8 Healthy Office Snack Ideas to Supercharge Workforce Productivity

There are countless benefits to offering snacks in the workplace such as increased loyalty and employee engagement. However, arguably one of the most important benefits that snacks can bring is enhanced productivity.

Most types of food are likely to yield some level of increased productivity since the caloric content will give employees an energy boost. That being said, there are certain edibles that are especially effective at helping workers plow through their tasks.

In this article, we’ll list some of the best snacks — including some vegan options —  that you can offer at the workplace to get all employees at peak productivity. This will range from common fruits to things like flax seeds and Mediterranean dairy products. Let’s get right into it!

Top snacks

1. Avocados

Millennial avocado toast jokes aside, this fruit is actually a great choice for office snacks. One of the things that make avocados a great choice is that they’re extremely versatile. You can’t go wrong whether you eat it alone, with a salad, or add some sugar/salt.

They’re also good as a post-lunch snack since they help reduce the feeling of bloatedness that can bog employees down for a couple of hours. One whole avocado will even cover a fifth of your daily potassium needs.

Hypokalemia (low potassium levels) can cause weakness, fatigue, and frequent urination — all of which dampen productivity. Some severe cases even lead to respiratory failure. Overall, avocado is a tasty and nutritious snack that’s sure to keep energy levels high.

2. Carrots

It’s time to make like a rabbit and incorporate some carrots into your corporation (see what we did there?) Not only are carrots delicious but they’re also really good for you, and are super easy to chop up and separate into cups.

If you don’t want to take the time to slice up carrots, then you can always buy baby carrots. As a matter of fact, baby carrots make up 70% of all carrot sales according to an article by Roberto A. Ferdman of The Washington Post.

Carrots also score low on the glycemic index making them a great choice for employees dealing with diabetes. Carrots are easy to find at essentially any grocery store and cost less than a dollar per pound — meaning they’re accessible, affordable, and healthy.

3. Greek yogurt

Let’s take a hiatus from the simple fruits and vegetables, and look at something more complex: Greek yogurt. Unlike your usual, run-of-the-mill sweet yogurt, Greek yogurt is thicker and has more protein. In fact, 10% of its total mass is protein.

That means you’ll get around 17 grams of protein in every 170-gram container of Greek yogurt. This is key since protein provides four kilocalories of energy per gram, meaning your average container will give you 68 kilocalories of energy.

This energy-dense snack is perfect for overcoming office fatigue and powering through the workday. If your team is going to work late to finish an important project, then consider bringing them a tub of Greek yogurt to keep them energized.

4. Hard-boiled eggs

These are an eggcellent (sorry, we had to) choice for quite a few reasons. First of all, they’re cheap and easy to prepare so they won’t really burden anyone. Secondly, much like Greek yogurt, they’re rich in protein which will keep employees energized throughout the day.

Eggs are also very filling meaning that employees won’t have to constantly resort to unhealthy junk food whenever they get hungry. This satiating snack can even help your employees lose weight and thus reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.

It’s worth noting that you should advise employees to limit their consumption to no more than one egg per day to avoid any adverse effects from the cholesterol content. The official recommendation from the aptly-named Mayo Clinic has the cap at seven eggs per week.

5. Red grapes

A recent study showed that red wine can boost your brain through its resveratrol content. Of course, you can’t leave a bottle of Pinot noir in the breakroom and have your employees drinking while on the job.

The next best thing is including red grapes in the office snack selection. The resveratrol compound is found in the skin of the grapes so avoid peeling them or you’ll lose that invaluable cognitive benefit.

With world grape production at 72 million pounds per annum, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding some at your local grocery store. Bear in mind that there are 23 grams of sugar in every 150-gram cup of grapes, so eat this snack in moderation.

6. Flax Seeds

Flax is an ancient crop that was rooted (pun not intended) in ancient Chinese and Egyptian agriculture. These seeds contain omega-3 oils which can boost memory and help you deal with mental stress — both of which are very important in the workplace.

Furthermore, the phytosterols contained in flax seeds could reduce the cholesterol in your body. This makes it the perfect snack to pair up with hard-boiled eggs since it can offset some of the cholesterol that you’ve consumed.

The Arthritis Foundation also lists flax seeds as a viable snack for alleviating the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. This makes it a great option for offices with older workers who may be struggling to type amidst the hand pain brought on by arthritis.

7. Dark chocolate

Most people would agree that this is the most delicious snack listed in the entire article. Beyond being an absolute paradise for your tastebuds, dark chocolate also yields some amazing benefits. The flavonoids in dark chocolate can boost your brain health and improve your mood.

Dark chocolate can even lower blood pressure, making it the ideal snack for those who are suffering from hypertension. This reduces the risk of a stroke occurring. Further, one study showed that dark chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%.

Lastly, researchers found that dark chocolate can improve blood flow to the brain. If you want everyone at the office to stay healthy then you should probably add dark chocolate to the snack list since it covers most bases.

8. Green tea

This is the perfect concoction to help employees stay at their best, with studies showing that it can improve memory, focus, alertness, and overall performance.

It also works well as an end-of-day snack since it’ll calm your mind. The L-theanine in green tea is the amino acid responsible for this soothing health benefit. Rest assured, green tea doesn’t cause drowsiness, so it's still viable as a day-starting beverage.

The best part is that there are no known risks of drinking green tea in high volumes. In fact, it’s even recommended that you drink three to five cups of green tea on a daily basis. Lipton sells a sugar-free variety of green tea that’s perfect for those who are trying to avoid glucose.

Conclusion

There are many options that are far superior to junk foods such as greasy potato chips or candies that have more glucose in them than the Coca-Cola factory itself. And these healthier  snacks can help you keep employees productive without compromising their health.

After all, studies show that healthier workers are more productive, which makes it a double win since employees will get more done while also staying in better condition on a personal level.

If you found this article useful then be sure to share it with friends — especially those who work in HR — so that they too can reap the benefits of healthy snacking. That’s all for now, stay productive, and don’t forget to buy avocado toast on the way home.