05 Jul Healthy Alternatives For Your Vending Machines
These Snack Alternatives Make For Better Vending Machines
While sugary and fried snacks might taste good, denying your sweet tooth and junk food cravings might be the best thing for your workplace. Spiked blood sugar levels and lack of actual sustenance can actually create less focus and increased sluggishness. Ultimately, these deliciously fattening snacks decrease productivity and your employees health. You might consider replacing them with these healthier alternatives.
Bottled Water In Place Of Soft Drinks
Soft drinks and sodas are often called empty calories. They offer no nutritional benefits and actually increase dehydration! Replacing soft drinks with bottled water in your vending machines can help your employees get their 8 glasses of water a day. For those who find normal water too plain, add some variety with low calorie flavored water or sparkling options.
Baked Potato Chips Instead Of Their Fried Counterparts
Traditional potato chips are high in saturated fats and sodium. This is largely in part because of how they are made. If you bake potato chips instead of frying them, it makes a healthier alternative for those looking for a savory, crunchy snack.
Energy Bars Instead Of Energy Drinks
Like sodas, energy drinks contain no nutritional value. They consist of mostly caffeine and sugar which provide a temporary spike in energy and blood sugar. These spikes lead to crashes if not sustained with another drink. A great alternative to energy drinks are energy bars. Healthy energy bars contain proteins, carbohydrates, potassium, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs for sustained energy.
Natural Juices In Place Of Artificial Punches
Natural juice can be high in sugar but is a much better option than hawaiin punch. Artificial punches consist of almost 100% sugar with no nutrients, while natural fruit juices can give your body essential vitamins and minerals to strengthen your immune system. Stronger immune system means fewer sick days!
Unsweetened Tea Instead of Soda
If an employee is looking for something to quench their thirst, unsweetened tea is a great option. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of antioxidants that exist in tea. From preventing heart disease to providing caffeine, tea can be a great alternative to enhance office productivity. However, you’ll want to avoid pre-sweetened teas because they contain excess sugar.
Dried Fruit Instead Of Candy
For those who just need to satisfy their sweet tooth, dried fruit is a great alternative to candy. Like fresh fruit, dried fruit provides all the same vitamins and nutrients but it won’t spoil. Dried fruit is much sweeter than fresh fruit from the curing process, but that also means it has a higher sugar content. Be sure to get individually packaged portions in your vending machines, otherwise dried fruit can easily be overeaten and spike blood sugar levels like candy.
Increasing Office Productivity With Healthier Vending Machines
Vending machines can increase office productivity by providing snacks to help employees get through the final hours of the day. It can also encourage employees to stay on site, meet their fellow coworkers, and work through lunch. With snacks so readily available, your office will be happier and more creative.
You can take this one step further by replacing traditional vending machine snacks with healthier alternatives. This will further increase office productivity by avoiding energy crashes and sluggishness at the end of the day.