The Best Healthy Snacks to Buy or DIY

We’ve all been there, in the middle of a meeting or responding to emails at your desk, when your stomach starts to growl. If you’re unprepared, you may end up at the vending machine or reaching for the donuts in the office kitchen–neither of which will leave you feeling tip-top and ready to tackle the afternoon.

We gathered some of our favorite healthy, energizing snacks–both packaged and homemade–to stash in your desk. So the next time the munchies hit mid-meeting, you can smash them with something tasty and good for you that will keep you kicking butt all day.

BARS

Look for ones that include only whole-food ingredients, like unsweetened fruit, nuts and spices. Avoid anything with added sugar (which may go under an alias) or ingredients you don’t recognize. (A good question to ask: Would you eat all of the ingredients individually? If not, put it back.)

Buy it: Larabar and Thunderbird offer lots of flavors

DIY it: Make your own Almond Butter Snack Bars

ENERGY BITES

These are simple to make and easy to eat (no wonder the term is tagged so much on Instagram). With only a few ingredients and no oven required, you can roll up a tasty homemade snack in seconds. They’re especially convenient because you can just grab one to take the edge off, or have two or more if you need a more substantial snack.

Buy it: Navitas Power Snacks (we love the cacao-goji, and the blueberry-hemp)

DIY it: Try our recipe for chocolate, pumpkin, and peanut butter energy balls

DARK CHOCOLATE

Satisfy your sweet tooth, reap the health benefits, and get an energy boost with a few squares of dark chocolate. This is not a free pass to hit the vending machine; be sure to choose very dark bars (at least 70%) that are free of refined sugar and artificial ingredients.

Buy it: Try Hu, Fruition, or Eating Evolved

NUTS AND NUT BUTTER

With plenty of good fat, fiber and protein to keep you satisfied, nuts are a fantastic snack. Keep pre-portioned servings from your favorite bag of nuts in your desk drawer. If you’re feeling fancy, add in a couple of small chunks of dark chocolate. Or grab a packet or spoonful of nut butter, and have it on its own, with a piece of fruit or slathered on a rice cake. Look for all-natural varieties, free of partially hydrogenated oils and other additives.

Buy it: Try Nuts.com’s Roasted Mixed Nuts with 50% less salt; Justin’s nut butter squeeze packs or Artisana Organics nut butter squeeze packs

DIY it: Feeling adventurous? Whirl up your own nut butter

SEEDS

To take a break from nuts, but still crunch your way to lots of protein, fiber and minerals, try seeds. Pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, squash–all have health benefits and taste great.

Buy it: Go Raw Sprouted Seeds

DIY it: The next time you cook a winter or spaghetti squash, don’t throw away the seeds. Instead, rinse and dry thoroughly before tossing with oil and your favorite spices. Roast at 325ºF for about 20 minutes or until toasted, stirring a couple of times during baking time. Divide into individual portions and keep in sealed containers.

YOGURT

Keep this in the office fridge, not your desk drawer, of course. Look for plain, whole-milk yogurt (ideally organic and grass fed), and mix in your own chopped fruit, nuts or a a drizzle of honey. You get protein, satiating fat and a shot of gut-healthy probiotics.

Buy it: Maple Hill, Stonyfield 100% Grassfed and Organic Valley Grassmilk

DIY it: It’s easier than you think to make your own homemade yogurt

EDAMAME

Filled with fiber, protein and iron, these soybeans make a filling snack. Be sure to buy organic, which is non-GMO, or that the label specifies non-GMO, as most soybeans are genetically modified.

Buy it: Seapoint Farms Roasted Edamame (in flavors like Spicy Wasabi and Sea Salt)

DIY it: Make a batch, divide into single servings and keep in your desk drawer

HUMMUS
With plenty of protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron and other nutrients, it’s no wonder creamy, delicious hummus is a favorite snack choice.

Buy it: Wild Garden Hummus with Gluten-Free Quinoa Crisps

DIY it: It’s easy to whip up a batch of Golden Garlic Hummus

BETH