When you're working in the middle of peak paving season, working outside under the heat of sun, you've got to make sure you, or the workers you employ, stay safe. One the most important, and often least regulated, aspects of staying safe is keeping your energy up by eating healthy, nourishing foods while on the job. And who would know better about the best paving snacks than the very pavers out there living it? We did a deep dive on the Asphalt Life community group (which has nearly 110,000 members) to see what advice they had to share. Here's the top 10 on-the-job snacks from on-the-job asphalt pavers and makers.
10.) Protein Bars
All of the items on this list are viable options, but we've ranked them here based on the number of times they were mentioned or suggested, how easy they are to store and eat, and finally, their nutritional value.
Literally, the question that spurred this list began with looking for alternatives to, "granola bars." We understand that granola and protein bars aren't exactly the same thing, but decided to group together all the "bars" as food that were mentioned. Rx bars, Nature Valley, Homemade, etc. All of these options confer a lot of the same benefits, as well as possessing the same drawbacks.
They usually provide a higher amount of energy giving protein, sustaining you for longer throughout the day, and they are easy to eat quickly with one hand. For this they make a good option in the early morning while you're trying to get things going. You can smash one down, while you're still lacing up your boots and heading out the door. However, as the day wears on, their taste and texture may not be as sustainable as the protein they provide.
9.) Gummy Snacks
This is a slightly controversial item. One member of the Asphalt Life group, Tim Mason, even commented that, perhaps, this only pertained to, "The new ones. You have to buy with a card." For the purposes of this article we will keep this in regards to the kind you find at the grocery store. Even though it did appear multiple times, there were a lot of detractors, depending on the type and brand of fruit snacks in question. Nutritionally, most of these varieties are suspect. Higher in sugar and not containing a significant source of protein, but sugar isn't completely useless. You gotta have carbs for some little bursts of energy now and then. Overall, with the waste these produce (tiny baggies they come in) and the short life span of energy they give you, the verdict is: not that great.
8.) Boiled or Pickled Eggs
These came up quite a few times, in both options, either pickled or just boiled, and it makes sense. From body builders to health conscious dieters, everyone knows that eggs can pack a decent punch without a lot of fuss. You can make them the night before, refrigerate and then toss them in a ziplock bag and take them to-go. Toss a little salt and pepper inside to make them taste even better. They have exactly what the body needs. Averaging ~6 grams of protein, ~5 grams of fat, and approximately 77 calories per egg, a handful of these will get you through a few hours of hard work for sure.
Perhaps, one of their only drawbacks would be storage and flavor. Not everyone is that into eggs in general, also, so if that's you, obviously this one isn't a winner. Plus, if you don't have a good cold storage lunch container, they could get too warm. Maybe a warmed over boiled egg is your jam? Maybe not. Where you fall on that line is likely the deciding factor for where this one hits on your personal list.
7.) Sunflower Seeds
When I was working in the steel factory, these were a a summer time staple. Turns out that asphalt pavers think so too! They are tasty, salty treats--which also come in a wide variety of other flavors, readily available to pick up at the gas station if you forgot to pack anything else for the day ahead. BBQ. Ranch. Tabasco. You name it, they've probably got a bag of sunflower seeds flavored in it, which can easily be stored in your pocket and retrieved when needed without much distraction. Of course, the biggest down-side to these as a snack is the shells. Depending on your working conditions, they may or may not want a 1/4" thick layer of sunflower seed shells laying around on the ground by the end of the day.
6.) Cheese
Behold. The power of cheese. Why? Cause it's great. You love it, and you know how I know? Because even lactose intolerant people want to eat it. Why else would Lactaid be a thing? Because cheese is great and everyone wants to eat it. Beyond that, though, it came up a lot as a good source of work-day paving snack energy. Most frequently it appeared in the form of "string cheese" or "cheese sticks" that are individually wrapped, and can be found in low-fat part-skim varieties if that's what you're into.
Not merely for those who enjoy the nigh-flavorless (personal opinion) mozzarella, you can get cheddar, Colby, and pepper-jack too, if you're spicy. Like eggs, however, they do have a similar potential temperature drawback. While you might eat a warm boiled egg, I don't see most people eating a warm stick of sweaty cheese. It's a lot like beer. Cold cheese--great! Warm cheese--thanks?? As in: I might still eat it if I'm desperate enough. Final verdict here: if you don't have a cooler, maybe pass on the cheese.
5.) Fresh Veggies
As we cross into the second half of this list, the real shinning stars come out. The Asphalt Life community page was overflowing with the recommendations and the benefits of stocking up on plenty of fresh vegetables for the work day, as well as one or two easy recipes to make the options even better. Member George Nunez wrote, "Cucumber & celery with lemon & Tajin 
, all placed in a bag and shaken, this snack is bursting with flavor and can help with hydration during an especially hot day."
If you're not into just a bag of veggies, and want to kick-in some carbs and protein, DaLonna Lennea has a unique style, "I wrap veggies in a tortilla, with a little cream cheese. Easy to eat, yummy and pretty healthy." While this method might require some way to keep it cool on hot days, there's lots of ways to mix and match whatever vegetables you like, and there's no real wrong way to go about it. They're healthy, easy and are full of water and other nutrients, even if they aren't always the best tasting by themselves.
4.) Nuts / Trail Mix
This is a no-brainer. There are so many options, so many different kinds of nuts out there, and they are similar in their versatility to vegetables. What gives nuts the edge, though, is that they definitely provide more work-sustaining energy than veggies do. Whether you like peanuts, cashews, almonds or pistachios--every handful is packed with copious amounts of protein and fat for your body to burn while working hard. Easy to store throughout your workday, they can always be within reach if you're feeling a bit famished and need a little pick-me-up and don't have a lot of time.
Trail Mix is a level-up here too, because you can make it yourself at home, or just buy it pre-made. A good trail mix takes all the benefits of nuts and seeds and adds to it some dried fruits for a tiny bit of water and sugar, as well as, some pieces of dark chocolate that give you important antioxidants. Now, on especially hot days, that chocolate might melt in a bag, but that's hardly a downside when it's just going to coat the rest of the mix into a salty, sweet heavenly treat. There are worse things.
3.) Jerky / Meat Sticks
These snacks have a long history, believe it or not. The tradition of drying, flavoring and curing sliced pieces of meat goes back to times of the old-west and even beyond. Indigenous people's had their own methods of smoking and curing too, preserving enough to survive in lean times or bad seasons. For those working out on the roadways, paving in the hot sun day-to-day, they are still an excellent choice. Salty and for sale in a lot of flavors and variations, these are the type of food where a little goes a long way. That's a good thing too, because the most significant negative factor with jerky is how expensive it is. If you've ever tossed a bag of jerky on the counter after filling up your tank, you've probably been a little sticker shocked. A good solution to this is making your own jerky at home. If you want to regularly add it to your work-day diet, it is probably worth investing in an at-home dehydrating/drying system where you can make whole batches yourself.
2.) Fruit
Like vegetables, fruit has tons and tons of benefits. It ends up a lot higher on our list, because of it's broader variety of sweet, water filled options. While dried fruits can be good too, it is much more refreshing to take a bite of frozen pieces of water melon, cantaloupe or honeydew. While you can fill a bag or container up with a bunch of mixed berries and/or cherries, there are plenty of fruits that come with their own natural wrappers. Oranges, apples, and bananas are protected all day long, ready when you need them. Like vegetables, fruits are great for staying hydrated while getting a greater boost of sugar and other essential vitamins. Their largest downside, as well, is that they aren't the hardiest, lacking the kind of protein for long-term sustenance in heavy working conditions.
1.) Pickles
100% without a doubt, the number one reigning champion in the Asphalt Life community group was...pickles. Are you as surprised right now as I was? Because I could've approximated most of this list before I started researching the suggestions, but I don't think I would have pegged the top mentioned snack as being PICKLES. However, once you look at it more closely, it makes a lot more sense than you first might think. Pickles are loaded with water, salt, sugar and a tiny bit of vinegar, in other words, a lot of the same electrolytes you'll find in a sport hydration drunk like Gatorade. They don't have any real temperature needs, you can enjoy them cold or warm without any real distaste. They're also really versatile flavor wise. You can find them off the shelf in sweeter or spicier styles, and like jerky, it's not that hard to start making them at home to your own liking.
