How to snack healthy
Throughout your busy day it may feel as though you have no time for eating. And between work and school or hauling your kids around, it can be especially difficult to find time for healthy snacks. Even though you may make time to eat two or three meals a day, you may still feel hungry at times. The answer is healthy snacks. Don't run to the vending machine and pay for processed, packaged junk food. Look to healthy snacks. Here are some tips on how to snack healthy.
Snacking on nutritious food can keep your energy level high and your mind alert without taking up a lot of your time. Stuffing your face with a high pile of cookies or chips may give you a temporary boost, but snacks that are that high in fat and sugar will only slow you down in the long run. To keep your energy levels up, (and to avoid gaining unnecessary weight gain) you should stay away from foods with lots of simple carbohydrates (or sugars) like candy or soda. Look for food with complex carbohydrates. These types of food include whole-grain bread or cereals combined with protein rich food like peanut butter, low-fat yogurt or cheese. Fruits and vegetables are also good options.
|
|
So here are some ways to make smart and simple healthy snacks:
- Prepare your snacks in advance. When you make snacks yourself you are in control. You can decide what ingredients to put in your snack. And you're much more likely to grab a healthy snack if it's ready to be eaten than if you have to take 10 minutes to prepare a snack. Fresh fruit and veggies are simple to cut up and store, and then grab when you're on the go.
- Choose milk instead of soda. Drinking a glass of low-fat milk or soy milk will sustain you much longer than a glass of soda. Plus, recent studies have shown that adding calcium to your diet may help keep weight off.
- Keep healthy snacks readily available. Make it a habit to stash some fruit, granola, veggies or whole grains in your bag or office. This way you always have some health snacks nearby.
- Don't give in to unhealthy cravings. This doesn't mean you can't have your chocolate fix each day. But instead of reaching for a chocolate bar to stay your cravings, try drinking a hot chocolate instead. Or try rice cakes with chocolate drizzled over the top. Substitute nonfat frozen yogurt or sorbet instead of regular ice cream. If you're craving salty munchies, try baked tortilla chips instead of fried potato chips.
- Be creative. Healthy snacking doesn't have to be boring. Just give yourself a variety of choices.
- Read the serving size information. It may seem that a small bag of chocolate chip cookies is harmless enough. But it may actually contain several servings- which ends up even double or triple the amount of fat, calories and sugar shown on the label.
- Have health munchies handy. If you like to be chewing on something at all times, try munching on raisins or crasins or pretzels. If you love chocolate, make a trail mix of nuts, raisins and throw in a handful of M&Ms or chocolate chips.
Let's be honest. Sometimes it can seem like a drag to eat healthy snacks. After all, everybody loves a bit of sugar now and then. But the point is, healthy snacks are not only better for you, but they taste good and can be easy to prepare. All you need to do is follow the seven tips above and you're ready to go. Happy eating!
