4 Ways to Fight Food Cravings At Work
Snack better, work smarter
When food cravings hit at work they can be especially tricky to manage since they distract you from your meeting, disrupt your work flow, and make you lose focus on the task at hand. Plus, it isn’t always easy to step out for a few minutes to find something to eat. But getting hangry does not have to be part of your day, try these 4 ways to fight food cravings at the office.
Stock some seeds. If you eat breakfast at work then your desk should be outfitted with some protein-packed, satiating hemp seeds. You can add 2-3 spoonfuls to your yogurt, oatmeal, eggs, or sprinkle them on an breakfast toast with avocado or nut butter. Their combo of protein and healthy fats will keep you full until lunch time.
Keep hot sauce on hand. If you like things spicy (like me) then you already know how adding a kick will up the flavor of your lunch. But hot sauce will also slow down the rate at which you eat your food helping you to stay in touch with satiety signals and feel satiated. Add it to your veggies, sandwiches, noodles, or soups.
Get your drink on. Water is crucial to staying focused and energized during the day. But if plain H20 is too boring, then switch it up for some bubbly water like Pellegrino, Perrier, Hint Fizz, or Seltzer. Skip the juice and sodas and when you need caffeine go for an unsweetened latte or tea.
Plan to snack. You should be factoring in an afternoon snack everyday within 3-4 hours after lunch. Some snacks may actually make our cravings worse though so when snack time rolls around make sure your snack is around 200 calories, has at least 3 grams of protein and fiber each, and is made with whole food ingredients (like nuts, fruit, cheese, beans, etc). A few of my favorite desk-side snacks are
- Avocado. I know this fruit doesn’t seem like an obvious snack on its own, but thanks to its outer shell it holds up well to traveling from home to office (or for me, form home to airplane). You can add some of your seeds to it or eat it solo. It is filling, energizing, and delicious.
- Fruit and cheese. If you forgot to grab a fruit and a cheese stick from your fridge in the morning, then you can usually find them at a drugstore or bodega near your office. Try an apple, banana, orange, or pear. And if you don’t love cheese then keep these almonds or some walnuts stashed in your desk.
- Popcorn. Plain air-popped popcorn is a great snack because it is crunchy, high in fiber, low in calorie, and 1 serving (3 cups) goes a long way!
- Bars. It’s a good idea to keep some bars in your draw for when whole foods aren’t an option. But not all bars are created equal, look for bars under 200 calories, under 200 milligrams of salt, and have 5 grams of sugar or less.
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