Snacking in the office isn’t just about what’s easy, or necessarily what’s deemed “healthy”. What I’m trying to say is, is that snacking on a few carrots here and a banana there will still have you reaching for the chocolate bar come 3pm.

The best way to get you through the hours at your desk is to fine-tune healthy snacks to improve your concentration, astuteness and energy levels.

The 2 most important things to keep in mind are:

• Low glycemic index (GI) foods: to keep blood sugar levels balanced and to leave a fuller feeling longer. Think fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You want to try and avoid high GI foods like white bread, pasta, candies and sodas, as they generate an immediate energy surge followed by an energy drop.
• Protein: to sustain energy through the day. A lack of protein throughout your day is what is really causing that 3pm slump. Think mixed nuts, hummus, cheese, eggs, sprouts, yoghurt and the like.

Top 5 healthy snacks:

1. Pear and a Parmesan cheese: not only a match made in taste tantalising heaven, but also a perfectly light, low GI, high protein snack. You only need a match box sized portion to get an adequate protein-packed snack.
2. ABC nut mix: that’s almonds, brazil nuts and cashews. Not all nuts are equal when finding the right balance for protein, but the ABC mix will give you a complete protein and only a handful is needed. Pimp this snack by sprinkling the mix over a small tub of natural yoghurt with a topping of berries.
3. Raw veggie and hummus: This snack requires you to take your favourite raw veg like capsicum, celery, carrot or cucumber and enjoy with a simple dip in hummus.
   Note: Any legume, such as chickpeas (the main ingredient of hummus) is an incomplete protein in and of themself, but combined with a grain it makes a complete protein. The grain of choice can be eaten at any other meal in the day.
4. Bliss balls: These are delicious, easily made and the perfect afternoon snack if you need that pick me up, because hey, the sweet stuff tastes good. But it may as well be healthy. Find a recipe here [link] and add the ABC mix or protein powder to keep you going longer.
5. DIY protein smoothie: These have got to be savour in the office. While the required prep time is a bit longer, they are worth every second. Blend up your favourite fruits (mine are berries and banana’s) some greens (I choose parsley), turmeric [link] and cinnamon [link] for the therapeutics and mix in some nuts, yoghurt or protein powder. Keep cool in the fridge until consuming.

Try these out at you office and see if you feel the difference!