Savvy Office Snacking Tips to Boost Productivity

Office Snacks for Productivity

You wouldn’t tackle a workout without sufficient hydration and nutrition, so why go to the office and expect to ‘perform’ at your best without a bit of planning? We asked Tilly Spurr, performance nutritionist and founder of Eat Yourself Brilliant for some tips on savvy snacking at the office.  Step away from the biscuit tin and read on….

 

Desk Breakfast

A desk breakfast isn’t a bad thing – if you make a good choice.  If you run or cycle into the office, do an early morning workout or simply can’t face breakfast before you leave the house, having a healthy option at your desk is good.  Make it count and pack some protein into it. “We tend to eat most of our protein in our evening meal but actually to gain the most benefit we should eat our protein spread out evenly across the day. Our bodies are constantly being broken down and rebuilt and need a steady supply of protein,” says Tilly.

Try:

  • Peanut butter on wholemeal toast
  • Greek yoghurt with nuts and seeds
  • And, you’ll like this one, a latte! Yup – a large one can contain as much as 15g of protein…

 

Mid-morning munchies

Its nibble-o’clock, not yet lunchtime… biscuits, muffins and chocolate may come to mind.  But beware, all these will spike your blood sugar and create a rapid insulin response to drop your blood sugar – and energy – back down.  “It’s tempting to reach for a sugary, high-fat snack but after the initial pleasure of eating this, your body won’t thank you,” says Tilly.

Try:

  • Yogurt/granola/nuts/seeds
  • A piece of fruit and handful of nuts
  • Rice cakes/oatcakes and peanut butter
  • Also: drink a glass of water and keep hydrated: often we feel tired and ‘hungry’ when, in fact, we’re thirsty.

 

Lunch

If ‘grabbing a sandwich’ is your lunchtime habit – think again: too much carbohydrate will make your energy slump soon afterwards. Instead, try a satisfying, energy boosting Lunch Bowl including cooked grains (prep them the night before), nuts, seeds, vegetables and herbs, a swirl of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and perhaps some chopped chicken, smoked salmon, chickpeas or feta cheese. Literally mix it up. “There are so many grains to choose from: quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, cous cous, bulgar and barley all work well,” says Tilly, who favours quinoa, as a good source of protein and fat that give a steady, slow energy release to prevent a post-lunch slump.

 

Avoid the mid-afternoon dip

“The mid-afternoon dip can be avoided by eating a small snack combining protein and unrefined carbohydrate,” says Tilly. “It’s especially important if you’re planning an evening workout, run or cycle home.”

Try:

  • Oatcakes and houmous
  • Crudites and cream cheese
  • Rice cakes and nut butter
  • Add an apple, pear or satsuma to tick off one of your five a day
  • Also: drink peppermint tea to stimulate your brain while soothing your stomach.

 

The case for coffee

“Coffee can get a bad press but there is no scientific basis for this and, in fact, all the available research suggests that drinking 3-5 small cups of coffee a day may well be beneficial,” says Tilly.  However, not all coffees are created equal. “There are two species of coffee plant – Arabica and Robusta.  Arabica is grown at altitude over a longer period of time and contains more of the phytonutrients that give coffee its health benefits,” says Tilly.  “Fresh is best as although instant coffee contains caffeine it has lower availability of phytonutrients.”

Tilly recommends drinking freshly brewed Arabica coffee. See if you can convince your boss to buy a ‘bean to cup’ fresh coffee maker – the aroma alone will perk up the whole office.

 

For a healthy, organic, all-natural caffeine boost to get you through those early mornings and late nights in the office, why not try a bottle of Point Blank Cold Brew coffee? Check out the recent photo shoot we did for them!

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