Healthy snacks

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MelodyBri
MelodyBri Posts: 24 Member
So I am having a problem. I work in an office and will sometimes do mindless eating. I bought a bag of carrots as a solution, but after awhile you can grow sick of carrots. Does anyone have a healthy go to food item that cannot cause to much damage when you are mindlessly eating, because after I get sick of carrots I look at the food the office provides which is a minefield.

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  • tsutiger11
    tsutiger11 Posts: 4 Member
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    I know that struggle. Rice cakes plain or with almond butter is a good alternative. Or I take the little cuties (mini orange) and eat those. The fact that I have to peel them keeps me from eating too many.
  • pvanderheide
    pvanderheide Posts: 1 Member
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    Hello Melodybri!
    I have found that the best way to keep from mindless eating is to switch up the types of food that you bring as snacks. I agree that after a while carrots can get boring. (I drive 600 miles/week for work) so I have to eat at my "desk" as well so I try to have variety of snacks that are interesting as well. I have found that fruits/veggies ( bananas, cuties, celery, kiwi etc) are good particularly if you can prep them by cutting them into smaller pieces so you can make it last longer. Another option is having protein bars on hand, just make sure you aren't grabbing the ones that have extra sugar. :-)
    Hope that helps. Office snacking is a challenge! But you can beat it!
  • iamnal
    iamnal Posts: 3 Member
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    I try to eat a large lunch to prevent too much snacking. Something with lots of veg and preferably beans. But when I do snack, I TRY to have something with staying power, like oats or nuts -- granola bar, trail mix, etc.
  • kevinhparker550
    kevinhparker550 Posts: 17 Member
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    I work in the car and know the mindless eating struggle. I pack three or four sandwich bags of snacks and a small hot meal for my lunch. The sandwich bags aleays have veggies in it (carrots, zucchini, spinach, bell peppers, cucumber, and brussel sprouts are my go to. All raw). I snack on those throughout a 10 hour day, and eat my hot meal in two portions usually. This all helps keep my metabolism up and my hunger managed.
  • kevinhparker550
    kevinhparker550 Posts: 17 Member
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    Also I avoid fruit as a snack or anything with a high GI level. I found that high GI foods give me hunger cravings maybe an hour after the snack, and sometimes gives me headaches.

    Also sometimes I bring string cheese or unsalted mixed nuts if I'm feeling extra hungry that day and my calories for the day allow it.
  • kgulden1108
    kgulden1108 Posts: 1 Member
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    One of my favorites is air-popped popcorn. It's pretty low-cal so it's great for snacking and you can mix it up depending on what you're craving. A little cinnamon/sugar for a sweeter treat or just some salt and pepper for a saltier snack. One of my favorites is the Heavenly Light Sriacha popcorn from CVS. Popcorn is higher in fiber but lacking in protein so you may want to pair it with some string cheese to really fill you up for awhile.
  • KyleMahnke
    KyleMahnke Posts: 2 Member
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    I do my best to portion out whatever I'm going to eat. That way if I do have something like goldfish or popcorn I can adjust my intake accordingly.

    Eating straight from the box / bag is the worst for me personally because I eat way too much.
  • trim1
    trim1 Posts: 1 Member
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    I just went from a fast paced job as nurse to a super slow desk job so I know the struggle. I drink a ton of water (and coffee of course) and refuse to keep anything but gum at my desk. So far so good.
  • lmgroupiegirl
    lmgroupiegirl Posts: 10 Member
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    I agree with portioning things out, also designate a snack time if you are able. To me, being able to tell myself "no, you are going to eat your snack at 11am" helps when I'm in reality, just bored at 10:30am.

    As for snacks themselves, I like string cheese, multi-grain crackers, and prepackaged snacks in the 100-250 calorie range. I try not to choose foods that I love too much though, because then I'm way more tempted to seek more out and overindulge than I am if it's a snack I just like.
  • supercrissy
    supercrissy Posts: 4 Member
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    Altoids are my go-to snack when I'm not actually hungry.
  • sarahmayland
    sarahmayland Posts: 3 Member
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    Try a mix of fruit and nuts. The fruit's high GI will give you an energy boost right away, and the protein in the nuts will keep you from crashing an hour later.
  • Andreabroadley
    Andreabroadley Posts: 5,455 Member
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    I eat raw unsalted pumpkin seeds. About 1/4 cup for 150 calories is a satisfying snack.