5 snacks ideas to get your energy levels up at work

When a dip in energy hits, combine protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain crackers or raw vegetables) to raise your blood sugar levels steadily and keep them up. Opt for the following snacks.

Afternoon snacks can get your blood flowing and help maintain your concentration. But that doesn't mean you should eat a chocolate bar.

The high glycemic index in the chocolate bar (a measure of how high it pushes up your blood sugar) might give you a temporary boost, but once that jolt of sugar is gone, you'll sink faster than the stock market after an interest-rate hike.

1. Low-fat milk and high-fibre cereal. Milk provides the protein as well as valuable fluid (tiredness is an early sign of dehydration), while the high-fibre cereal will curtail any sudden blood sugar rushes.
2. Peanut butter spread on whole-wheat crackers. Again, there's a good source of protein in peanut butter, a bit of healthy fat for staying power, coupled with the fibre and complex carbohydrates in the whole-wheat crackers.
3. Cut-up vegetables dipped into hummus. These days, you can buy both these ingredients at just about any food shop. Eaten together, you get the high fibre, antioxidants and valuable vitamins of the vegetables, coupled with the fibre and protein of the hummus.
4. Tomato or vegetable juice with a handful of unsalted nuts. The nuts provide a healthy dose of protein and monounsaturated fat, while the tomato juice provides not only the lycopene and other phytonutrients found in tomatoes, but energy-sustaining liquid as well.
5. A piece of Edam or low-fat cheese and an apple. Portable, easy and a great pair. The cheese, with its fat and protein, cushions the fruit sugars from the apple, while the apple provides you with one all-important fruit serving for the day, along with a healthy dollop of antioxidants and fibre (be sure to eat the skin).