When Nutritious, Whole Foods Aren’t Available
ABSTRACT: School is back in session and vending machines are available on campus for your kids, or perhaps there are machines in your office. Whole foods are best, but you can make better vending machine choices.
Now that school is in session, kids will be faced with the ability to purchase snacks from bending machines. Many school districts are putting better choices into those vending machines, but your kids will likely still be able to choose from some unhealthy selections as well. Not to mention the fact that most kids want to fit in and not feel excluded if their friends are buying from a vending machine.
What about at your office? Do you give in to the three o’clock vending machine snack munchies? I know when I worked in an office, avoiding the soda machine and the candy-coated buttered peanuts was quite difficult for me.
Choose Water or Juice instead of Soda-Even Diet Soda!
Which brings me to the first choice you can make: soda versus juice or water. Okay, if given the choice, water is the best choice for the vending machine. In fact, if you’re into saving the environment, consider simply using some RO water from the office sink or getting water from water cooler in the office, using your own cup, glass or mug. This saves the plastic bottles, which National Geographic Kids explains is a great thing for the environment, saving oceans and landfills.
Occasional Snack Choices
Truthfully, occasional-and occasional is the operative word here-indulgences in slightly unhealthy snacks won’t hurt most people. If, however, you’re looking to lose weight, focus on your health, or you have health conditions that require special diets, then vending machine snacks aren’t going to provide the optimal choices. You can learn how to choose from the best of the worst, though, and still feed the vending machine snack munchies.
Vending Machine Snack Cravings
What are you craving when you’re looking at the vending machine snack choices? Is it salty or sweet? A packet of nuts are likely better for you than a bag of chips. Don’t let the baked chips fool you either. The New England Journal of Medicine says eating more nuts is better for your health, especially when you are eating them in place of higher fatty and fried foods. They provide a protein punch for the afternoon energy you need without the letdown sluggishness that sugary snacks can provide.
Dried fruit is another great choice if it’s available in your vending machines. Fresh fruit is better, if you bring yours from home, but if dried fruit is available, it’s a good compromise.
Candy in a Pinch-Chocolate is Best!
If all you have to choose from is candy and fried goods, skip the fried stuff, and go for the candy. Hard candies are a good choice, because you can have one or two at a time and save the others for later, keeping them in a desk drawer or a candy jar. If there are no hard candies, consider chocolate, pure, plain dark chocolate. There are some good health properties of chocolate that makes up for some of the sugar content in it that makes it bad.
As with any health food choice, moderation and common sense rules what’s best to eat. Choose things that will give you the longest benefit for the least amount of calories and fat. Then again, skipping the vending machine and bringing your own healthy snacks is still a better choice, but this will help you during those weak moments when the vending machine taunts you to buy something in its neat little packages.