snacks for work?

karen_parker

Hi, Im new to this site.
Looking for suggestions for snacks while sitting at a desk at work. It gets boring and I find myself not paying attention to portions of snacks so Im trying to find things that are low cal / healthy. I used to keep a can of almonds / cashews to munch on, but was told that was the WORST thing because of the salt. Obviously dont want to keep candy around. I read another post that popcorn was also bad because of the salt. I am NOT a "raw veggie" person, just could never acquire a taste for raw carrots/broc/etc.
What does anyone else that works a desk job keep for snacks? The office is VERY QUIET and its embarassing to have my stomach start growling.
Thanks!
Karen

ZyheeMoongazer

There are almonds without salt added, you can try that along with other no salt nuts. Be careful on the portions though, eating too much of healthy foods is still eating too much.

I like veggies so my desk top favs are:

Carrots with Hummus
Celery with Peanut Butter
Bananas
Grapes
Trail Mix (divided into appropriate portions)
WATER

Fit_Fox88

Granola bars, raw and/or dried fruit, trail mix. I also see you mentioned popcorn- if you're a popcorn person Kroger has a great 94% fat free microwave popcorn that only has 290 mg of sodium per 5 popped cups- I've found it has enough butter and salt to satisfy my salty snack cravings. Just remember to drink TONS of water- I usually find myself consuming 2-2.5 Ice Mountain water bottles before my 12:30 lunchtime. I've found that helps my cravings/hunger pains. What I've also found that works well is setting times on my Outlook calendar for an afternoon snack and a mid-morning snack. I usually grab a piece of fruit or granola bar, just to tide me over until lunch or the gym (depending on which snack time it is). If you want some support or other tips/ideas, feel free to add me. I'm always looking for new support and am likewise happy to help!! Good luck!

jrsdws

I was never a veggie eater at all until recently. I knew vegetables had to be part of my everyday diet so I started trying different things that I had swore I HATED.

Sugar snap peas are a pretty regular snack food for me while I drive...and I drive a lot. I pack a baggie and if I have the urge to munch then I'm set. I typically try to save them for my lunch, though.

Give them a try maybe.

healthy_juls

Apples and lemon water.

cmfruin2012

Nuts -- all kinds -- I always try to have a can of almonds, cashews, etc in my drawer. Really wards off the hunger.
Bananas
String cheese
Hummus chips (yes, there are such things and they are delicious!)
Yogurt (I have a little fridge in my office -- which helps with the snack storage)
Granola Bars (be mindful of the nutritional values!)
Nonni Biscotti
I also keep a bowl of peppermint life savers on my desk -- sometimes if I think I'm hungry but know I shouldn't be, sucking on a mint keeps the urge to snack at bay.

giusa

Also have a desk job and recently started eating every 3 hrs to help my metabolism. From doing this, I've also noticed that I snack less! However, there are times when I am unusually hungry so I keep Nature Valley granola bars, raisins and low sodium almonds at my desk. Another thing that helps me tremendously is fresh squeezed lemon in water, for some reasons that really takes my hunger away. Hope that helps!

gowanna27

I just made some roasted chickpeas in the weekend as and they are great - healthy and lots of different flavours you can make

DarkFlutter

I just bought the Easter snack packs of Goldfish crackers last night.
50 cals, 2g fat, 7g carb, 0g sugar, and 1g protein.

Also trying the Special K Pastry Crisps - Chocolatey Delight
100 cals, 2g fat, 20g carb, 7g sugar, and 1g protein.

Other go-tos are string cheese, applesauce, fruit strips.

Skrib69

When I worked in an office, I used to keep fruit, usually grapes or a banana, on my desk. Also had battons of cucumber or carrot. THe vital bit was that they were all chopped so I could just graze throughout the day and it wouldnt matter. Becasue of this the banana soon dropped off the list but it was good at keeping me going. I tried other things like broccolli, cabage and cauliflower but couldn't get on with it.

Now that I drive a lot for work, snacking is a big problem for me. I used to stop at a garage and buy crisps, chocolate, nuts, sweets...... You can imagine the results! I tried the same tricks that I used in the office and had issues with keeping things fresh in the summer, and not sliding all over the car.

So now I use www.graze.com and have a box of 4 snacks delivered per week. For me, it is just enough to keep me out of the garage until I get home and can get something sensible. There is a very large range of snacks so it also gets round the boredom issue associated with a small number of snacks, and as long as I remember to pick up the box on a Wednesday morning when they are delivered, it works for me!

HummingbirdsStayActive

The night before I pack all sorts of snacks to keep me full...

Trail mix is a big one, nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate, when I have that craving!

Impulse fruits and veggies like baby carrots, clementines, apples, stuff I can eat quickly at my desk.

KANGOOJUMPS

WHISKEY.

poorgirl1

I just made some roasted chickpeas in the weekend as and they are great - healthy and lots of different flavours you can make

Could you post the recipe please? Thanks!

Naywifey07

I bought some pistachios, almonds and cashews and put them in a sandwich bag and bring to work... It actually makes me full and of course drink plenty of water with them.... Just hope I dont get tired of them... lol

Bianca42

I pack a bunch of snacks in my lunch each day. Usually 3-4 small snacks in little baggies or containers so I'm not tempted to eat the whole container.

string cheese
yogurt (the 4oz ones)
laughing cow cheese
crackers
carrots
celery
Luna Fiber bar
biscotti
peanuts
raisins

emuravyeva

I'll swear by rice cakes/rice crackers. You can get them in all kinds of flavours so they're not boring at all. I like the Quaker ones best.

smancini

I eat Vita Top Muffins for a snack. Only 100 calories and they are delicious. You can find them in the frozen breakfast food area of the supermarket. Or, I'll have Nature Valley crunchy granola bars. These with a glass of water will make you feel full and satisfied.

tararocks

Are you eating enough at your other meals? Just a thought because I know when i have snacks available to me...I WILL EAT THEM even when im not that hungry, other days i forget my snack and I feel fine throughout the day. I do still like to have a snap to keep me from being starving while i make dinner later, but jsut an idea, for me I don't think it would wokr to have multiple options to choose from, because I would eat them all. having said that here are some snacks I like
Veggies-do you have to have them raw? Do you have access to a microwave? If so i sometimes heat up a half can of green beans, its a good snack, and something about eating them warm tricks me into thinking its a "hearty" snack.
Fruit-whatever you like
grapes, apples and pb, banana, melon, pineapple, cuties, kiwi, etc
laughing cow cheese wedge and some crackers or kasi pita chips
kashi pita crisps and hummus
jerky
half can of soup
fiber one 90 cal bar
protein bar

NicholeElizabeth92

I have two jobs (one a desk the other working with kids) and I'm a full time college student. I found this helps a lot. I split my meals up into smaller portions through out the day so i'm not hungry and it works better with the time i have. A typical day looks like this (hope it gives you some ideas)
breakfast: protien shake or yougurt or oatmeal
morning snack: apple or cheese or nuts
lunch: sandwhich with vegetables or a salad with chicken and nuts or a bag of vegetables and cheese (depends on the day and how busy I will be)
afternoon snack: granola bar and fruit (this is provide at the job where i work with kids. yes i get paid to sit and eat with kids)
dinner: whole grain pasta with tomato sauce or sandwhich or something from my UDS caf
evening snack: yogurt or tuna or something sweet

MelissaL582

I'll agree with the other comments. There's a long list.

Wheat Thins and Hummus is awesome!

juliemouse83

I just made some roasted chickpeas in the weekend as and they are great - healthy and lots of different flavours you can make

This sounds really good! How long do you keep them in the oven and at what temp? I tried pan roasting them, and I never get them right...

silverinc13

I usually have an apple, a bag of portioned cashews and almonds, a veggie bag with yoghurt ranch or hummus to dip in, and maybe some other little treat - homemade granola bar or a small hard candy (werthers or something). The 94% fat free popcorn 100 cal packs is a great snack because it gives you a lot of volume for the calories. Definitely keep mints and gum around and if you find yourself feeling hungry when you've just snacked drink some water and have a mint or two.

lisamac62

I also have a desk job....
I eat breakfast at 5:30 am and don't get lunch till 1:00pm then don't eat dinner until 7:30 or 8:00pm so I eat a snack around 10:00 am this is usually a low fat yogurt or a greek yogurt and I add 1/4 c of Kellogs Protein Special K to my yogurt. My next snack is usually around 4 and I usually have celery and hummus, or celery, carrots and laughing cow cheese, or sliced strawberries, or blackberries or an apple and peanutbutter....somtimes I have a string cheese with my fruit.
Hope this helps.

conniemaxwell5

I pack just what I need for the day so there is no option to snack over my limit. I keep a full glass or bottle of water at my desk at all times so if I do have a hunger pang or an urge to eat, I take a drink. It's a mind shift from snacking on food to "snacking" on water, but you can do it.

For a typical day (I work 10 hour days) I pack a homemade egg mcmuffin or granola parfait for breakfast, an apple with PB2 peanut butter or celery with hummus for morning snack, a pita with hummus and veggies or a salad with grilled chicken for lunch, and cottage cheese with cinnamon and walnuts or a piece of fuit and 2 T of unsalted raw nuts like almonds or walnuts.I rarely get hungry or desire anything else. The other trick is to not carry cash so you're not tempted to go to the vending machines!

katsmo

I sit at a desk all day too, and I pack a mid-morning snack and an afternoon snack. I also try to take a 15-minute walk around snack time, when weather and time permits. Some of my most common snacks are:
- grapes and string cheese
- Greek yogurt and an orange
- cherry tomatoes, string cheese, and hummus
- banana and peanut butter
- rice cakes with applesauce or coconut oil
- berries and chocolate milk
- Special K pastry crisp and a can of V8

Good luck!

elyelyse

Hi, Im new to this site.
Looking for suggestions for snacks while sitting at a desk at work. It gets boring and I find myself not paying attention to portions of snacks so Im trying to find things that are low cal / healthy.

there are very few foods you can eat and continue to not pay attention to portions. even low cal/healthy foods need to be portioned out. A "serving" of carrots, is about 35 calories, that totally fits in for a snack right? but if you mindlessly eat the whole bag of baby carrots (i have!) now that's 125.

something else to consider is... why do you keep eating? sure some of it is boredom but its also important to consider: are the snacks you are consuming actually satisfying your cravings? or just providing entertainment? if you stick to low cal low fat snacks in large quantities you may be LESS satisfied than if you selected a snack that has some protein and fats. Nuts are a GREAT snack, though you have to seriously watch portions. If I snack on pistachios, I eat 40 of them. Cashews, about 20 nuts. It won't fill my belly, so i might have a small fruit or some veggies at the same time, but once my brain gets the message that i've had good fats, I'm less hungry.

portion out your snacks the night before, and only bring with you snacks in the number of calories you have allotted for work-snacks that day. a HUGE part of weight loss is controlling portions and selecting foods your body wants, not just looking for foods you can eat in large amounts without thinking.

Confuzzled4ever

<~ Desk job (I have a small 8 oz travel coffee cup that I use to bring stuff to eat at my desk lol)

I eat
blackberries
apples with peanut butter
celery
carrots
Shelled nuts + nut cracker (yes at my desk. LOL)
granola chips
Greek salad (Taboulle, feta, carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, red onion any other veggies supposed to drizzle with oil, but i don't)
Occasional protein bars.
sweet mini peppers
grape tomatoes
seckel pears (they are small)

I also eat my breakfast at my desk quite often.
steel oats or greek yogurt mixed with banana and strawberry jam ond/or granola or blackberries or honey (today i have steel oats and boxty lol)

megottlieb

I also tend to snack a lot while sitting on my desk at work. I throw this stuff in my lunch the night before so I'm not tempted to run down to the Canteen and grab something unhealthy. Snacks that work for me are:

Cuties California Clementines
Fiber 1 Bars with the extra protein
Sargento Reduced Fat String Cheese (only 50 calories!)
Pre-cut apple slices
Greek yogurt with 1 TBS wheat germ
Baked Lays

215jenn

I'm a big fan of an apple and a half ounce of sea salt almonds. Try playing around with small containers in your house that work for that measurement. I can dump a half ounce of almonds in the larger side of one of my easter eggs. It's small enough to toss in a purse and it's an EASY measurement to remember

mazdauk

Make sure you add in the calories to MFP as soon as you get to work (or before you leave0 - then you can see how little is left for the evening I find if I have it with me I'll generally eat it, so I don't have too much "just in case" anywhere near me. If I am tempted by my JIC I make a drink and have half of it, then see if I still want to "waste" those calories.

I also have a desk job and in my previous one I used to have a low fat yoghurt (WW) when I got in, a cereal bar or banana mid-morning, sandwich and fruit/something else (often biscuit) for lunch and sometimes something mid-afternoon. In my defence I had a longish commute so I was hungry when I arrived, but also I was fed up with my job and stressed, and food broke up the day a bit......

So when I started my new job I was already overweight! This job is much busier (and fewer people bring in cakes, snacks etc foor birthdays/on return from vacations), plsu being in a school the day breaks up into sections and goes fast, BUT I was still having a mid-morning snack the going and buying a sandwich and a nice "healthy" biscuit from the canteen.

Now I have either fruit or a cereal bar for mid-morning plus one small but healthy sandwich for lunch - and that's IT. If my tummy starts I drink more water and/or a green tea.

I've got a bag of mixed nuts at home my husband bought for a healthy treat, but I'll need to portion them as 25g is 165cal - nearly as much as my bar - and I could eat two or more at a blink.

fitnotfluffy

My favorites are mostly veggies, but I'll try to give you some ideas that aren't.

What about fruit? Oranges, bananas, grapes?
String cheese, rice cakes, boiled egg, beef jerky, unsalted almonds, tuna packs, green tea, greek yogurt, pita chips/hummus, protein bars, special k bars, WATER! Hope these help you a bit.