Healthy Snack Food Ideas

Healthy snack foods form an important part of any healthy diet as choosing healthy snack foods is just as important as choosing the diet plan for mealtimes. This is because while adopting a healthy diet plan one may find oneself craving even more for foods that are sweet, slated, fried etc which if consumed excessively may jeopardize the healthy diet plan. Healthy snacks which can be easily prepared and stored by simply following any of the healthy snack recipes or low calorie snack recipes easily available over the internet today can also add nutrients and fiber to ones diet without any unwanted calories. Additionally, healthy snack ideas for kids and adults also help to provide an energy boost during the day. These healthy snacks also prevent one from overeating at meals.

The first step towards introducing healthy snacking as a part of ones lifestyle is to clear ones kitchen of all unhealthy snacks such as chips, cookies, cakes, bagels etc which in turn tends to reduce the temptation of such high sugar and high fat snacks. There after one should stock ones fridge and pantry with healthy and nutritious foods for snacking such as whole wheat crackers, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and almonds, yogurt, air pop corn, soy and skim milk, whole wheat bread, corn chips and salsa, low sugar cereal etc. These foods can then be converted into a healthy snack by cutting and peeling the fruits and vegetables into bite size pieces and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge so that the individual and family members may consider them as a healthy snack option. One can also prepare ones own healthy trail mix from low sugar cereal, dried fruit and nuts which can snacked upon while watching TV.

Another healthy snack idea is to prepare home made granola bars that are crunchy and sweet and prepared from dried fruit and whole grains. While preparing these granola bars one should remember to keep the quantity of honey or sugar on the lower side for it to actually be a healthy treat. Fresh fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges, watermelons, bananas etc are also an excellent healthy snack idea as they are rich in vitamin C and fiber and are instead low in fat as they have no added sugar. However one should remember not to consume fruits that are tinned or canned in sugar syrup or even dried fruits like raisins and prunes excessively as they may increase the risk of cavities especially in kids. Some more healthy snack idea are to prepare a homemade fruit smoothie or popsicles made of 100 % pure fruit juice that will be especially appreciated during the hot summer weather. For those who do not like vegetables they may try to have some raw vegetables such as celery, broccoli, carrots etc along with somehow fat dressing or dip to enhance the taste and make it more palatable. Some of the commonly known benefits of snacking are the addition of extra nutrients and energy in ones diet which may be overlooked otherwise as busy schedules prevent one from enjoying the health benefits of traditional made at home meals. Additionally snacking on healthy foods such as raw vegetables and fruits also keeps one full and hence will prevent bingeing or overeating during meal times. Regular healthy snacking is also beneficial in keeping the hunger pangs at their minimum and also controls ones blood sugar levels keeping them at optimum levels. Hence with proper and correct portions and healthy snack options, snacking may actually benefit ones healthy diet program rather than jeopardize it thereby also promoting permanent loss of weight as well.

Submitted on August 10, 2011