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Strategies
to fend off snack attacks
August 5, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
There
you stand, change in hand, scanning the contents of the vending
machine. Once again, you’re wondering which button to
push.
Will it be the cheese crackers or the Kit Kat bar?
Neither one seems like a good choice, but you’re hungry
– now.
How often do you find yourself working late and hankering
for a snack or you’re without your lunch box when noontime
rolls around?
It pays to have a few strategies in mind for times like these.
A steady stream of chips, candy bars and snack crackers during
the week can add up to pounds gained over time and undermine
your health.
Here’s how to avoid vending machines, maximize nutrition
and minimize the temptation to give in to junky snacks when
hunger strikes at the office:
* Maintain an emergency stash. It may seem like common sense,
but you probably don’t do it. Foods that keep well in
a desk drawer: bags of dried fruit, granola bars, individual
servings of canned fruit, nuts, pretzels, and soup cups or
hot cereal cups. Keep a supply of disposable spoons on hand.
If you are watching your weight and concerned that having
food at your desk may lead to unnecessary snacking, move your
supply to a file cabinet across the room or another location
that makes it a bit less convenient. Just be sure to store
foods in airtight containers or plastic bags to keep bugs
out.
* Keep fresh fruit on hand. Maintaining a permanent fruit
bowl – oranges, apples, pears, bananas – is not
only good insurance against snack emergencies but it also
encourages you to get regular doses of nutritious, filling,
low-calorie fruits that most of us would benefit from eating
more often.
* Bring bits and pieces from home. Make it a daily habit to
bring a lunch bag full of small amounts of leftover foods
from home. Do that, and you can graze throughout the day on
foods that are more likely to be good for you. There may not
be an entrée, and that’s OK. Small servings of
leftover vegetables, salads, bread, cut-up vegetables, a whole
tomato from the garden – all of these make good lunches
and between-meal snacks away from home. Bring enough so that
you have snacks for mid-morning and late afternoon, the times
when you are most likely to need a lift.
As for the vending machine, things may be looking up soon.
Companies are beginning to stock healthier options.
Canteen Vending Services, which maintains vending machines
in businesses and industries throughout the Carolinas and
North America, is adding to some of its machines foods, snacks
and beverages that are lower in fat, sodium and sugar, according
to Kim Salahie, director of culinary development for the Charlotte-based
company. Among the additions: hot and cold cereals, granola
bars, low-fat, low-sodium popcorn, soups, salads, vegetable
slices with low-fat dressing, fresh whole fruit and sliced
fruit, dried fruit and nuts, yogurt, smoothies, 100 percent
juice and organic coffee. Watch for these or ask your customer
service manager to add some of these items to machines in
your building.
And remember: You have the ultimate control over what you
eat or avoid. Thinking through your options and planning ahead
are your best defense against impulsive or less-than-healthy
choices.
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