Top Healthy Snacks

Date:   10/9/2017 3:48:41 PM ( 7 y ago)

There are two ways to snacking. One of course is the unhealthy way of snacking which means gorging on all types of processed food that could give you a large waistline, contribute to obesity, and increase your risk of diabetes, cancer or heart disease. The other way of snacking is to snack wisely enough to satiate you between meals and provide you energy to help you make it through the day’s activity. The problem with most people is that snacking means the former where chips, candy, burgers and pizza and a variety of unhealthy treats comes to mind immediately upon hearing the word snacking.

What you may not know is that you can reap a world of health benefits from snacking with the right foods that can be delicious too. Here is a list of snack suggestions for various situations.

Snacks for travelling

Travelling requires snacks convenient to consume which provide you enough energy to withstand the tiredness of travel. For those don’t like eating wholesome food while travelling, such snacks make a healthy nutritional substitute. Nuts and fruit bars are the perfect hassle free snacks to consume while travelling. Look for bars that contain whole nuts and fruits like almonds, walnuts and dark chocolate. Raw nuts like almonds paired with flax seeds provide you a healthy dose of omega 3s as well as a reasonable dose of protein. Pita pockets stuffed with turkey or chicken breast are the ultimate in proving you essential nutrients and protein.

Pre workout snacks

The ideal pre workout food should be a simple carbohydrate that is easily digestible and provides a fast source of energy needed to sustain your workout. Granola bars, oatmeal, Greek yoghurt with dried fruits are healthy options to try before workouts. Consuming snacks with protein and carbs has been proved by research to increase muscle protein synthesis. A grilled chicken breast on multigrain bread would be an ideal pre workout snack. If you are a vegan, then go for apple wedges with almond butter.

Post workout snacks

While pre workout snacks addressed your demands for energy and protein, post workout snacks should fulfill your needs for muscle recovery. Such snacks should contain BCAA or branch chain amino acids that benefit muscle recovery and proteins to help muscles recover from the rigors of a workout. An ideal choice would be an omelet on whole grain bread topped with an avocado and dried fruit. Salmon with sweet potato provides you omega 3 fatty acids also proven as a muscle recovery agent or a spinach and tuna spinach would be top spot as a post workout meal.

Snacks at work for better productivity

When you work for a considerable length of time at the office you need a regular dose of energy and focus. Employees unfortunately fill their bodies with the worst junk foods possible combined with high doses of caffeine from supposedly health drinks or loads of coffee. Rather than mess up your body, make a healthy snacking a priority for a better productivity. For example, snacks like kale chips instead. A packet of kale chips is a power pack of nutrients as well as vitamins such as B and C. These help prevent deterioration of brain cells, reduce stress and improves memory and focus.

Snacks to elevate mood

As surprising as it may seem, there are snacks that can elevate a person’s mood. It’s not uncommon to reach for unhealthy snacks while depressed. But!!! You could ditch those which may depress you further and go for happy fruits and foods proven to enhance your mood. Sliced papaya or oranges can keep you happy and focused as they are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, Vitamin B, Zinc and magnesium. An egg and cheese multigrain sandwich can boost your levels of serotonin, the main hormone responsible for a happy mood. Items like almonds, turkey sandwiches, and even pineapple are all foods that boost serotonin for a happier mood.

Snacks that burn fat

Turkey is a healthy lean meat to incorporate in your weight loss programme. Roasted turkey breast provides you just 160 calories per 3 ounce serving.  Roasted turkey sandwiches are a delicious snack to keep you satiated even if you happen to skip a meal. A super snack mixture that is packed with just 148 calories is a combination of multigrain cereal, roasted edamame and goji berry mix yogurt-covered raisins and pumpkin seeds. 

Snacks that satiate your sugar craving

If you have a sweet tooth but trying your best to avoid sugar based foods then you can replace unhealthy choices with healthier but equally delicious options like yoghurt and blueberry smoothie made with almond milk, honey ad unflavored yoghurt. While honey is a powerhouse of antioxidants, blueberries feature a low calorific value and contain ingredients called 3CG’s or cyanidin 3 glucosides that are known for their fat burning properties and instant sources of energy.

Maintaining your snacking habits and coaxing them towards healthier options that trigger several beneficial processes within your body are conducive for good health. Besides such foods mentioned here, there are loads of healthy snacks that you could turn to for more variety and flavor that would certainly address all your concerns of good health.

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