As crucial as actionable technology and efficient office layouts are to improving productivity, businesses can find even more success by considering basic human needs. Employees perform the best when their energy levels are high and they’re free from distractions. Going too long without food leaves people feeling sluggish and distracted by those hungry feelings in their bellies.
We know that lunch breaks are essential to employee productivity, but how can businesses help employees keep their momentum between meals? Sometimes, workplace snacks are the difference makers that help employees power through the day. Let’s look at the reasons why snacking at work can be beneficial and some snacks that keep productivity high.
Why Snacking During Work is Good for You
Research shows that taking active breaks and eating healthy office snacks while working can lead to tangible benefits in any workplace.
- Snacking boosts productivity: The body needs fuel to stay alert and responsive. Healthy snacks empower employees to do more with their time.
- Snacking keeps energy levels high: If breakfast and lunch are an employee’s only energy source, they’ll lose energy by the mid-point and end of the day.
- Snacking boosts creativity: A little time away from work can refresh an employee’s creative flow.
- Snacking improves happiness and morale: Healthy diets lead to healthy minds. Plus, the little things like snacking freedom count when building employee-management relationships.
10 Great Office Snacks
Here are 10 easy snacks that can keep energy and productivity high every day:
Nuts
Certain nuts can be excellent healthy snacks to eat at the office. For one, a bowl or bag of nuts is easy to pick from for a quick bite while working. There’s little need for preparation, and they’re a relatively mess-free snack — depending on the nut.
Two of the best to snack on are almonds and pistachios. Both nuts are high in monosaturated fats, meaning they provide a lot of energy and reduce the risk of high cholesterol. A one-ounce serving of almonds has 15 grams of fat and six grams of protein. The same serving of pistachios provides the same amount of protein and 13 grams of fat. The nutrients help stave off hunger until your next meal.
Carrots and Hummus
Carrots are a simple, healthy vegetable to snack on — especially with the right dip. Try enjoying your carrot snack with hummus rather than fatty ranch or french onion dip. Hummus is a tasty mixture of chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice. The dip is ripe with healthy fats, proteins and fibers, while carrots offer beta carotene — an essential nutrient for vitamin A consumption. Carrots and hummus combine for a well-rounded snack that can energize anyone to power through the day.
Celery and Peanut Butter
Celery and peanut butter are an excellent snack combo because they taste amazing together while providing a healthy balance of nutrients. Both peanut butter and celery undergo minimal processing and feature plenty of beneficial fibers, proteins and minerals. Spreading a tablespoon of peanut butter over a five-inch celery stalk will net about eight grams of fat, 1.6 grams of fiber and four grams of protein — enough to keep someone satiated and energized in the time before or after lunch.
Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
Continuing with the peanut butter theme, apples are another excellent vessel for the creamy delight. Peanutbutter is rich in healthy fats and proteins, while apples provide extra fiber and water. A red delicious apple is nearly 85% water and contains two grams of fiber. Plus, apples have sugars like sucrose, glucose and fructose that the body processes over a longer period. All together, apples and peanut butter are a tasty snack combination that will fill your appetite for a little while.
Strawberries and Nutella on Toast
Here’s a healthy recipe that’s the perfect combination of creaminess, crunchiness and fruitiness. The short time spent toasting the bread, spreading the Nutella and slicing the strawberries is well worth the wait.
Strawberries are mostly water but have enough healthy sugars like glucose and fructose to provide a lasting energy boost. Meanwhile, Nutella is a hazelnut cream containing 4.6 grams of fat — three grams of unsaturated fats — and 8.4 grams of sugar per serving. This mouthwatering snack is filled and fairly nutritious combined with a hearty slice of toast.
Granola
If it’s good enough to help hikers climb mountains, it’ll help you through a day at the office. Granola is a long-lasting snack that’s easy to stash in your desk or pack in your work bag. You’ll get a lot of energy from a serving of granola because it contains plenty of protein, fat and fiber. For every quarter cup (29 grams) of granola, you’ll get three grams of protein, plus 15% of your daily fat and 10% of your daily fiber.
String Cheese
String cheese is a nutrient-efficient snack with packaging that encourages natural portion control. A single 28-gram serving of string cheese has a solid six grams of both protein and fat that add up for an 80 calorie snack. That’s an easy way to maximize your nutrients between meals without surpassing your daily calory limit.
Hard-boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are rich in protein, among other useful nutrients. A single hard-boiled egg features 12.6 grams of protein, 10.6 grams of fat, and various minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and more. The best part is you can buy pre-packaged hard-boiled eggs that are ready to store in your office refrigerator — just think about keeping them away from communal desk spaces.
Jerky
The right kind of jerky can fill you up while helping you reach your protein consumption goals for the day. An ounce of beef jerky packs eight grams of protein and 4 grams of fat while only containing one gram of sugar. Plus, jerky is rich in minerals like iron that ensure healthy blood and adequate energy. As a result, beef jerky is another efficient snack that can hold you over for a while.
Greek Yogurt
Plain Greek yogurt is more nutritious than other kinds, and you can add flavor by mixing in your favorite fruit. A container of Greek yogurt contains a total of 16.1 grams of protein, meaning this is a snack that will hold off hunger while you work. At a low 92 calories per container, eating Greek yogurt as a workplace snack makes sense any way you look at it.
Get Snacking with American Food & Vending
Healthy snacks are vital to productive offices. If you’re looking for a way to ensure your staff is ready to start and finish every day strong, work with American Food & Vending. We establish in-house micro-markets that give workforces access to a wide range of healthy snacks they can pick ]up fast. For more on how our solutions can help your business, contact American Food & Vending today!