A lot of people eat very healthily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but when they snack, all their ideals go out the window. A can of coke here, a bag of crisps there, and three chocolate bars later the benefits of their ‘meat and two veg’ dinner is gone out the window?! Here are some ideas to keep you eating well when the chocolate bar craving comes along… Fruit is always a good filler when you need a little pick me up.
Apples and pears are best for maintaining blood sugar levels, but all fruit has its individual benefits (e.g. plums, tangerines, oranges, bananas, figs, apricots, peaches, nectarines). Seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds are an excellent source of nutrients and easy to snack on. All the snack ideas I have given below combine protein (e.g. nuts, seeds, hummus, bean dip, cottage cheese) with carbohydrates (e.g. fruit, veggie sticks, oatcakes).
By combining protein with carbohydrate there is less of a glucose boost on your system and thus helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels, energy and cravings.
- Oatcakes with fresh avocado
- Rice cakes with hummus and baby tomatoes
- Mix together nuts/seeds (pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cashew, hazel, almond or brazil nuts) and dried fruit and put them in your handbag
- Cup of lentil or bean soup (take a flask to work)
- Healthy bars available from most health food stores: ‘Shepherdboy fruit and nut bar’, ‘Gillian McKeith’s Living Food Energy Bar’, ‘Holly Mill Apricot & Almond Cereal Bar’, or ‘Wallaby Bars’
- 'Yoe Valley' or ‘Glenisk’ bio-live plain or fruit yoghurt with a handful of nuts and seeds
- Carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, mange tout or celery sticks dipped into hummus
- Ryvita with cottage cheese and tomato slices
- Hildegard Health spelt seed crackers (from health food stores) with fresh tomato salsa
- Hard-boiled egg on Ryvita or whole-grain rye bread toast
- Tinned sardines, tinned tuna or tinned mackerel with tomato sauce on oatcakes
- Oatcakes with Tahini or any nut/seed butter. Supermarkets and health food stores do great foods for snacking. Hummous and various bean dips are available in lots of supermarkets and health food stores have lots of lovely crackers. To snack well just takes a little organising.
If you are a ‘snacker’ buy healthy snack foods weekly and if necessary take them to work with you so that you are not enticed towards the sweetie shops. Happy snacking!
