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If you are faced with an eight hour day, you may find yourself needing a midmorning pick-me-up or an afternoon snack to get you through. Before you head for the vending machine and load up on empty calorie junk, try some of these healthy alternatives.

You are making your kids' lunch anyway, so why not pack yourself a healthy office snack alternative? Maybe you often find yourself stark-raving hungry at around 10 a.m, or perhaps your snack time falls around 3 pm. Snacking is part of a healthy meal plan, so long as the snack themselves offer nutrients rather than being junk food, so take your snacking seriously. You can actually lose weight by eating smaller meals more frequently.
 

Avoid loading up on huge lunches and instead, go for healthy snack choices that will enhance your energy levels and keep your mind sharp. You will be better able to focus on your work tasks and burn off extra calories with the metabolism boost you will get from healthy snacking. Whatever your diet plan may be, make sure you have some tasty treats available and make the healthy choice at snack time.

Not sure what to snack on? Try these tips.

1. Awesome Ants on a Log

Not just fun for the kids, your coworkers and friends will get a kick out of these tasty and supremely healthy snacks as well. The classic version of ants on a log involves celery sticks, cream cheese or peanut butter, and raisins on top. You can make variations of these by substituting carrots or pepper sticks and topping them with cream cheese and nuts. If you prefer, you can go for sliced pita bread sticks, almond butter, and raisins. What’s more, if you only eat 3 or 4 of these, you can keep your calorie count to less than 200. At the same time, any nut butter gives you a great protein boost.

2. Stimulating Stuffed Sweet Potato

One of the most delicious snack alternatives is the sweet potato. A great way to get your protein is to stuff it with tuna for a balance of nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a great source of dietary fiber, too, making this once perfect choice for a mid afternoon office snack.

3. The Hard Cold Facts about Hard Boiled Eggs

If you want the ideal office snack that will provide you less than 200 calories, go for a couple of hard boiled eggs. Each egg is packed with six grams of protein, making this healthy alternative a power food. What’s more, a boiled egg is nutritious and delicious. If you prefer, devil that egg by adding mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle relish to the yolk. Home-made mayo can be a healthier alternative to store-bought.
 

4. Choose Cheese Sticks

String cheese is surprisingly high in protein, making it a perfect choice for a healthy office snack. If you prefer, cut up some cheddar or slice up some Swiss. Pack this treat to work and when you feel your stomach rumbling midmorning, take out this treat and chow down.

5. Treat Yourself to Trail Mix

Trail mix is a great healthy snack and you can make your own or buy one already prepared. Simply add mixed nuts to Chex cereal, toss in some raisins or other dried fruit, and you have yourself a low fat, filling office snack. Most store brands have less than 200 calories for each ¼ cup of trail mix making it not only delicious, but healthy for you too.

More Healthy Office Snack Alternatives

6. Cheery Chocolate Covered Edamame

Chocolate lovers can guiltlessly enjoy these as a healthy alternative to the candy bar. This snack helps you to tame your appetite because edamame are packed with soybeans that have protein as well as dietary fiber to boost digestion. The dark chocolate has antioxidants, making this a perfect snack choice for the office. These healthy office snack alternatives only have around 200 calories per ¼ cup serving, too.
 

7. Agreeable Greek Yogurt and Fruit

All yogurts are great snack alternatives for the office, but Greek yogurt is best because it is actually more filling and surprisingly yummy. Loaded with protein, many dieters choose Fage’s Yogurt Cups which have less than 300 calories per eight ounce serving. Top these off with ½ a cup of blueberries or strawberries for taste, and maybe add some oats, and you have the perfect office snack.

8. Nice-And-Easy Nature Valley’s Sweet & Salty Bars

You may be wary of granola bars because they are loaded with carbohydrates and added sugar and are not very filling. Nature Valley’s Sweet & Salty Bars are a great alternative to the standard granola bar because they contain nuts and low-fat ingredients. At 4 grams of protein a bar, these will keep you going and boost your brain power. The best thing about this healthy office snack is that it has less than 200 calories.

9. Palatable Pirate’s Booty

The name pirate's booty gets your attention but the taste keeps you coming back for more. This is a healthy version of popcorn and cheese puffs that happens to come in a variety of flavors. Some mid afternoon snackers go for salty treats like the Aged White Cheddar baked rice and corn puffs. These have only 130 calories per each one ounce serving and contain no gluten or trans fat.

10. Regal Rice Cakes

Quick, easy, and simple, that’s what rice cakes are. Keep these in your desk for a quick pick-me-up midmorning. You get a treat that is low in fat and calories but high in fiber. This is what you need to give your stomach something to churn while you remain focused on your tasks at hand. Rice cakes are the perfect healthy choice for office snacking, especially when you top them with some hummus or tzatziki. 

11. Affable Acai

Acai berries are touted as one of the superfoods of this decade because they are full of antioxidants to lower your stress levels and boost your healtth while increasing your energy stores. There are several brands of Acai berry juice energy drinks available that offer less than 130 calories for each half cup serving. These natural energy drinks are a good pick-me-up snack for the tired and busy office worker.

 

 

12. Mini BabyBel Laughing Cow Cheeses

If you’re into low-carb eating, this is the perfect healthy office snack for you. These come in nice prepackaged portion sizes that keep you from over-doing it. The best thing about these minis is that each contains only 70 calories each and have 5 grams of protein each. The low-calorie, high-protein facts make the mini BabyBel one great choice for office snacking.

13. Pleasant PopChips

If you prefer your snacks salty, go for PopChips. These potato chips are not fried, but baked and while very delicious, they are low in calories. You’ll be surprised how quickly you fill up on 22 chips that have only 120 calories a serving. PopChips have no cholesterol, no preservatives, and no saturated fat, making them the perfect choice for a healthy office snack.

And there you have it! You'll never have to turn to candy bars or chips again!

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