Everyone does it. Very few people can stick to 3 meals a day with nothing in between. In fact eating every few hours (sensibly) is a great way to stabilise the metabolism, and so keep at a healthy weight. Now that winter is well and truly here we tend to want to snack on comfort foods which are not usually that healthy. So with that in mind I thought I would explore some healthier snack options for you to enjoy.
Savoury Snack ideas
Assorted vegetables and dips
These can easily be prepared in advance to take to work, school, or even just to keep in the fridge. It is up to you which vegetables you use but try and choose a variety of different colours so that you are getting a range of vitamins and minerals. Some examples include carrot, celery, cucumber, pepper, raddish. You can easily make your own dips too. Guacamole is really easy and healthy to make yourself. Just spoon out and blend an avocado with crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and chilli flakes and hey presto! If you are not a fan of avocado, try some low fat cream cheese, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of tobasco sauce. It is delicious!
Nuts and Seeds
They are full of minerals and other nutrients. Walnuts for example are a good source of omega 3 which is a good fat that your body needs. They can be quite fattening if you eat too many so the general rule of thumb is stick to a handful.
Rice/Oat Cakes with hummus
These are really quick and easy to make. Yes, you could go and buy a ready prepared hummus recipe, but it is just as easy to prepare it at home yourself. That way, you know exactly what is going in to it.
Left overs!
We are all left with meat from our Sunday roast. Instead of throwing it away why not incorporate it into a snack. Mix with some green leaves of your choice, Add some pine nuts and dress with olive oil and salt/pepper.
Sweet Snacks
Fruit
An easy, quick and obviously healthy option. It will definitely perk you up at 4pm and rather than a biscuit, wont play havoc with your blood sugar
Smoothie
Following on from the above slightly, but smoothies are a really good snack option. You can prepare them quickly the night before. Add whatever you fancy, mix with some semi skimmed milk, a drizzle of honey, maybe some cinnamon or mint leaves thrown in and its complete! Anything liquid keeps the stomach fuller for longer.
Yoghurt
Mix some low fat yoghurt with a handful of chopped dried fruit and drizzle with honey.
Bake your own!
There are so many recipes available for healthy cereal bar recipes filled with a variety of nuts, seeds, fruit and oats etc. You want to steer clear of supermarket cereal bars, as many of them are full to the brim with sugar.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and you get some inspiration for your snacks in the future. If you have any questions or queries about special dietary requirements, nutritional eating comment below or email contact@embrace-nutrition.co.uk. You can also follow me on Twitter @EmbraceBex
