A Few of My Favorite Things (Snack version)

Thankfully, Halloween is behind us, but the holiday season is ahead. Ditch the halloween candy and set your sights on better snacks to get back on track before the holiday season sets in!

Here are a few of ‘My Favorite Things’ (from the world’s best snacker!)

Nuts and Dried Fruit

Nuts and dried fruit have a great balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein, as well as fiber. The result? A filling and satisfying snack that delivers a nutritional punch. It’s no wonder that favorite healthy workplace snacks include fruit and nuts.

Jerky

Jerky is a shelf-stable snack that’s packed with protein and iron, making it a marvelous option for any low-carb eaters in your organization. Ideally, select jerky that is uncured and low in sodium. Plenty of vendors offer single-packaged jerky snacks.

Apples and Peanut Butter

Simple, delicious, filling, and nutritious: You simply can’t go wrong offering fresh fruit to your employees. To add extra-filling protein and fat to the mix, stock a few different types of nut butter as well. These are also sold in individually packaged sizes.

Greek Yogurt

High in protein and taste, Greek yogurt is a thicker, more satisfying version of yogurt that’s extremely popular among people looking to eat more healthfully. Combined with fresh fruit (or our aforementioned dried fruit and nuts), it’s a snack that’s substantial enough to serve as a light lunch.

Oatmeal Packets

Some people simply aren’t breakfast eaters and have to be awake for a few hours before they can even think of ingesting any food. For this crew, keep a stock of plain, unsweetened oatmeal packets on hand. You can make this snack more enticing by accompanying it with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and some tasty flavor combinations like coconut and sliced bananas, or slivered almonds, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and diced apples, or again, the dried fruit and nuts mentioned above.

Dark-Chocolate Covered Nuts

There are times when only chocolate will do.

However, there are healthier options than a gooey, caramel-and-peanut-stuffed candy bar. Nuts covered in dark chocolate provide antioxidants, protein, and healthy fats. Dried fruit, such as blueberries, Acai berries, raisins, cranberries, ginger, and goji berries are also a delicious and healthy option.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

For a quick and portable snack that delivers, look at stocking single or double packets of hard-boiled eggs. One large egg boasts over six grams of protein, along with iron, calcium, choline, and vitamins A, B6, B12, and D, to name but a few. Topped with salt and pepper or a bit of hot sauce, boiled eggs are a handy option for when staffers only have a minute or two between meetings to grab a bite.

Smoothies

Healthy smoothies are a wonderful way to increase your employees’ intake of fruits and vegetables. Load up your communal kitchen with bags of frozen fruit and frozen spinach or kale, containers of plant-based or cow’s milk, and jars of protein powder. This may be a little labor intensive, and is something Your Bff would like to help with in the near future.

Healthy Snack Bars

Some granola bars are simply candy bars in a virtuous disguise, delivering a truly alarming amount of refined sugar and little to no fiber or nutrition. Other bars, however, focus on healthy ingredients with as little processed additives as possible. Ask (or look) for bars with minimal to no added sugar, at least 3g of protein, a double-digit percentage of your daily fiber requirement, and preferably no trans fats. Some we tried at the last Lunch n Learn were: Epic Jerky, Kind (Protein), Lara bars, Rx bars.

Veggies and Hummus

A 100g serving of hummus provides 7.9 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 21% of required daily folate, and 14% of required daily iron, and that’s just the beginning of the laundry list of benefits hummus holds. Paired with crisp veggies like snap peas, carrot sticks, or sliced bell peppers, this snack is delicious and nutritious.