With the holiday season coming up, it’s easy to get carried away by all the sweets at home and maybe in the office as well! Here are some tips and ideas to help you stay healthy at work.
Healthy Lunches
- Pack a salad – try a quinoa black bean salad, kale salad, or Greek salad.
- Leftovers from dinner – pack your leftover protein and vegetables and you have a healthy meal that’s already made up for work.
- Sandwich or wrap – although they include some carbs, a sandwich or wrap is quick and easy to make and bring to work for lunch! Try a Mediterranean wrap or an avocado sandwich.
- Soup – another meal you can prep at home and grab for work. Try wild rice or sweet potato soup.
Healthy Snacks
- Fruits – bring fruit like an apple or banana OR bring a bag of dried fruit like mangos or pineapples.
- Vegetables – carrots or celery sticks are easy to bring for a midday snack. Try packing some hummus to dip them in.
- Nuts – almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and macadamia are all low carb nut options
- Protein bars/granola – Protein bars or granola are a hearty snack option that will fill you up If you don’t want to buy them or you can’t find one you like, try making your own
- Yogurt – Yogurt is an easy snack to eat at your desk. Throw some blueberries on top for added flavor.
Coffee
Coffee is an extremely popular drink, especially at the office. It has many antioxidants (more than fruits and vegetables) and is not all bad! However, consider the tips below to make your coffee drinking habits a bit healthier:
- No caffeine after 2 PM to avoid sleeping issues (poor sleep can lead to a slew of other health problems).
- Not too much sugar! If you must use sugar, try natural sweeteners like stevia
- Don’t drink too much coffee. More than 2 cups a day is pushing your daily healthy caffeine limit.
- Add a splash of cinnamon or cocoa for flavor – they also have health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.
- Avoid artificial creamers and try to stick to natural creamers like milk from grass-fed cows.
- If you can’t reduce the amount of sugar and creamer you add to your coffee, consider switching to tea as they are healthy and have more flavor without the added sugars.