5 healthy snacking tips for a healthier you
Ever find yourself reaching for the biscuit tin every hour since you’ve started working from home? Or love snacking when you’re curled up on the sofa each evening?
There’s nothing wrong with this or snacking; especially if you find it difficult to sit down and have proper meals during a busy week.
However, simple swaps can turn your habits into healthy ones. Let’s take a look at how to overhaul your snacking regime with some healthy snacking tips.
1. Do you need to snack or would a meal be better?
If you find yourself snacking constantly; take a look at your meals rather than swapping your snacks.
If you’re snacking at 9.30 am, chances are you’re skipping breakfast or it’s not high enough in protein or carbohydrates to keep you fuller for longer.
This could be as simple as adding protein powder to your smoothie or swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain porridge.
Remember, you don’t need to stick to 3 meals a day; some find 6 smaller meals and fewer snacks to keep them better sustained.
2. If you’re hungry, eat!
Don’t deny yourself snacks. If you’re eating 3 nutritious meals a day but still feel hungry, there’s nothing wrong with adding a few snacks throughout the day too.
Remember snacking guidelines are based on the average person but don’t take into account things like age (younger children may need to snack more frequently); exercise and even things like pregnancy.
The British Nutrition Foundation suggests around 20% of your energy intake can come from snacks so they do have a place in your diet.
3. Plan your snacks in advance
Planning and preparing your snacks can mean they’re as healthy as possible.
If your snacks are grabbed from vending machines at work or at the petrol station halfway through a long journey, healthy options are more likely to be limited.
Sourcing your own emergency stash of healthy snacks such as nuts, fruit, seeds, granola bars, and vegetable crisps can mean you’re prepared.
Alternatively, if you don’t have time for this, why not try a healthy snack subscription box from Treat Trunk?
Each month, you’ll receive nutritionally balanced, sugar sensible and vegan-friendly snacks through your door so all you need to do is eat them!
4. Opt for high protein, high fibre snacks
Opting for high protein and high-fibre snacks means they’ll have a maximum nutritional impact and keep you full enough for your next main meal.
High-fibre snacks are a great way of boosting your fibre intake and supporting your gut health, whilst high-protein snacks will help keep you feeling full until your last meal.
Examples of high-fibre snacks include peanut butter on whole-grain rice cakes or fruit slices, whilst high-protein snacks include bite-sized pieces of lean meats or salmon.
5. Add fibre and fat to sugary snacks
Sometimes we just fancy something sweet. Sugary snacks have their place but what often happens is that they cause a blood sugar spike which means shortly after you’ll receive an energy crash and feel hungry again.
Fat and fibre can slow down this sugar spike; meaning it then takes longer for your body to digest.
For example, if you’re baking a cake, stirring in some chopped nuts or stirring in mashed avocado, can help increase the fat and fibre of the recipe and make it more nutritionally balanced.
You’ll still enjoy a lovely cake, just with a few added health benefits.
We hope these tips have given you some inspiration for making your snacks healthier!
