Food for Thought: 7 healthy snacks to help you beat the workday slump
Remote work has its fair share of challenges, especially when it comes to one’s health. It’s easy to get caught up in a task and snack on unhealthy treats. While the act of munching offers a moment of reprieve from demanding mental work, we should make a conscious effort to choose healthy snacks to make us more productive throughout the day.
Here are 7 delicious healthy snacks to make you feel good, give you energy, help fight off disease, and ultimately help you beat the workday slump!
1. Citrus fruits
Fruits like lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime can can revitalize your senses, cure chronic fatigue, and boost alertness and concentration throughout the day. Studies show citrus fruits are also rich in flavonoids, or health-boosting plant chemicals, which improve blood flow in the brain.
Try: Midwest Living recommends adding smoked turkey to fresh arugula and slices of fresh citrus fruits to make a delectable salad. You can pair this with a sweet and tangy vinaigrette dressing while you’re at it!
2. Dark chocolate
If you’re eating chocolate to boost your energy, you want to choose the one with the highest cacao concentration possible. That’s because cacao has nutrients that ward off stress and boost energy and focus. There’s also a study explaining how chocolate is great when you’re working on mentally-challenging tasks (like solving math problems!)
Try: Step up your snack game by making these melt-in-your mouth dark chocolate bars from All Recipes.
3. Nuts and seeds
Research shows that nuts and seeds boost your brainpower and balance your mood. Everything from the most common nuts — such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, and hazelnuts — to the more exotic variations can clear up that “brain fog” and enable you to think clearer and be happier. Nuts and seeds are also rich in enzymes and antioxidants that are known to slow down cognitive decline as you age.
Try making your own trail mix! To start, follow a general ratio of 50 percent nuts, 30 percent dried fruit, 10 percent seeds, and 10 percent of whatever flavors or extras you’d like to add. Choose from sunflower seeds, walnuts, raisins, other dried fruit, granola, dark chocolate chips, wasabi peas, and even coconut flakes!
4. Bananas
Bananas are affordable, easy to eat, and delicious. You can find them pretty much anywhere, too — from hotel breakfast bars to convenience stores in your city. But the greatest thing about bananas is that they’re natural mood enhancers and can get your mind back on the things that count. Bananas are also chock full of potassium that help keep the right amount of glucose which your brain needs.
“The brain works best with about 25 grams of glucose circulating in the blood stream — about the amount found in a banana,” says Dr. Leigh Gibson from Roehampton University in England.
5. Yogurt
Yogurt is a rich, creamy, and decadent treat if you crave healthy snacks. Health experts around the world agree that snacking on yogurt is an incredibly smart and gratifying choice. You may know Greek yogurt is often called the “healthy yogurt” because of its high protein and lower carb content.
Make your own Greek frozen yogurt popsicles! Add honey, granola, or berries to make a sweet treat. Here’s a fun recipe from Martha Stewart.
6. Eggs
Eggs are a nutrient powerhouse — they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and a ton of protein that will keep you full for hours. Protip: All the protein in the egg is in the egg white while all the good fat is in the yolk! A recent study also reveals that that people with diets high in choline (a nutrient found in eggs) scored higher on verbal and visual memory tests, and are less likely to develop dementia.
Hardboiled is the ideal way to prepare your eggs, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, try this healthier version of Eggs Benedict from Weight Watchers.
7. Beets
You can’t beat beets! Beets are rich in nitrates that give you better circulation and lower your blood pressure. In one study, those who ate a high-nitrate diet, enjoyed more blood flow to the frontal lobe of their brains — a region known to be involved with critical brain skills like focus, organization, and attention to detail — than when they ate a low-nitrate diet.
Try this oven-baked beet chips recipe from A Spicy Perspective!
The next time you get hungry at work, choose a snack that fuels your tastebuds and your brain, too!
