In the wired world, Gigi the personal snack consultant is a wanted woman.

Snacks That 'Amp-Up' Energy A Peek Into the Corporate Pantry Eating Smart at Work

Gigi Acker, R.D., is the nutritionist to the stars of Silicon Valley. She meets one-on-one with employees at major West Coast tech companies to teach them how to identify cravings, find healthy snacks that actually taste good and learn to time their eating to continuously energize the body and brain.

She works with personalities ranging from high-flying execs to grass-roots Web monkeys. When Gigi meets them, they're getting tired and cranky during the workday and they don't know why. But they do know what they want: maximum energy and smarts for the whole 12-hour (or more) day.

Everyone has heard the golden rules of nutrition. But the art of modern eating — comfort foods, cravings and wacky schedules — is what Gigi knows and loves.

FOXNews.com: Eating well is a skill, but how is snacking well an art?

Acker: I help people customize their snack according to taste and how long they need a snack to last. They [should] want things that will last 2-3 hours.

Gigi Acker, left, designs a snacking plan

In order for a snack to last, it has to have protein. A carb will last at the most up to 2 hours, so you need protein to get your snack to stay with you. Fiber gives you that feeling of fullness. If you need it to last even longer, you have to add some fat — fat takes the longest to digest.

You have to be working at a heightened awareness toward staying energized. If you're saying to yourself, "I'm gonna have lunch at noon" and then someone brings you into a meeting, you can't contribute. A lot of clients tell me they stay very focused and intentionally push lunch back to 1:00, but they're not thinking about how they are going to stay fueled.

FOXNews.com: Have you worked with any "cyber netics?"

Acker: I can't say who I work with because I keep it confidential. A lot more eat out, a lot more travel, they have later dinners. For the 10 hours or so they're there, they are completely on. Some start at 6 so they can leave by 6; some start at 9 and they work till 9. I think 12-hour workdays are common, especially with startup companies.

FOXNews.com: How long is a typical session with a client?

Acker: Fifty minutes. In the first session, I ask questions about lifestyle and eating history. I ask a lot, and that is why everything is confidential. I have to know them. They can tell me anything: What are your obstacles? We can look at them and expect them. What will be helpful? What are your comfort foods, your favorite foods?

FOXNews.com: What is it about today's workday or corporate culture that has driven the need for a person like you?

Snacks high in sugar or fat will leave you tired and cranky before long

I was invited to a health fair and I wanted to find out: Would [employees] like seminars? Would they like a nutritionist? And 70 to 80 percent wanted an on-site nutritionist and they'd be willing to pay. So that was an eye-opener — that people are at the point where they realize this fast pace is here to stay and they're ready to learn healthy ways of eating ... and the companies know eating affects health and productivity.

FOXNews.com: What do you do that people can't read in a book or learn from a program?

What I do is work with people's eating style, how they like to eat, their tastes. What kind of texture do you like in your mouth? Crunchy? Chewy? Smooth? It becomes their own eating plan. It's all about the personalization. It's an empowering experience because they learn about their bodies and become very aware ... they become skilled at staying energized.

Willpower — ignoring hunger — is considered good, from a dieting perspective. Then, you eat so much because you are so hungry. You don't want that bottomless pit feeling.

FOXNews.com: Why is that — because the brain needs food?

Acker: Our brain uses glucose as its primary energy source. In about 4 to 5 hours we have used up all the food and our brain is running low. They'll say they feel low energy, light-headed, they can't think as clearly; we get a lot of signals. A typical lunch lasts about 3 to 4 hours.

One client came to me because he was nodding off at the desk by 3:30. By 4 he was heading to the vending machine for his candy bar fix. He saw this pattern and so we found his light lunch at noon was only lasting till 3. He didn't want to take any more time, so he ended up eating a [protein] bar because he can keep them at his desk and they suited his taste cravings. He felt so good because he was not making that candy bar choice anymore.

FOXNews.com: But some say these "energy bars" are no better than a Snickers, which has the peanuts for protein...

Great taste, convenience and sustained energy are key to good snacking

Acker: There is a huge difference. First, [the protein bar] gives you carbs and protein ... [with the Snickers] you're getting more fat; nuts are 75 percent fat. High-fat food makes you sleepy if you eat too much of it. And the energy bar has fiber, which you're not going to find in peanut M&Ms — plus, they're made from whole oats and dried fruits. There's a difference in how our body reacts to something wholesome vs. sugar, which our body reacts unpredictably to.

FOXNews.com: What are typical client schedules you work with?

Acker: It varies. I have some who ... start the day really early. One client gets up at 5, she's at the corporate gym at 6 and is eating a low-fat breakfast at 7. She found that by 10 she was starving and eating what other people brought in, heading to the candy jars ... it was so frustrating. So we looked at it: She needed a 10 o'clock snack to stay energized. For her, she wanted convenience.

FOXNews.com: Was she looking to lose weight too? Is that a common goal of your clients?

Acker: Well, she'd come for both energy and weight-loss. She had been gaining weight, so she saw this was not a healthy pattern. The way your body reacts to the sugar is a lot of insulin comes in, takes up the sugar, takes it into your cells and you have low blood sugar again and you're left with that weak feeling. Sugar in itself won't sustain energy, which is why you need a snack that has a combination of carbs, protein and fiber to make you feel satisfied.

What people are looking for in a snack is great taste, convenience, it needs to sustain energy and they also want it to be "health-promoting" — to feel good about their choice. There are lots of good choices: A bagel with almond butter and fresh fruit; yogurt with lowfat granola or whole-grain cereal.

FOXNews.com: Do you recommend supplements?

Acker: Only as a safety net. Food is the best source of nutrients.

FOXNews.com: What's the most fun thing about your job?

Acker: My clients. I love the diversity, and helping people see that health and taste go together. I love helping them become their own experts. I want to become obsolete.

FOXNews.com: Is there one truth about humanity you've learned though your work?

Acker: What I have learned is that we are all more similar than we are different. The person heading to the vending machine each day wants to eat healthy. Health is important to everybody — even people at the fast-food window. They think it's unattainable in this busy lifestyle, but they care about their health.