For everyone who's ever snacked on chocolate at work, then immediately regretted it.

It’s 3pm. You’re in the office, and you had a really early and insubstantial lunch, so your stomach is rumbling, even though there’s still a good chunk of time before dinner.

Have an apple, your brain suggests. But you don’t feel like a damn apple. You’re tired and kind of bored and you know that the situation can only be rectified by your favourite kind of snack – Tim Tams.

So you pop to the shop and get a packet of Tim Tams. You leave them in the top drawer of your desk and grab a couple to munch on while you get back on with your work.

And then a couple more.

Before you know it, your fingers are scraping against the end of the packet rather than another biscuit. You’ve demolished the entire thing in the space of about half an hour. And, now that you think about it, you feel seriously unwell.

Does the mindless office snacking sound familiar? I know I’ve done it a thousand times – crammed my face with random junk, not because I particularly wanted it, just because I was bored and wanted something to do.

Office snacking is mindless eating. You’re not paying full attention to what you’re doing, so it’s obscenely easy to overeat without realising just how much you’re eating. And, of course, it can have a significant impact on your health.

Earlier this month, national research was released about office snacking, revealing that 63% of Aussie office workers gain an average of 3.3kgs per year.

It also found that the average employee spends a ridiculous $984 on office snacks per year and snacks up to three times a day. 27% of female office workers also admitted that they go for an unhealthy treat when they haven’t prepared a snack in advance.

The survey, conducted by snack brand Wonderful Pistachios, discovered that stress is a top trigger for snacking – 28% of women are likely to reach for the biscuit tin in high-pressure situations, as opposed to 16% of men.

Seriously, how often have you demolished a block of chocolate in times of high stress and told yourself it doesn’t count because you’re stressed out? A few times, I bet.

Kara Landau, Australian Accredited Practising Dietitian, agrees with this:

“People often feel overwhelmed by work and snack without thinking twice about what is nutritionally beneficial, reaching for the biscuit tin when they are under the pump or when their colleagues are indulging, using food as a distraction to get through the day. Largely it seems, impulsive and mindless behaviour are to blame for poor snack choices.”

Here’s the thing: snacking isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s only a bad thing when we make poor nutritional choices and overeat. So if you want to start snacking better, it’s all about being prepared.

Here are some healthier snack ideas that you can easily pack up and bring to the office to have anytime you like…

– Some carrot and celery sticks with hummus

– A slice of wholegrain toast with natural nut butter

– A healthy cookie or muffin – The Healthy Chef has some great recipes, and there are more and more options available in the health aisles of major supermarkets

– A handful of nuts

– A tub of yogurt

– A green smoothie (go here for tips on how to make them)

– A serve of fresh fruit

– Popcorn (not the buttery kind, though)

– A hardboiled egg

– Rice cakes topped with a slice of ham or turkey, as well as some veggies

– A can of tuna.

Do you snack a lot at work? What do you snack on?