Are you thinking of snacking healthy, but you do not know exactly what that means? It isn’t as hard as you think. Here are some of the basics you need to understand so you can pick and prepare nutritious snacks for good health.
Nutrients, not Calories!
This might be where many get carried away. If you are serious about snacking ‘healthy’, you need to focus on nutrition instead of calories. Again, this does not mean you can simply grab a snack pack that says ‘low calories. Instead, look at the nutrient contents, first.
Many choose to pick snacks that are low in calories thinking that they are ‘healthy’ options. However, this is not so. Most low-calorie snacks do not have many nutrients, meaning they aren’t as healthy as you think!
Opt for Wholesome Snacks
Try your best to make wholesome snacks. This you will have to do at home. Most of the time, you will need to combine a few foods so you have a wholesome snack. For instance, fresh fruit and yoghurt is a wholesome, healthier way to snack.
If you love organic dry fruit, you could mix it with granola or cereal. On the other hand, Foods like Vegan mushroom jerky is a wholesome snack you can enjoy just like that. Likewise, make your snacks more wholesome so they are packed with more nutrition.
Snack Simple in Between Meals
When you snack between meals, you can quite easily end up eating a full meal. In fact, this happens a lot with most of us. Thus, it is important to keep your snacks simple so you do not end up going overboard. Yes, your yummy bowl of fruit and nuts or yoghurt might surely be irresistible. However, no matter how healthy your little snack is, keep it simple and eat in right amounts so the rest of your diet does not get messed up.
Watch Your Habits
It is important to be mindful about you snacking. Your only goal is to snack healthy, and so you need to see that you do not snack inappropriately, out of stress for instance. Also see that you eat a snack when you are hungry.
You do not really have to eat any out of boredom or just out of habit. Another common mistake most make is snacking in front of the television, or while on a long phone-call. This again, is not the best way to snack because you might either end up eating too much, or u healthy stuff, or end up doing both!
Plan and Prep
Healthy eating requires some planning. This is because it is so easy to get carried away with so many stores bought, packaged snacks (that aren’t always healthy) available everywhere! Thus, it is a good idea to use some free time to shop for the right stuff, and even have them pre prepared wherever possible.
For instance, stock up on your favourite whole grain crackers, dry fruit, yoghurt, nuts and so on so you can chuck them in your bag when you are late for work, or whip up something at home when you feel like!
