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Healthy snacking If you have already converted to the benefits of eating timely and healthy meals, that is half a battle won. However, to round off your well balanced diet, you also need to pay attention to a few guidelines that will help you regulate a healthy snacking diet. Despite your three meals a day, it is essential that you learn the rules of healthy snacking. For children or adolescents, it is an important part of their growth process. Healthy snacking will keep those 4 pm hunger pangs at bay and tide you over until dinnertime.
Divide your mealtimes such that you can also factor in at least 3 snack time delights. Healthy snacking tips. You may well ask how to decide what is healthy snacking, especially since most snack options leave much to be desired in terms of nutrients.
Pay close attention to what you snack and choose low fat, low calorie products and complex carbohydrates. Include high fiber food products that will help you feel satisfied longer. When you are in a rush, making a snack from scratch may seem tedious. Try to create fun, healthy snacks in advance for yourself and your kids.
Chop vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and celery roots to bite size and freeze them in bulk. When hunger strikes you only need some salt and pepper and your veggie tray is ready. If you have been good through the day, you can reward yourself with a dipping sauce.
Just make sure you use low fat cheese or cream. Similarly, you may also create your own bag of mixed dried fruits and nuts or a quick portion of fruit salad on the go. Carry some of these no-hassle snacks with you at all times. A few home made granola bars, fistful of mixed dried fruits and nuts, and a whole banana can be kept handy at all times. Also, vary it up. As at mealtimes, healthy snacking will require a conscious effort on your part to keep it interesting. It is very easy to fall back on bad snacking habits like chips, sodas and colas, and refined sugar products in the absence of the healthy snacks. Beat the temptation by trying whole wheat biscuits, multigrain bread with a touch of peanut butter, and low fat yogurt.
Occasionally, even the best weight watcher will fall prey to the charms of a dark chocolate. Indulge in a sweet craving, but know that you will have to work it out. Moreover, a square of dark chocolate will do much less harm than if you reached for a large latte or cup of Mexican hot chocolate. Substituting low fat, low calorie products may help satisfy your craving while letting you snack healthy. If you’re missing the salty potato chips, try whole grain tortilla chips instead. Make your own healthy salsa with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and hot peppers. You can control the amount of oil and sodium you put into the dip. With so many flavors from herbs and seasonings, your salsa may just take your mind off the sour cream dip.
Read the labels for serving and nutrient instructions. Make note of online recipes for healthy snacking to ensure that you have variety in ingredients and flavors. Post dinnertime is a dangerous time and many people slip up craving for dessert. Keep a few snacks like air popped corn, low fat chocolate, and different kinds of fruits handy.
Snacking is often considered unhealthy eating. On the contrary, low fat, low sugar snacks can be part of a healthy diet and have several benefits too. The mini meals one has throughout the day provides one’s body with the energy it needs. Healthy snacks, which are the right size and made of the right foods, can enhance one’s diet. Proper spacing of snacks and meals can prevent weight gain. Snacking has also been found to reduce the amount one eats at a regular meal, provided the snack itself is about 250 calories. Snacking helps reduce calorie intake and also provides nutrition and fiber that the body needs.
Some healthy snacks ideas are:-
- Replace fatty snacks with healthy substitutes. Avoid greasy potato chips and have baked ones instead.
- Try a humus dip instead of a cheesy creamy one.
- Stock up on healthy foods – that way you can reach for an apple when you are hungry instead of a bag of crisps. Keep these at your workplace, in the car or handy at home.
- Try out new recipes with the snacks. Making them more interesting will make them more appetizing.
- Stay away from sodas, candies etc.
Healthy snacks list include:-
- Low sugar, high fiber cereal
- Left over chicken or turkey slices
- Hard boiled eggs. Devilled eggs are fine too.
- Hummus on whole pita bread
- Lightly salted cucumber slices
- Bite sized pieces of cauliflower or broccoli
- Make your own high protein dip to eat with celery, carrots, or apples-combine almond butter or peanut butter with honey. This can also be used as a spread for rice cakes, bagels and crackers.
- Make your own smoothies with low fat milk and fruit or yogurt and fruit.
The list is endless. What you need to keep in mind is that the more creative you are with the healthy snacks, the better it will be for you. Stock up on the snacks over the weekends. Pack them in small containers which are easy to carry. You will soon find that the healthy snacks are a daily and enjoyable part of your diet.
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