How to encourage healthy eating habits while at home.
Has anyone else been so tempted by their kitchen while working from home?! I live in an apartment and due to a small space work at the counter in my kitchen and my pantry taunts me constantly! I have found a few ways to combat the constant snack cravings in addition to a few tips to keep the excess snacking at bay and encouraging healthy eating habits.
I love snacks (duh who doesn’t) but snacks are like mini meals throughout the day that I think can really create a healthy diet when you are gradually eating small meals throughout the day. It really allows you to focus on only eating when you are hungry and not waiting to eat a big dinner right before bed. I try to eat a big breakfast followed by a morning snack and a heavy lunch that is almost like a dinner. In the afternoon I like to eat two small snacks and a lighter dinner. I don’t like to eat a big dinner because I don’t like going to sleep without digesting my food!
Healthy snacking is so important to me and I find myself so much happier when I’m gradually eating throughout the day.
Here are a few of my favorites!
Popcorn
Popcorn is such a good snack! Not only is the salt so savory but popcorn is a snack you can eat a lot of without feeling guilty. Now that I’ve been working from home, fresh popped popcorn is my new favorite afternoon snack because I can munch on it little by little all afternoon. It keeps me from munching on other snacks. This is my favorite popcorn from the grocery store. It really is guilt free and I love that it is just lightly salted.
Chicken Sriracha Protein Bars
These Epic protein bars are one of my favorite snacks for so many reasons. One they taste SO good and two they truly fill you up. If I am ever starving and having one of those days where I just want to eat everything in sight, I eat one of these bars and am full for hours! These are a little bit spicy but I think they are so good! They have 16 grams of protein per bar which is higher than a lot of other protein bars!
Chickpeas
If you know me you know my love for chickpeas. My dad got me hooked on chickpeas a few months ago and I can’t stop talking about them. They are such a healthy snack because they are low in fat and high in protein. Chickpeas are also great for digestion and contain a lot of healthy vitamins. My favorite chickpeas are the Saffron brand which I have talked about before on my stories. They are so crunchy and all the flavors are so good!
Walnuts with rosemary
This is a new favorite snack of mine! I love nuts but can get tired of eating them all the time. To spice things up (literally) I’ve started to put walnuts in a ziplock baggie and add rosemary with a tiny dash of olive oil. I buy fresh rosemary and keep it in the freezer so it lasts longer!
Hard boiled eggs
I really can’t take the credit for this being my new favorite snack. Pierce LOVES hard boiled eggs haha. He makes them all the time and it is one of his go-to snacks. Hard boiled eggs were never something I craved before but now I eat them all the time! They really are a great snack because they are a great boost of protein. I like putting the ‘Everything Bagel Seasoning’ on them from Trader Joes.
How to Set Healthy Eating Habits at Home
Now that I am working from home, it can be so tempting to constantly be eating or find myself wandering to the fridge because I’m bored (in the house). I’ve had to really set some boundaries with myself and the kitchen to create some healthy eating habits while at home!
Set dedicated times for snacks
This is something I am religious about when at work. (I truly bring so much food to work haha) I have a 10 AM snack and a 3 PM snack then a mini snack when I get home around 5:30 PM. I have tried to keep that schedule while working from home and set little reminders on my phone or in my calendar. It is like a little reward when I set aside snack times!
Keep food out of sight!
I have also tried to be diligent about keeping food put away and out of sight. This has made a difference because I’m not staring at all my food left out on the counter!
Always have a drink with you
I try to drink lots of water throughout the day but now that I’m working from home I’ve been making iced tea everyday. I absolutely love it because it keeps me hydrated and tastes like a sweet treat! I drink my tea unsweetened with lots of lemon! I recently got so tired of boiling tea I bought this tea maker on Amazon.
Don’t eat of the bag
My mom always talked about this growing up and now I understand why. If you are working or watching a show and eating out of the bag you can quickly lose track of how much you are mindlessly eating. Pouring out a portion into a bowl is always better to control how much you are actually eating! I love to pour snacks into these tiny glass bowls.
Take a break when you snack
Now that I am working from home, I can easily find myself going the whole day without taking a break and really not creating a healthy work-life balance. Now, when I am taking a snack break I try to step away from my computer while I enjoy my snack just for a few minutes! I like to sit out on my balcony, scroll through my phone for a second or call my mom. This helps me focus on how much I am eating and not just mindlessly snacking AND I’m taking a mind break as well.
WELL that was a lot longer than I anticipated haha I guess I have lots to say when it comes to food! I hope you found this post helpful and can apply some of these tips & snacks to your work from home life! Don’t miss this cozy work-from-home shirt I’ve been living in! Comes in so many colors.
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xoxo,
Zoe