Covid-19: Try these 7 healthy snacks while you work from home during lockdown, self-quarantine

Covid-19: With an objective to increase social distancing among people in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have allowed employees to work from home.

Working from the comfort of the home is a satisfying idea with no commute involved and the added perks of working in sweatpants or other comfortable clothing of your choice. However, working from home or “Remote working” can present a unique set of challenges including distractions, unhealthy timelines and eating habits and even a lesser productive work environment for some.

Sometimes it’s hard to stay healthy while working from home. But with a few simple changes to your daily routine, working from home and staying healthy can easily be interspersed. Here are a few snack suggestions to munch on without adding on any calories while you sit down and hustle in your daily work life.

Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas are a non-perishable snack that’s high in protein, fibre, and several vitamins and minerals. A 1/2 cup of chickpeas has 5 grams of fibre and 10 grams of protein. What’s more, they contain most of the amino acids your body needs, so their protein is considered to be of higher quality than that of other legumes and make for a great mid-meal snack for all those unscheduled hunger pangs.

Popcorns are healthy junk food. Popcorn is a healthy whole grain snack that has fibre and protein. They satisfy your taste buds during work from home and are the best to set your mood right.

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Fruits

Craving sweets is totally normal. But treat yourself to whole fruit instead of the candies or milk chocolates (dark chocolates in limited quantities are welcome) that are nothing but sugar. Even though fruit naturally contains sugar (fructose), it’s packed with nutrition, is low in fat content, and high in fibre giving it an edge over candies and chocolates. If you prefer your fruit in juice form, ensure that you haven’t added any sugar that will nullify any health benefits in your glass of juice.

Dry fruits

Dry fruits work as any other kind of snack and are also good for building one’s metabolism while helping in curbing one’s appetite. Prepare your nuts dabba with badams, dates, dry grapes along with two or three cashews. Nuts boast of several health benefits that are good for our body. A minimal quantity of nuts consumed every day also helps in weight loss. They aren’t all that healthy in large helpings, but definitely better than sugary sweets for the high-fibre content that they bring.

Oats

An ideal breakfast option for the health-conscious, it’s a superfood with high fibre content. It keeps you fuller for longer, saving you from potentially eating something unhealthy especially the meal in-betweens. It is designed to boost your energy levels. Leading a healthy lifestyle has never been easier.

Makhana/Fox nuts/Popped lotus seeds

Usually a winter snack for those welcome warmth of the sun, fox nuts have been a staple in various North Indian households in a snack form and now are a favourite world-over, across seasons. Makhanas or fox nuts are used for cooking rich curries and even puddings.

Kale Chips, Khakra

Every time you plan on reaching for the bag of potato chips when hunger pangs strike, tell yourself that kale is the go-to option for a healthy lifestyle. Kale contains zero cholesterol and trans fats, making it a good choice for cardiovascular health. A serving of kale chips with a teaspoon of oil, preferably olive oil, will add about 40 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, which is far less than potato chips consumed in the same amount. If you find kale revolting, fret not, you could also try other vegetable chips options (Jackfruit, beetroot, carrot) as alternatives. Try khakhra (sheet-thin crisp tortillas) which is readily available in various flavours at departmental stores or can be bought online in a variety of flavours to please all palates.

Here’s an additional option in case you’re wondering what to have after meals:

Frozen yoghurt

It’s the go-to dessert as soon as the temperature starts soaring outside? Understandably, it’s a difficult choice to make especially if we want to lose those love handles and extra flab. Good thing is, you have an option to please your palate in the form of frozen yoghurts, which can be store-bought in a variety of flavours or you could make flavourful variations at home too. We’d suggest berries instead of chocolate chips for a yummy, fruity frozen yoghurt helping. To put this into perspective, a small cup of vanilla ice cream contains 275 calories while a similar helping of frozen yoghurt contains near about 100 calories.

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