Exclusive: 3 Healthy Snacks That You Can Have At Your Office Desk

Healthy Snacks: Expert tells one should snack on healthy items as it is a great way to add a diverse set of nutrients to your day.

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At the most unexpected times during working hours, the urge to munch on something slowly creeps up. It can be either immediately after you arrive at work or after a long commute, just before lunch, and mostly between 4-6 PM. The best mantra for this is not to ignore the hunger pangs, instead grab some snacks. But not just any snacks, instead, healthy snacks. In addition to giving your body essential nutrients, healthy snacks can satisfy your hunger in a matter of handfuls.

With these wholesome office snacks always at your desk, you can completely avoid going to the vending machines. Snacking on unhealthy food items is not recommended, instead one should snack on healthy snacking items as it is a great way to add a diverse set of nutrients to your day and keep you from getting hungry between meals. Ritika Samaddar, Regional Head-Dietetics, Max Healthcare, Delhi shares 3 healthy snacks that you can keep right at your desk when hunger hits:

Almonds

Almonds are great as it’s a quick and satisfying snack to give you a boost of energy.

1. Snacking on a handful of almonds is a good starting point, as they contain a host of nutrients, that make for a healthy snacking option and can also help add to people’s heart health. Almonds are a source of 15 essential nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, protein, riboflavin, zinc, etc. Research also suggests that regular consumption of almonds can effectively help in reducing LDL and total cholesterol, which will add to one’s heart health over time.

2. A handful of almonds may have satiating properties that promote a feeling of fullness, which may keep hunger at bay between meals. It is important to keep healthy snacks like almonds, so you don’t feel the urge to snack unhealthy. I strongly recommend keeping almonds at your desk so that you will always have your perfect portion of nutrients whenever you might feel hungry. Also, they are easy to carry and can be consumed on the go.

Seasonal Fresh Fruits

What is better than an extra dose of vitamins and minerals - Nothing, right? Besides snacking on almonds, consuming a bowl of fresh fruits in the office is a great option. Fruits have a huge range of health benefits and come packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will fortify the immune system and keep one feeling stronger and healthier. You can mix a variety of fruits in your fruit bowl such as apples, oranges, pears, bananas or any seasonal fruit, add a powdered spice mix like Chaat masala and enjoy it.

Makhanas

Makhanas are a good source of protein and healthy carbs. Being low in calories, makhanas promote weight loss, while their high calcium content makes them good for the bones. Makhanas are also known to have anti-inflammatory properties3. The ideal thing which I suggest is to take a bulk of them, dry roast them and store them in a glass jar. Sprinkle salt/ dried spices over them if you want. A small box of dry roasted makhanas every day can make for a delicious office snack.