One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome when trying to maintain a healthy diet is the work place temptations.

Although it’s very easy to start the day well and feel smug that you are enjoying your morning porridge whilst your work colleagues are chowing down on their second croissant, it’s hard to maintain the same level of will power later in the day when you start to get hungry or things at work begin to get a little stressful.

The key to avoiding these temptations is to be prepared, ensuring you have a few snacks at hand will stop you giving into temptation. Check out 4 essentials for eating healthy in the workplace:

1. Travelling Toppings

It’s not really feasible to keep a huge range of nuts, seeds and superfoods on your desk…sadly you have to have enough room to work! So my favorite way of overcoming this is to fill an airtight jar with all my favorite nibbles and then take this to work instead.
I use it to top my porridge or yogurt in the morning and also as a mid-afternoon snack pot. I love to fill mine with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, cacao nibs, goji berries and chia seeds.

If you know you have a sweet tooth and find it hard to not succumb to afternoon sweet treats, add in some cinnamon as well which will add a sweetness to your mix and also help regulate your blood sugar levels to stop those mid-morning/afternoon sugar cravings.

2. Nut Butter

The king of afternoon snacking has to be the nut butter! They provide the most amazing burst of healthy fats, filling you up quickly and ensuring a slow energy release for the rest of the day.

There is such a breadth of nut butters out there now and the best bit is you can find them in most supermarkets. I would favor almond or cashew butter over peanut butter as they offer a much broader range of additional nutrients, but experiment with different flavors to find which feels best for you. You can also buy a range of seed butters, which are just as delicious and nutritious if you want to avoid nuts. The only thing to look out for when choosing your spread is that they don’t include any unnatural additives, there’s no reason for the ingredients to include anything other than nuts and seeds!

Whichever you choose, you can add it to your breakfast or just enjoy as a snack throughout the day. They taste great slathered on apple slices, with dates or just eaten with a teaspoon (sounds decadent I know!)

3. Plain Rice Cakes

Sometimes you need something a bit more substantial than a handful of your traveling toppings, so this is where your rice cakes come into play.

Not the most exciting food to be eaten alone, but when you team it with your other work station essential, nut butter, you have yourself a perfect snack! I also love to top mine with half a banana or cacao nibs to give it a bit more oomph.

Look for Brown Rice Cakes and always make sure you check the back of the pack and made sure they don’t contain any unnecessary additives.

4. Herbal Tea

Now I like my morning coffee as much as the next person, literally nothing can beat an almond milk cappuccino as I walk to work, but I have learnt over the years that when it comes to caffeine, less really is more. That one coffee first thing in the morning, makes me feel great, but any more than that can leave me feeling anxious, headachy and struggling to sleep at night.