When snacking, the ideal snack is one that is of high volume, whilst remaining low in calories. However, it can be difficult to find a low calorie, high volume snack that tastes good too. We’ve listed a few simple ones that are easy to prepare or purchase, ready for work or throughout your day.

We don’t fully recommend snacking – we prefer to eat solid meals that are both nutritious and filling. HOWEVER, some snacking is perfectly fine and it is definitely better than scoffing on biscuits and chocolate!

Our 4 go-to desk snacks:

1. Popcorn! Many popcorn brands that you find on the shelf are okay, like the lightly salted or sweetened versions. However, avoid the toffee and sugar coated ones! Popcorn is fine to eat within a balance diet, and as it is high in volume you can ‘eat more food’ for less calories.
2. Vegetable sticks and chopped fruit: carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, watermelon and grapefruit are full of fibre, water, vitamins and minerals and will keep you full too. Low fat humous can be used to dip, but the calories can soon add up so careful!
3. Rice cakes. Plain ricecakes are great as you can add toppings like low fat cottage cheese, salmon and/or vegetables. However, flavoured ones are fine too, especially when eating alone. Buying ones with a chocolate or yoghurt topping aren’t ideal, but they will still offer a lot of volume for the calories! Easy to transport or pick up at the shop too.
4. Berries. Whilst being full of fibre and high in volume, they are also hydrating and nutrient-dense, unlike many snacks. Strawberries, blackberries, strawberries – try them all. These can be combined with 0% fat greek yoghurt to boost your protein whilst keeping fat levels at bay!

For many, it’s sometimes better to opt for the higher volume foods that are low in calories, than focus entirely on ‘clean eating’ (endless salads and no chocolate). Try the above, play around and see what works best for you!