budget meeting, and watch them disappear from the snack table, as they are sure to be a hit.
Just like the energy balls, you can have fun experimenting with different flavors and spices to add to your chickpeas. They are versatile and pair well with many foods, so your options should be wide open.
MCTco
Eating healthy can seem like a radical lifestyle change, but it doesn’t have to be! MCTco is dedicated to making healthy lifestyles more accessible for everyone without sacrificing all the delicious tastes the world has to offer.
A perfect place to start your health journey is with our MCTbars. Made with almonds, MCT oil, and plenty of prebiotic fiber, these bars provide a healthy snack for any occasion. Let’s make change transpire together, one step at a time.