We often forget to take care of ourselves amidst the demanding busy work schedule but it is crucial to maintain our health and wellness where including healthy snacks into our day can make a significant difference.
Boost Your Workday:
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Salloni Ghodawat, Director of Ghodawat Consumer Ltd, suggested some strategies to help us include healthy snacks in our busy day –
1. Planning and Preparation: The hurry in which we usually find ourselves is troublesome and tends to make us forget the importance of planning and preparation. When we are continuously rushing, healthy eating can easily fall by the wayside, resulting in bad dietary choices that influence our overall health. Taking a few minutes each week to plan and prepare your snacks can make a huge difference. By planning your meals and snacks, you can ensure that healthful options are always available, even on the busiest days.
2. Nutrient-Rich Foods: Choosing snacks like dried fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that don’t need refrigeration is a healthy and convenient way to get lasting energy. You can easily store them in your bag, desk, or car
3. Eating Out Smartly: Dining out is something we all do from time to time, whether it is for a social gathering, a work meeting, or simply because we are too busy to cook. However, eating out does not have to mean compromising your healthy eating habits. By making smart choices, you can enjoy your meal while still staying on track with your wellness goals.
Take a moment to review the menu before you order, and look for dishes that are steamed or roasted instead of fried or sautéed. Avoid sugary drinks, as even smoothies can contribute extra calories to your meal. Instead, choose water, herbal tea, or a light beverage that complements your meal without adding excess sugar or calories.
4. Opting for Balanced Snacks: Choosing snacks that contain protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates will help you stay full and energized all day. These well-balanced snacks give a consistent release of energy, avoiding unhealthy cravings. For example – Apple slices with almond butter, Greek yogurt with berries, Cottage cheese with fruits, Hummus with veggie sticks, and many more snacking options can be included in your daily diet.
Say Goodbye to Junk:
Bringing her expertise to the same, Subah Saraf, Co-Founder of Satvic Movement, shared, “When hunger strikes during a busy day, it’s easy to grab convenient options like chips, chocolates, protein bars, namkeen, etc. But these packaged snacks often hide unhealthy ingredients, like preservatives and chemical additives, designed to extend the shelf life of the product, but actually shorten ours. They also contain very high amounts of hidden sugars, disguised under names like sucrose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, etc.”
To snack healthier, she recommended two options –
1. Opt for Cleaner Packaged Foods: Some brands offer genuinely clean snacks, for example: date & nut bars or millet khakhras. The key is to read the ingredient list—not just trust the front label. Avoid products with unpronounceable ingredients or ingredients you wouldn’t easily find in your kitchen. Short, simple ingredient lists are usually indicators of a clean product.
2. Prepare Snacks at Home: Natural options are often the best. For example, fresh fruits are great, but instead of carrying whole fruits, which may be unappealing, chop them into a fruit salad and take with you to work. Other options include:
• Dates and Nut Mix: Combine chopped dates with soaked nuts.
• Coconut Slices: Fresh coconut slices are a great alternative to biscuits.
• Homemade Energy Balls: You can easily make these using nuts and dates, and they’re perfect for carrying to work.
By making these mindful switches, you can have better health while managing a busy work schedule.
Transform Your Snack Game:
According to Madhura Paroolkar Behki, Head Nutritionist and Dietician at Cult Transform, here is how you can include healthy snacks into your daily busy schedule –
1. Protein dense: Go for a snack that is protein-rich, as Indian diets mostly lack protein in meals and it also happens to keep you full for a longer time. Foods like sauteed paneer, yogurt with berries, or even a tuna sandwich are a good choice.
2. Keep it handy: It’s ideal to keep a snack handy at your workstation so that you do not crave for unhealthy alternatives. A box of nuts, roasted grams, or a protein bar can be some options.
3. Pre pack it: Many times we end up eating something out, which can lead to a bad choice like samosa or even a bun. To avoid this, pack a snack from home like peanut butter bread, oats upma, or even a fruit bowl.
4. Hydrate well: At times your body needs just water and no food. The brain has its way of tricking you. So grab the water, hydrate yourself, and wait a few minutes. Even if hunger hits then grab a snack you have just kept handy.
5. Set a reminder: If you end up missing many meals, reminders help. It’s important to eat well during the day so you stay away from deficiencies. There are many apps that can help you do the same and if not your phone alarm clock is at your disposal.
6. Order right: Planning to order a snack, make sure that it is not deep fried, base is not of maida, not a sugar bomb, and has a good amount of fiber and protein. Foods like corn chat, fruit with nuts bowl, or even a sub can be a good decision. So go try these simple tips and make your snacking experience a healthy one.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.