- Calorie-cutting swaps
- Understand your food cravings
- Comfort food without the guilt

If you spend as much time at the vending machine as you do at your desk, it might be time to get healthy.

It's not just your teeth that will love you for it - eating healthily during the working week can have a positive effect on your overall health, your performance at work and even your bank balance.

Breakfast
Eating breakfast gets your digestive system going, and fuels you up until lunchtime. Try eating foods that release energy slowly e.g. porridge, brown bread or muesli. These foods provide you with a steady release of glucose and will fill you up more effectively than sugary cereals and croissants, making you less likely to reach out for a mid-morning snack. Porridge is also great for regulating bowel movement and is a good source of vitamin B, which can help relieve nerves and reduce stress. With a 1kg bag lasting you a month at around £1.50, it's cheap as well as nutritious.

Snacks
If you love your crisps and chocolate, try snacking on dark chocolate to get your fix without the sugar rush and avoid crisps cooked in hydrogenated oil. Try fruit, nuts, seeds and vegetables, which boost concentration levels. The water content in vegetables is also a great way to naturally hydrate your skin, giving it a younger, healthier appearance, so try slicing up sticks of carrots, peppers and celery and dunking them in some dips such as humous or tzatziki.

Lunch
Preparing your own lunch is usually cheaper than buying lunch at work, with the added benefit that you know exactly what's in your food. If you don't have time to prepare food at home, then try buying something that includes a good source of protein and a slow releasing carbohydrate - that way you'll be eating food that satisfies your appetite but is less likely to lead to a mid-afternoon slump.