How to avoid workplace snacks

Is your workplace the kind that celebrates everyone’s birthday with cupcakes? Is there a work mate who insists on bringing in their homebaked goods to show off? Are employees’ hands constantly sneaking into the office snack drawer?

Being tempted by workplace treats seems to be a part of our office culture and can quickly ruin our best efforts to follow a healthy eating plan.

The best way to be healthy is to avoid all sugary snacks and prepare all of your healthy meals in advance. But, when you live a busy lifestyle these tactics can be hard to follow.

What you need are tactics that are easy to follow, realistic and don’t involve deprivation.

Here are a few sensible ways you can avoid workplace treats.

When faced with the choice of a carrot stick or a delicious cupcake, more often than not the cupcake will win. Food is meant to be enjoyed and if you don’t love what you eat, you’ll never stick with it.

Luckily health food has come a long way. There’s lots of healthy snack options now that are both nutritious and quick to make.

Among my favourites are red velvet cupcakes made with beetroot (check out the recipe below).

Bring your delicious snack options to work and freeze the leftovers. Your snacks will satisfy your sweet tooth, keep your insulin levels low and you’ll actually feel excited to turn down unhealthy options because you want to enjoy your very own healthy yet indulgent treat.

Making every meal and taking it into work is the most effective way to stay on track with healthy eating, but life is busy and it’s not always possible to plan our healthy meals ahead.

The days you don’t make your meals you’ll feel forced to nibble on unhealthy temptations or be faced with an empty stomach. The thing is, if we knew our lack of planning didn’t mean we had to live off workplace treats, we’d be much more inclined to stay on track.

Make a list of restaurants withhealthymealoptionsthat are within a five-minute walking distance of work. Then make a list of their healthy menu options. While it may take time to plot out a menu it only has to be done once. After that, time is no longer an issue. You simply pull out the list and choose the convenient healthy sugar and softened butter together. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Add in the beet puree and mix again until combined.

Next, add in the flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and milk. Add in a portion at a time, allowing the mixture to combine as you progressively add these in. Mix the batter until completely combined.

Add cupcake liners to your cupcake pan and fill each with batter until almost full. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center. Remove from oven and let option that saves you from the workplace treats.

No one wants to eat when their mouth tastes like mint. It’s that simple. While brushing your teeth would be the ultimate option to help you avoid workplace treats, it’s not always realistic to run to the washroom and brush your teeth every time a delicious treat presents itself.

Mint flavoured chewing gum is the next best option. Chew when the snacks look too delicious to resist.

We’ve all gotten so absorbed with a task that time flies. We have every intention of eating our snacks, regulating our blood sugar and maintaining a sense of feeling full so we don’t give in to temptation but when a task takes hold of us, it can take hours beout cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, begin preparing your icing. Puree the raspberries. Run the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Add the softened butter and powdered sugar to a medium-sized bowl and mix on low until completely combined. Add the raspberry puree and beat on medium speed until well combined and creamy. If the frosting is too thin you can add more powdered sugar.

Using a Wilton frosting bag and 2D tip, frost each cooled cupcake as desired. Top with a fresh raspberry and serve. fore we’ve realized we haven’t eaten. We’re starved and the workplace cookies are too tempting to give up.

It’s just not realistic to ask us to check our watches regularly because it might be time to eat. Frankly, we get too busy and forget. There’s really no other option but to get a watch with a timer that will go off every few hours and remind us to eat. When the alarm goes off you’ll know it’s time to take a food break. Not only will your healthy eating stay on track but your eyes will thank you for the rest from the computer screen.

Exercise makes many of us a great sense of achievement. We sweat, we put in the hard work and we don’t want to waste our efforts by ruining our eating plan. Exercise and healthy nutrition go hand in hand. You can’t have one with- Summer is here and we’re all wanting a bit more definition to our abs, so here’s a 12 minute workout focused on your core ... 30 seconds V-SIT PRESS 30 seconds LEG RAISES 30 seconds RUSSIAN TWISTS the other.

If you want success with sticking to your eating plan, make sure you work out before the snacks present themselves. For most this requires an early morning workout.

If it doesn’t seem realistic to wake up at 5 am because you’re just not a morning person, then make it a lunch workout instead. At least that way you’ll be distracted by your workout instead of the treat zone.

Drink plenty of water. Often, when we think we’re hungry, it’s actually the side effect of dehydration. So, consuming the recommended eight glasses of water a day isn’t only healthy, but may also stop you from overeating or snacking.

If you get tired of plain old water, they try alternatives such as a hot cup of green tea, or fruit infused waters.

30 seconds CROSSOVERS 30 seconds CRUNCHES 30 seconds rest Complete four rounds to make it a 12-minute Ab HIIT.

To watch the video demo go to: www.youtube.com/ grahamlowpt