{"id":54610,"date":"2025-07-10T16:58:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T16:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/54610\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T16:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T16:58:09","slug":"healthy-workday-snacks-include-a-smart-mix-of-energy-boosters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/54610\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy workday snacks include a smart mix of energy-boosters"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 When Claire Par\u00e9 was a classroom teacher, working in a setting where every minute, down to the bathroom breaks, was scheduled, she brought granola bars, fruit<\/a> and protein shakes to school so she\u2019d be prepared when hunger hits. <\/p>\n

Then she transitioned to a job at education publisher McGraw Hill. Working remotely at home in New Hampshire, her children\u2019s cheddar bunny crackers and Fruit Roll-Ups lured her to the pantry, confounding her commitment to healthy snacking<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the opportunity to be judicious, but I choose not to most of the time,\u201d Par\u00e9 said. \u201cI really do enjoy being able to put the time into making something<\/a>, but oftentimes convenience just has to win out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eating healthy snacks<\/a> during the workday can be challenging. Many people find themselves facing down a mid-afternoon slump<\/a> and accompanying sugar, caffeine or carbohydrate cravings after lunch. Busy adults<\/a> racing from back-to-back meetings to family commitments often reach for what\u2019s easy, whether it\u2019s a candy bar from the office vending machine<\/a> or potato chips from a kitchen cupboard. <\/p>\n

The problem with eating packaged sugary or salty snacks to get through the afternoon is they may spike blood sugar levels but don\u2019t give a sustained second wind, according to Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to burn off really fast, so you\u2019re going to get that boost of energy and then all of a sudden you\u2019re going to get another crash,\u201d Czerwony said. \u201cSome people just chase that for a while, and they\u2019re drinking coffee or their energy drinks and they\u2019re eating their candy, and it just sets you up for these spikes and these drops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some ideas for maintaining healthy snacking habits at work.<\/p>\n

Peppering in protein<\/p>\n

Foods that are high in protein,<\/a> such as Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese and beef or turkey jerky, can help people feel full for longer periods of time than snacks without protein, said Caroline Susie, a Dallas-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. <\/p>\n

Eating a snack consisting of refined carbohydrates such as a bagel causes blood sugar to rise rapidly and then drop, so teaming it up with another source of nutrition is preferable, Susie said.<\/p>\n

This article is part of AP\u2019s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you pair that carbohydrate with lean protein<\/a> or have a protein-forward choice, it contributes to satiety. So you\u2019re just going to stay fuller longer,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Czerwony recommends snacks that combine lean proteins<\/a> with complex carbohydrates such as crackers, rice cakes or fruit. The combination works because carbohydrates raise blood sugar, giving you a boost, while the protein takes longer to digest, helping to sustain you for longer, she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe carbohydrates are like the kindling on the fire, and then the proteins are the logs,\u201d Czerwony said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to get the slow burn from the protein, but you need that sudden start, so you have the carbohydrates to get you going.\u201d <\/p>\n

The crunch you crave<\/p>\n

Many people find it hard to resist crunchy foods. For a satisfying munch, the American Heart Association recommends sliced apples with a tablespoon of low-sodium peanut butter, pears dipped in reduced-fat cottage cheese, vegetables such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumber or zucchini paired with hummus or tzatziki sauce, popcorn, rice cakes or unsalted nuts and seeds. You can also roast chickpeas, which provide both protein and carbohydrates. <\/p>\n

For a packaged snack, read the nutrition label to check how much added sugar and sodium it contains, the association suggests.<\/p>\n

The Cleveland Clinic recommends whole fruit, edamame, seeds, a handful of nuts or a single-serving package of tuna that you can eat with a fork. <\/p>\n

Pack ahead<\/p>\n

Bringing your own snacks to work can help you control the quality and quantity of what you eat, Czerwony said. Try slicing vegetables, cheese or low-fat meats on weekends to last through the week, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have all that stuff already made, then it\u2019s easy in the morning to just grab it and go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Take along a small, soft-sided cooler to help keep snacks like yogurt, sliced veggies or hummus fresh. \u201cGet cute little bento boxes, get little containers, make it fun if that\u2019s something that you want to do, because we\u2019ll eat things that are more attractive instead of just being in a Ziploc,\u201d Czerwony said.<\/p>\n

Petra Durnin, a Los Angeles-based senior director at commercial real estate firm JLL, blends greens, nuts, berries, avocado, banana and chia or flax seeds into homemade smoothies, which she makes in large batches. At night, she moves one jar to the fridge to thaw for the next day. An afternoon smoothie keeps her full until dinnertime and less likely to reach for chips, chocolate and sugar, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I have better brain clarity,\u201d Durnin said. \u201cI\u2019m able to push through the afternoon and work more efficiently. I don\u2019t feel bloated, bogged down. It just feels better.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Occasionally indulge<\/p>\n

Adopting healthy snacking habits doesn\u2019t mean you have to deprive yourself entirely of treats. If a coworker is celebrating a birthday, an occasional slice of cake won\u2019t completely derail healthy habits. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not demonize food,\u201d Susie said. <\/p>\n

Before dipping into a bag of chips, eat a meal that includes lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fat, and then add something healthy to the snack while keeping an eye on portion size, Susie said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not going to be a perfect substitute for chips. You can eat carrots all you want, but you can\u2019t trick your body with thinking that they\u2019re chips,\u201d Czerwony said. \u201cIf you want a chip, have the stinking chip and just be done with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, a constant hankering for chips could be a sign of a dietary deficiency, and it\u2019s worth figuring that out so \u201cthose types of things are more treats than something that\u2019s in the routine mix of what you\u2019re eating throughout the day,\u201d Czerwony said.<\/p>\n

Gisela Marx, 53, rarely gets a chance to sit or eat while working as deputy front of house manager at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. On event days, she works from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. or later. She packs healthy snacks such as watermelon and nuts. <\/p>\n

She also keeps an emergency stash of Reese\u2019s Pieces, which her boss has to replenish if he eats the last one. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust having it there is a comfort. I can always have it if I want it,\u201d Marx said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Follow AP\u2019s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/be-well<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 When Claire Par\u00e9 was a classroom teacher, working in a setting where every minute,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":54611,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[3384,40426,64,40427,40424,13593,40425,210,6330,59,40428,12229,1165,1182,67,132,68,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-54610","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-be-well","9":"tag-beth-czerwony","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-caroline-susie","12":"tag-claire-par","13":"tag-cleveland","14":"tag-gisela-marx","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-healthy-eating","17":"tag-inc","18":"tag-jones-lang-lasalle","19":"tag-jwd-evergreen","20":"tag-lifestyle","21":"tag-nutrition","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114830003616555486","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}