Yep, Your Office is Making You Gain Weight
With colleagues that bring cupcakes, 4 o'clock trips to the vending machine, and the fact that you need a pre-gym fix, eating healthy at work is no easy feat. That's why we invited nutritionist Keri Gans to REDBOOK - and asked her to make over our snacks. By Ava Feuer, REDBOOK.
Instead of chocolate-covered strawberries…
These babies are delicious, but despite being made of fruit, they're unlikely to satisfy you. You're better off with something that has "the full meaning of a healthy snack," says Gans. "A snack should be a mini-meal that helps hold you over until your next meal so you aren't starved. It's important that it consists of some protein, healthy fat, and fiber." If you're set on having some chocolate - and who isn't? - sip a glass of low fat chocolate milk with a side of strawberries. Unlike the chocolate coating, the dairy equivalent has nine essential nutrients such as calcium vitamin D, potassium, and protein.
Instead of peanut butter crackers…
Sure, bringing your snack from home would be a good idea, but between packing your children's lunches and getting yourself out the door in the morning, who has time? That's why your friendly office vending machine is so appealing. To avoid swapping your dollar for peanut butter crackers, keep a box of Wasa Multi-Grain Crispbreads and a jar of all-natural peanut butter in your desk drawer. Come snack-time, simply spread one tablespoon of peanut butter on one cracker, and reseal the packages until tomorrow.
Related: 31 Days of Snacks for Grown-Ups
Instead of dark chocolate espresso beans…
Don't feel guilty about slipping out for that afternoon latte - you're making a decision that promotes your health. Whereas you may eat espresso beans as a way to satisfy your caffeine craving without sipping the real stuff, you're likely to eat the whole bag, and still not have had what you really wanted. To keep the chocolate-y goodness intact, sprinkle cocoa powder over a small skim latte or cappuccino, and drink up.
Instead of bite-size candy bars…
Even those marketed as "all-natural" or free of corn syrup are usually packed with sugar - and it's often disguised under a number of other names, such as evaporated cane sugar, rice sugar, and beet sugar. Just because the sweet stuff comes from a vegetable doesn't mean it offers any nutritional benefits because unlike fruit, it's not natural sugar high in vitamins and minerals, warns Gans. Instead, nosh on a Mini Almond and Coconut KIND Bar, which for under 130 calories tastes almost like candy, and gets its sweetness mostly from honey.
Related: 26 Ways to Feel Younger Now
Instead of sweet potato chips…
When we see sweet potato fries or chips, we think we're going to get a nutritious serving of vegetables, but that's often not the case. "They're not under a health halo," says Gans. If the ingredient list is long, and packed with things you don't recognize, consider that the first warning sign. And with high fat and low fiber, one serving wouldn't be filling with a piece of fruit, much less alone. Instead, grab a single-serving bag of Pirate's Booty Popcorn, and accompany it with string cheese or a Mini Babybel.
Instead of pretzels…
These crisp and crunchy rods have been promoted as whole-grain, but according to Gans, they offer almost no nutritional benefit. "Most are not made from 100-percent whole grains, have almost no fiber, are void of protein, and are low in fat, so you will be hungry an hour after eating them," she says. The better way to satisfy your desire for something salty and crunchy? A bag of baked potato chips, like those by Cape Cod, which have only three ingredients: potatoes, oil, and salt. That said, these won't fill you up alone, so have half of a serving - about 10 chips - along with 15 roasted or raw almonds. It's the healthy fats that will ultimately quiet your stomach grumbling.
Instead of a snack bar…
Reading the ingredient list on many popular snack bars can feel like a trip back to high school chemistry - and that's probably not somewhere either you or your stomach want to go. But since bars are so convenient, especially if you're headed to the gym or your kid's soccer game after work, they're an easy out. Almost as simple is making trail mix at home. Gans suggests mixing 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal, 1 ounce raisins, and 1/4 cup roasted edamame, and dividing the result into 1/3-cup servings, each of which packs 7 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein.
Related: How Sugar Sneaks Into Your Diet
Instead of a low-cal yogurt…
Those 90-calorie yogurts aren't only low in protein, they're high in sugar thanks to the added flavoring. For a similarly cool, refreshing, and somewhat liquid-y snack, replace one with a snack-size cup of Breakstone 2% milkfat cottage cheese. With a whopping 11 grams of protein, it's the perfect vehicle for high-fiber KIND Healthy Grains granola, which is made from a 100 percent whole-grain mix of quinoa, buckwheat, oats, millet, and amaranth. We're partial to Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax flavor.
Instead of a diet soda…
You may feel like you're saving precious calories by skipping an afternoon snack in favor of zero-calorie diet soda, but chances are, you'll arrive at dinner famished, making it easy to overeat. "Most people don't eat enough veggies during the day, and a snack is the perfect opportunity to get more of their fiber and vitamins A, C and E into your diet," says Gans. So ditch the carbonated drink, and dip a cup of mixed veggies into four tablespoons of iron- and protein-rich hummus. Sabra makes individual, 150-calorie containers that are as easy as opening the refrigerator on your way out the door.
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