Snacks are not necessarily bad for a healthy diet. Eating healthy snacks several times a day can enhance, rather than hurt, your diet. Healthy snacks add fiber and nutrients without unwanted calories. Healthy snacks can give you a boost of energy during the day and prevent you from overeating at mealtime.
Benefits of healthy snacking:
Volume control - Eating fruit or raw vegetables for a snack keeps you from taking second or third helpings at your next meal. You may actually consume fewer calories for the day.
Extra energy from nutrients - Traditional made-at-home meals often lose out to busy schedules. A healthy snack can be the difference between some nourishment and none at all.
Control hunger pangs - Nutritional snacks keep your hunger level down to a minimum. You avoid feeling deprived.
Control insulin levels - Healthy snacks help keep blood sugar levels even.
Planned snacking helps you to avoid consuming empty calories. Add healthy snack foods to your daily food plan. Know the times when you are most likely to snack and have healthy snacks available. Remove unhealthy snack temptations such as cookies and candy from your reach. When snacking try to do nothing but snack, which will keep you from mindlessly overeating.
Top 25 Healthy Snack Foods:
- Air-popped popcorn
- Unsalted nuts
- Unsalted sunflower seeds (a Jody Victor favorite)
- Protein bars (another Jody Victor favorite)
- Grapes
- Orange slices
- Apple slices
- Broccoli florets
- Carrot sticks
- Green salad/little or no dressing
- Hummus/pita wedges
- Cherry tomatoes
- Nonfat yogurt
- Frozen nonfat yogurt
- Nonfat cottage cheese
- Sugar-free Jello
- Fruit smoothies (a Jody Victor suggestion)
- Peanut butter
- Soy chips
- Sliced chicken breast
- Tuna
- Hard boiled eggs
- Olives
- Bean salad
- Pickles
So, we don't have to be afraid to snack - we just need to make better choices and keep them in the pantry instead of the less healthy choices.
All the Best!