Healthy Snacking at Work

Grrrowlll…hear that?  It’s mid-morning, and your stomach is rumbling.  If you’re like 55% of Americans in the workplace, you will go to the vending machine for a quick snack to hold you over until lunch.  Unfortunately, nearly 75% of those vending machine purchases are unhealthy:  candy bars, sodas, chips, salty crackers/trail mix, and pastries.  These choices aren’t very good for our waistlines, and can have a negative impact on our health.  Did you know that one bag of potato chips (150 calories), eaten every day for a year, adds an additional 6.5 lbs to your body weight?

Many of us know that we snack unhealthfully, but we still reach for the candy bar anyway.  But it doesn't have to be that way; we can choose to make healthy choices when it comes to snacking at work.

Snacking is necessary to good health, especially if it’s going to be more than 3 – 4 hours between each meal.  Here are some strategies for making good, healthy snack choices:

·        Choose to snack only when you’re hungry.  If you can’t decide if you’re hungry, try drinking a glass of water or unsweetened tea and waiting 20 minutes.  If you’re still hungry, grab a snack.

·        Chose healthier snack options.  Here are some ideas for quick, convenient snacks on the go:

o       Hard-boiled eggs

o       String cheese

o       Yogurt

o       Fresh fruit or vegetables

o       Unsalted nuts:   peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts

o       Unsweetened dried fruit:  apples, raisins, bananas, pineapple

o       Whole-grain crackers with cheese slices

·        Plan to snack, and pack it ahead of time.  This saves you time, money, and is more convenient than going to the vending machine.

·        Utilize pre-packaged or pre-measured snacks.  This can help prevent over-snacking when you’re hungry, or mindless snacking.

• Hide the office candy bowl.  If we can’t see it,  most people will not reach for it when they’re hungry.

10 Nutrition Myths...DEBUNKED!

Did you know March is North American Nutrition Month? Now is the perfect chance to take a step back and examine our perceptions about food and determine the nutritional facts from fiction a bit better.

Here are 10 common myths about nutrition and health. How many have you heard lately?

1. Sea salt is more nutritious than table salt, and the best way to limit sodium is by ditching the salt shaker.  The names of these salts only reference the source from which they were made. Table salt is mined from dried-up salt lakes, while sea salt is created by evaporating seawater and collecting the salt left behind.    Each contains the same amount of sodium.  However, 75% of the sodium in the American diet actually originates in the pre-packaged and “ready-to-eat” foods, as well as restaurant meals.  If you're looking to decrease the amount of sodium in your diet, skip these “convenience” foods, reduce the amount you eat out at restaurants, and use other herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and oregano for flavoring.
   
   
2. Drinking energy drinks will give me energy.  Energy drinks give you a short burst of energy, but it doesn't last. Each energy drink contains as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, and up to 1/3 cup of sugar. Do you need more energy?  Try eating a well-balanced diet, exercising, staying well hydrated, and sleeping for 8 – 9 hours each night.
   
   
3. “Superfoods” will keep me super healthy.   No food has superpowers to keep you healthy on its own. Even if a food is bursting with a beneficial nutrient, your body needs more than that to be healthy.   There also isn't a single “superfood” definition, and the term is often used to promote trendy, expensive, and exotic foods that may not necessarily add up to their touted benefits.  Basic foods that aren't called “super,” such an an apple, are equally nutritious as a goji berry...and cost a fraction of the price.
   
   
   
4. Certain foods help you lose weight quickly.  There is no single food that burns fat or makes you lose weight quickly.  Weight-loss diets focusing on single food items, like grapefruit, cabbage soup, celery, and/or the elimination of carbohydrates or gluten, are restrictive and lack the variety of nutrients required for long-term good health.  Unless your doctor recommends otherwise, you're better off choosing a well-balanced diet that promotes healthy habits you can stick with throughout your lifetime.
   
   
5. Multi-Grain and Whole Grain are the same.  Multi-grain isn't always a whole grain; it just means that the product contains more than one grain.  To make sure a food is made with whole grains, look on the ingredient label for the words “whole grain” in front of each grain name.  (Example: whole grain oats, whole grain barley, whole grain rye, whole grain wheat)
   
   
6. Frozen fruits and veggies aren't as nutritious as fresh.  Though nothing beats the taste of fresh produce in season (think sweet corn on the cob), frozen fruits and vegetables are just as healthy as their in-season counterparts.  This is because frozen food is picked and packed at its peak of ripeness.  Frozen fruits and vegetables in pre-made sauces or with added flavorings, however, can be a source of unwanted sugars or sodium; if you want flavored frozen foods, it's best to add seasonings yourself.
   
   
   
7. Low-Fat and Fat-Free mean healthy.  Just because a food is low-fat or no-fat doesn't mean it's healthy.  Many “low fat” foods like candy, soda, and cookies are high in calories and sugars while being low in usable nutrients.  There are many high-fat foods that are actually very healthy: fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, and nut butters.
   
   
8. Eating lots of protein gives me muscle.  Protein alone does not build muscle mass.   A strength-training program, when combined with proper recovery time, sleep, and a well-balanced diet will help you build muscle mass and prevent bone density loss.
   
   
9. 
   Honey and agave syrup are better for you than white sugar.  Sugar is sugar.  Your body can't tell the difference between white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, fruit juice, or agave syrup; each one is a concentrated source of calories containing very few usable nutrients.  Your best option is to limit these products if you're desiring to lower your sugar intake.
   
   
10. When you're pregnant, you're eating for two.  In reality, women only require an average of 285 more daily calories throughout pregnancy to maintain a healthy weight gain (85 calories in the first trimester; 475 calories in the third trimester).  This is equivalent to 1 – 2 extra glasses of milk each day.   Check with your doctor to determine your exact dietary needs and recommended weight gain if you are pregnant.

Fighting Fatigue

Do you ever find yourself feeling tired or overwhelmed at the end of the day?  Does it feel like a chore to push yourself to get the gym?  Perhaps you're suffering from mild fatigue.



Fatigue symptoms -

• You do not feel fully rested after waking up in the morning, though you had a good night's sleep.
• Your stomach feels heavy all the time, and/or there is no balance in hunger (either eating more or less without feeling satiated).
• Weakness and/or lack of energy
• Constantly feeling tired or exhausted
• Lack of motivation,
• Difficulty concentrating, or starting/completing tasks

Mild fatigue can be cause by a number of things, including:

• Lack of physical fitness
• Excessive alcohol or tobacco consumption
• Stress
• Poor diet

Lack of physical fitness
Fitness is the ability of the body to sustain hard work, or any work at all.  Being fit doesn't mean being slim or lean, but being able to perform physical tasks without causing fatigue or injury.  A person can be quite slim without actually being physically fit!


Physical fitness can be improved by doing a balanced weekly routine of cardio exercises, strength training, and stretching.  Just by increasing your physical fitness level, you can increase the amount of energy you have to perform tasks during the work day.  It doesn't have to be elaborate; walking the dog for 30 minutes every day is a great way to start improving your physical fitness.










Excessive alcohol or tobacco consumption
Doctors agree that drinking excessively (more than 1 4-oz glass of wine or a single shot of hard liquor) is detrimental to our health.  Alcohol acts as a depressant, which slows down our cognitive functions, blood pressure and heart rate, and relaxes muscle tension.  Though this can be beneficial in moderation, consuming more than 3 - 5 drinks per week is bad for us, and can lead to the development of dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and addiction to alcohol (alcoholism).  


The effects of tobacco vary from person to person.  For some it acts as a stimulant, and for others a depressant.  However, long-term tobacco use has detrimental effects on our health, including:  bronchitis, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, stroke, low birth weight and birth defects in children, premature aging, low sperm count and impotence, ulcers, circulatory problems, and osteoporosis.


If you're looking to quit smoking, call the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, a free, confidential, and phone-based counseling service available 7 days a week.  1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)





Stress
Everyone experiences stress.  Long-term exposure to physical and mental stress from the workplace and at home can have negative impacts on our health.  If you're looking for some relaxation techniques to help you cope with the stress in your life, check out the tips and tricks from one of our earlier blog posts:  Ways to Deal with Stress.


It's also important that you're getting enough sleep each night.  Not sleeping, or not sleeping well due to insomnia or other interruptions, can cause fatigue as well.  It's recommended that adults should get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night.








Poor Diet/Dehydration
If your body does not receive the amount and quality of nutrients it requires to perform, you will probably feel tired or have muscle weakness.  It is very important to consume a well-balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans, proteins, and plenty of water to help our bodies function properly.  A well-balanced diet provides us with enough calories to perform the work our bodies do every day, from maintaining our heart rate to exercising.  


Check out the latest Lunch-n-Learn information to get some ideas about steps you can take to Diversify your Diet.

Dehydration can also cause fatigue.  As a general rule of thumb, a person should consume half of his/her body weight in ounces of water each day.  So if a person weighs 150 lbs, he/she should be drinking 75 ounces of water (about 9.5 cups) per day.  Sugary, alcoholic, or caffeinated drinks such as soda, coffee, or beer/wine don't count; they actually dehydrate you!  Water and tea are your best sources to maintain proper hydration.





PLEASE remember, this information is only related to mild and short-term fatigue symptoms.  If you experience dizziness, vertigo, fainting, unexplained fatigue not brought on by stress or the above mentioned factors, or fatigue that is not resolved by adequate rest or the removal of stress factors, it is important to talk to your doctor.  You may have a more serious health condition.