10 No-Preparation Snacks for Work or Home

It’s easy to get caught up in work or chores, then dive into the nearest packet of biscuits because you’re starving and too busy to stop and prepare a healthy snack. Keep some of the following to hand, and you’ll always have something easy to grab.

All can be eaten without any preparation, straight from the container (though you’ll need a spoon for a couple of them.)

• Apples: buy several at the start of the week and keep in the fridge (chilling them really brings out the flavour)
• Baked crisps: such as mini ryvitas. Much better, and more filling, than the high-fat packets of regular crisps.
• Cereal bars: get them in boxes rather than individually, for a great snack to keep hunger pangs at bay.
• Cottage cheese: buy small single serving tubs (usually about 90 calories) – you can get these in various flavours. High in protein, so a good post-gym snack.
• Grapes: buy a small bunch and snack on a few when you want a quick sweet fix!
• Ham: keep individual snack-pack portions of ham in the fridge. They can double up as a sandwich filling (along with your cottage cheese?) if you buy a bread roll for lunch.
• Mixed fruit/nuts: Packed with vitamins and good fats and great for energy – but buy small bags (50g or less) as they are high in calories.
• Popcorn: snack-a-jacks do caramel, salt-and-vinegar and chocolate flavoured popcorn, available in multi-packs of 6. A great munchy option for surprisingly few calories.
• Rice cakes: buy flavoured ones and eat them straight from the bag. It might be worth investing in an air-tight container to keep them fresh.
• Yoghurt: buy small, individual tubs for easy snacking. Low-fat chocolate mousses are also great at satisfying chocolate cravings.

If you’re unsure what constitutes a good portion, have a look at the Visual Guide to 15 Healthy Snacks for some help.