No matter how convenient and tasty snacks are, they should never replace a proper meal. They simply cannot match the variety of main course foods and fail to ensure a balanced nutritional intake.
A recent survey of office workers showed that 45.4% of the respondents had a Body Mass Index (BMI) above the standard level, and among them, nearly 80% had the habit of eating snacks. The top three most popular snacks were potato crisps/shrimp strips (57.5%), biscuits (54%), and chocolate (51.7%). Having a little snack during a break not only satisfies hunger but can also be a habit and a way to cope with stress. Nutrition experts say that snacks can appease hunger, replenish energy, and contribute to a balanced diet, making them worth recommending, provided you choose wisely. When to eat—
Between meals: around 10 AM and 3 PM. At these times, you feel a bit hungry, and having a snack won't affect your next meal. Snack of choice: Nuts and fruits
Fruits are the best snacks. Many people find it inconvenient to bring fresh fruit and opt for packaged dried fruits as a snack. Zeng Qingshan, a attending physician in the Nutrition Department at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, says that packaged dried fruits (such as raisins, sweet potato chips) have undergone processing, which leads to a loss of nutritional value. They are certainly not as good as fresh fruit, but they can still be consumed selectively. However, some dried fruit snacks are made with large amounts of sugar or salt, or are fried, such as banana chips and candied raisins, making them unsuitable as office snacks.
A must-have for office snacks is nuts, such as peanuts, walnuts, fava beans, cashews, melon seeds, and almonds. Nuts are rich in linoleic acid, which helps ensure smooth blood circulation to the brain, and are also high in protein and vegetable oils, which promote satiety. For the same reason, avoid salted or fried processed varieties, such as salted cashews, fish skin peanuts, and seasoned beans.