Sitting behind a desk all day can not only be a strain on you health mentally (bad lighting, lack of Vitamin D, closed in by four walls with phones ringing while typing away...) but it can be a strain on your physical health as well. With eight hours or more in a stationary position your back and core muscles suffer as well as your metabolism. Irregular lunch breaks coupled with stress can lead to eating unhealthy foods not only as a convenience but as a form of comfort as well. (When you see legal movies with rooms full of Chinese take out they are not joking.) So to keep my cravings in check I try to keep a few healthy foods in my desk and available at all times to help fill in some of those missing macros I may not get in my other meals throughout the day.




As you can see, I don't have the most traditional of desks as part of my workplace setup, but I think that this allows me more freedom in how I like to organize (my favorite  word) my food stuffs. Also, keeping them neat an organized makes them more appealing to me personally, thus making me drawn to eating them more.



Like many people, I keep things like nuts (and occasionally some dried fruits) on hand for a quick fill up or even to add to a salad I may have picked up or brought in for the day. Also, I find the individual packets of plain Quaker Oats to be convenient for mornings I may have either missed breakfast or maybe had a nice long bike ride and need a little bit of replenishing (the nuts are also great for adding to my oatmeal as well). I like to store my nuts in a glass container to keep them fresh and neatly stored away without fear of a ripped plastic package spilling into my drawer when I pull them out.



Second, although probably my favorite of my snacks, are my Quest Bars. These are by far the most delicious protein bars I have ever tried and at around 200 calories they are just the right amount to keep me full in between meals while still satisfying a craving for something sweet. My favorite are the Oreo Cookie flavor, and if left to my own devices, I can probably eat the entire carton in one sitting. I usually pick up a 12-pack for around $24.99 from GNC, but I have seen them at Walmart for a reasonable price as well. Quest bars average around 21g of protein, 4g net carbs, and around 12g of fiber per bar (varying per flavor). They also range from the moderately sweet (cookie dough and brownie flavors) to the all out sugar kick substitute (lemon cream pie and blueberry flavors).




I also keep some other protein bars available, in particular lately Fit Crunch Bars. My office building was having a healthy snack day and were giving some away to the offices and after having one taste I was hooked on them. They are another whey protein bar, but unlike so many, these are gluten free. There are roughly 1.5X higher in calories than the Quest Bars and contain a substantial amount of carbs in comparison (about 27g), however, that is still pretty low compared to some (and they are also just so yummy).

I also like to keep some other odds and ends available such as some Emergen-C packets for when everyone in the office is sick or even if I need a little boost of Vitamin C, some Garden of Life Raw Protein to put in some almond milk I keep in our fridge, and a little zipper pouch filled with my favorite teas and some Arborne products for when I need a little pick me up.

All of these things are kept in a little basked I found at IKEA some ten years back which I loved so much I literally bought about twenty of them and have since used them to sort things out in my drawers, shelves, refrigerator, and even our closed at work. They take up little space but provide me with the motivation to not prance over to WaWa for  Dorritos and peach tea (...sometimes  ;) )

Comment below with some of your favorite healthy snacks.



This blog has also been published at Mom Bloggers Club.