Busy lives add to the challenge of losing weight. Stuck late at work or tired and hungry after a session at the gym and it’s easy to reach for any available snack. Often snacks to hand are highly processed and full of calories, the last thing your body needs when you’re trying to lose a few pounds. Instead, it’s better to be prepared when juggling work, family, and busy social lives. You need easy snacks you can make ahead and grab and go when you’re busy. These healthy snacks for work are ideal for filling you up quickly without sabotaging your healthy eating plans.
6 Tips for Healthy Snacking
When you’re busy or working at a desk, it’s easy to graze on snacks mindlessly. That report may be much easier to write when you’re munching through chocolate bars but your body won’t thank you. So here are some tips to keep your snacking habits in check:
1. Drink Water
Did you know your body often confuses thirst for hunger? Before you reach for a snack, stop and think when did you last have a drink? Keeping fully hydrated doesn’t just help with satiety, you’ll feel energized and wide awake. Keeping a bottle of water at your desk will help you keep the munchies at bay. Just make sure you don’t over-drink. Taking on more fluid than your body needs is dangerous. Water is the top choice for hydrating: zero calories and it’s the best way to quench your thirst.
2. Eat Regularly
Skipping meals messes with your metabolism, so if you want to give your metabolism a boost, make sure you eat regularly. Having healthy snacks to hand will help. If you’re busy and on the go, sensible snacking can keep you going until your next meal time.
3. Eat A Healthy Filling Breakfast
I like to think breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But some people skip breakfast thinking it will help them lose weight. There’s very little evidence to back this theory up.
If you always skip breakfast and end up ravenous by lunchtime, it’s time to change your breakfast habits. It’s better to have a healthy filling breakfast than overeat later in the day. If you’re skipping breakfast because weekdays start in a rush, try these healthy breakfast meal prep ideas.
4. Meal Prep At Weekends
When you’re busy during the week it’s a huge help having healthy meals and snacks ready and waiting. You can spend a few hours on a Sunday evening on meal prep for the week, then relax knowing all that chopping and prep will see you through until Friday. There’s less risk of grabbing a takeaway and destroying all your good intentions.
Select your favorite dishes from these yummy meal prep ideas and make ahead some of the delicious healthy snacks listed below.
5. Watch Your Portion Size
Know the saying you can have too much of a good thing? Unfortunately, it applies to healthy food. Tasty snacks can still help you pile on the pounds even when they’re good for you. It’s far better to choose homemade snacks than reach for shop-bought alternatives laden with calories and saturated fat but go easy on the portion sizes. Better still pre-portion your snacks so you don’t get carried away and overeat.
6. Eat Your Veggies
You can never go wrong filling up on veggies. In their purest form, raw or lightly steamed, veggies are full of nutrients and low on calories. Chomp away on carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or cherry tomatoes and your waistline will thank you. Just watch out for hidden calories in dips.
3 Tips For Healthy Snacks
1. Choose High Protein Snacks
Protein fills you up and should always be a key part of your meal when you’re aim is weight loss. Roasted chickpeas make a crunchy protein-boosting snack that’s suitable for vegans or keep a supply of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge if you’re veggie. Combine with carbs to top up your energy levels but go easy on the healthy fats – a little is all you need. Try these high-protein snack ideas.
2. Know Your Fiber
Fiber is essential for keeping your gut happy and your blood sugar levels low. It also makes that full feeling after a snack or meal last for longer. Seek out snacks and meals full of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. You’re less likely to over-eat with high-fiber healthy snacks.
3. Homemade Is Best
Have you noticed that when you buy snacks and treats in a shop they’re full of ingredients you would never use at home? Ingredients that don’t sound like real food such as additives and preservatives. When you make your homemade snacks, you know what you’re eating and you can keep all the high-calorie stuff such as added sugar to a minimum. Make-ahead healthy snacks are best.
Here’s a list of easy, on-the-go vegan and vegetarian make-ahead snacks, perfect for work:
- Vegan Energy Balls | Love and Lemons
- Roasted Chickpeas | Love Life Be Fit
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars | Nora Cooks
- Stuffed Dates With Peanut Butter | Lazy Cat Kitchen
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins | Detoxinista
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls | Well Plated
- Crispy Baked Tofu Bites | Cookie and Kate
- No-Bake Brownie Bites | Chocolate Covered Katie
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Veggie Sticks | Downshiftology
- Chia Pudding | Minimalist Baker
- Banana Muffins | Nora Cooks
- Carrot Cake Bites | A Pinch Of Yum
- Spinach and Feta Muffins | 12 Tomatoes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies | Love and Lemons
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites | Wholesome Yum
- Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars | Amy’s Healthy Baking
- Coconut Date Balls | Feel Good Foodie
- Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites | Well Plated
- Baked Zucchini Chips | Healthy Recipes
- Cinnamon Apple Chips | Well Plated By Erin
- Granola Clusters | Sally’s Baking Recipes
- Smoky Spicy Roasted Almonds | Small Town Woman
- Crispy Edamame | Coffee & Quinoa
- Banana Oat Cookies | Kitchen Sanctuary
- Roasted Spiced Pumpkin Seeds | Simply Recipes
Give some of these snacks a try! If you need more ideas take a look at these Healthy Snacks For Work.