Working in the suburbs tempts a gal with unhealthy snacking during the day.

Whether you work in the city or afar, prepping for that mid-afternoon craving can save you from a dreaded vending machine trip. Besides, many conventional snack foods – i.e. think Ritz, Tostitos & Wheat thins – often contain GMOs and other questionable preservatives.

You don’t have to compromise taste for alternatives. Awesome options are available from local providers and bulk bins. Plus, local food providers are accessible and can answer questions via email, social media or in person at your local farmer’s market.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist nor am providing health guidance. I simply follow a (mostly) pescetarian diet and eat a locally, healthy diet where possible.

Here are 5 healthy snacks for work:

1. Good Enough for Kids granola bars. I picked up the gluten-free Nutty Nutty Bars at this year’s Philly Farm & Food Fest and loved them. Based in Yardley, Jan Cho was fed up with all of these health-washing labels with a side of terrible ingredients which you often find at the

   

   grocery stores. Good Enough for Kids sources from local producers and is organic where possible. The labels are clean: Oats, raisins, dried food and raw honey, clarifying which ingredients are sourced locally. You can find these at a variety of local markets, including Reading Terminal, Kimberton Whole Foods, MOM’s Organic Grocery and more.

2. Celery + PB & Jams. I found these nut butter brands at the Philly Farm & Food Fest. Locally made in West Philly, the Hot or Not PB adds a spicy kick from your childhood recollection of Ants on a Log. They also have almond, cashew and maple walnut butters.
3. Greek yogurt, seasonal fruit & bulk bin granola. Whether you kick off your day or enjoy as a midday snack, this combo can hold you over for hours. Greek yogurt is packed with protein with less sugar; the relatively inexpensive bulk-bin granola from Whole Foods has a ton of varieties to choose from; and topping it off with the best local berries from the farmer’s market is perfection. Just make sure to pick a yogurt variety without a ton of added sugar.
4. Locally-made hummus like Bobbi’s or making your own from scratch with local Soom Foods Tahini with celery or carrots is a clean, mid-day snack.
5. Have a sweet tooth you can’t kick? SunRidge Farms offers dark & milk chocolate peanuts, yogurt peanut clusters and trail mixes that can satisfy your sweet tooth with less guilt. SunRidge is dedicated to clean energy, with over 2500 solar panels and reducing 1.3 million LBs of CO2 annually. Since they’re certified organic, non-GMO and offered in bulk bins, I treated myself with a few of the dark chocolate peanuts during an insatiable craving. It definitely did the trick.

Readers, what’s your favorite healthy snacks during the work day?

** I did receive a sample of a couple products mentioned, and others I did purchase without compensation. As always, all opinions are my own and no food producers, PR reps or Pounce DeLeon influenced my post.

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher