Wednesday, April 10, 2013

What's in Your Office/Desk Pantry for Energy and Focus?

 Do you crave that special something at 2-3 in the afternoon?

I recently listened to a Public radio station program on cooking with a microwave at work. Things like making a microwave mac 'n cheese in a coffee cup and even a brownie dessert!  It got me thinking about office pantries and snacks in desk drawers and the tired items in vending machines most of us have access to at work.   I thought this blog might help you shift to some other ideas and encourage me to keep some of these goodies and tips on hand for myself. 

I Want to Keep it Simple  Fruits, veggies with hummus, miso soup, or an apple with almond butter - small baggies of nut and seed mixes... all some of the best snacks for their fiber and protein.  Your fridge at work can hold hard boiled eggs for days, cheese, greek yogurt.  Energy bars.. read the labels for sugar and avoid soy protein isolate.

I love Cheese - a great source of protein and calcium. Since protein curbs hunger and keeps you feeling satisfied after meals and snacks, cheese can help you to lose weight. As part of a well-rounded nutrition plan, the protein in cheese can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates eaten at the same meal or snack and therefore help balance your blood-sugar levels and improve mood as well.
from Joy Bauer  I love these Cabot 3/4 oz cheese snacks with an apple in the afternoon - just when you need a boost of energy.


Addicted to Seaweed!.. roasted, salted, seasoned.. yum!  I am actually addicted to these and buy them at costco in bulk.  A wonderful packet to keep in your car, drawer and office pantry.  Seaweed snacks actually cut cravings and help mineralize your system, often depleted from lack of greens in our diets. "Three minutes of jogging or eight minutes of weightlifting burns the 30 calories from eating 6 g of seaweed snacks. If you ate a 1-oz. serving of potato chips instead, you'd have to spend more than 15 minutes jogging or 41 minutes weightlifting to burn off the 150 calories that snack contains." Read more
What I know about Pumpkin seeds - Power Packed Protein
A. I love them and know that the zinc in them helps keep colds at bay.
B. Zinc is known to reduce depression.
C. They’re high in the sleep-enhancing amino acid tryptophan that converts to serotonin in your body and helps ensure a good night’s sleep;
D. The high levels of easily-digestible protein helps stabilize blood sugar when eaten as a snack throughout the day.  Stable blood sugar means weight loss if you’re trying to lose. E.  High in Omega 3s, pumpkin seed oil has been shown in studies to reduce the incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)—a condition in which the prostate gland becomes enlarged. Read more

Plan your snacks - when you shop for the week ahead, consider your needs at work for snacking and get enough to bring with you daily or stock your office pantry together with your workmates.  Bulk buying can pay off and more and more healthy foods are available in bulk.   Happy healthy snacking!

MARIE's HEALTH COACHING CONNECTIONS
Workplace Wellness  --Vital Wellness at the Coaching Center of Vermont
One hour Health History Session and 3 or 6 month programs:  MarieFrohlich.com
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