Dietician harps on healthy snacking at work place

Dietician harps on healthy snacking at work place
By Talatu Maiwada
Snacks
Abuja, July 4, 2018 (NAN) Mrs Sarah Abagai, Head, Dietetics Department, National Hospital, Abuja, has advised employees to eat healthy snacks instead of junk foods at work places to maintain healthy living.
Abagai gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
She explained that healthy snacking would prevent weight gain and the risk of developing diseases.
She described snacking as an act of `filling in’ with small portions of food in order to suppress hunger before eating the actual meal, which ought to be healthy.
Abagai said in healthy snacking, workers should look out for opportunities to consume foods or fruits that are not adequately represented in their meals for the day.
She noted that most meals consumed are void of vegetables and fruits, hence the need for workers to cultivate the habit of snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables while at work.
“Most times, employees cannot take out few minutes to have a good lunch, they decide to take bites of junks in between checking mails and answering phone calls which has lots of health implications.
“These are diet dangers at work places, as they tend to eat faster mindlessly when concentrating on something, which also can lead to consumption of more calories not needed in the body.
“Studies have shown that when people snack out of stress or boredom and not for hunger, they tend to consume more calories.
“However, healthy choice of snacks while on desk or in office fridge, will help employees resist unhealthy foods when colleagues pass them around, such as burgers, pies and carbonated soft drinks,’’ she said.
She said most junks contain sugar, fat, salt and chemicals that are unhealthy, adding that such processed foods are devoid of nutrients, which could lead to diseases like hypertension and diabetes in future.
Abagai further advised that healthy snacking at work place should be based on deliberate selection, such as foods high in protein and fibre as well as low in sugar and fat.
She listed healthy snacks to include fresh cucumber, garden eggs, carrots, apples, banana, oranges, boiled eggs, fresh fruit juice, nuts, seeds and breakfast cereal, among others.
Abagai said that snacking three times daily was healthy; however each snack should be limited to 100 to 200 calories.
Besides, the nutritionist enjoined employees to adopt snacking strategies with the simple knowledge that natural fruits and fresh vegetables are always wholesome and more nourishing for the body. (NAN)
TIM/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola