Sweet Pickings: The 6 Best Fruits for Office Snacks
Posted by Sara on Friday, February 28th, 2014 with 2 Comments
Fruit may be the ideal snack for the workplace. It’s healthy, portable, and sweet. Unfortunately, that last reason is precisely why some dieters have given fruit a bad rap. It’s naturally sweet, because it contains sugar, and sugar is bad for you; therefore, fruit isn’t a healthy office snack.
Let’s be clear, though: the sugar in a cup of strawberries and the sugar in a cup of strawberry ice cream are not equal, either in quantity or quality. The majority of the sugar in fruit is fructose, whereas most processed sweet snacks (and a host of other processed foods) contains sugars that quickly break down into glucose. Glucose is the kind of sugar that triggers a release of insulin, which leads to the spike-and-crash of blood sugar levels and, thus, energy.
Fruit is the perfect office snack for all-day energy.
Image source: Flickr User jessica mullen
By comparison, fructose is digested differently, and doesn’t lead to the same roller-coaster ride of energy levels. Additionally, when you eat whole fruit, you’re also eating fiber that slows the digestive process altogether. The result is a more managed release of energy into the bloodstream, leading to the kind of all-day energy that the perfect office snack should deliver.
That said, not all fruits are created equal! Some fruits contain a higher percentage of glucose than others, or are high enough in their overall sugar content that their caloric tally is significant enough it shouldn’t be considered a “free pass” kind of food for people trying to lose weight. Certain fruits also deliver more vitamins, nutrients, and phytonutrients than others, and some can even have an impact on memory, focus, and stress levels. With these criteria in mind, here are our top six fruits to keep readily accessible, whether at an informal office lunch or on the table at a breakfast meeting:
1) Raspberries are one of the most healthy and filling fruit options out there, so it ranks at the very top of our office snack list. Low in sugar and high in fiber (with eight grams per cup), raspberries also happen to be delicious and high in antioxidants.
Raspberries may be the #1 fruit for office snacks!
Image source: Flickr User timlauer
2) Blueberries are a very close second, thanks to their relationship with improved memory and cognitive function, as well as high amounts of fiber (most berries, in fact, are among the best fruits you can snack on for just this reason).
3) Apples are another winner for the office; easy to tote around to your desk or to a meeting, and high in fiber… but only if you eat the peel.
4) Oranges have earned their reputation for vitamin C – they’re packed full of the stuff, known for its immunity-boosting powers. But oranges are also great sources of fiber, potassium, and calcium. They do have a fair amount of sugar, so go for the whole fruit (with its fiber) rather than juice.
Oranges and apples should be a mainstay on the catering table. Image source: flickr user Shannon At Zeer
5) Kiwis are another vitamin-C powerhouse, but eat them with the skin to get all the fiber this breakfast favorite has to offer. Vitamin C can reduce feelings of stress, so reach for one when your ever-growing to-do list starts to get under your skin!
6) Avocados may not be commonly considered a fruit, but they are — and one of the smartest ways to get a dose of the heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Spread mashed avocado on whole-wheat toast for a nutritious and filling mid-morning snack.
When it comes to stocking fruit in the office, it’s hard to go wrong — but these are some of the smartest options out there! Whether including fruit in a box lunch or as a side dish on the catering table, the office delivery experts at Waiter.com can help ensure your team always has the healthiest fruits within reach.
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Good read, nice content, informative and helpful. Thanks for sharing.
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