If you’re on the go and often find you’re buying junk food when you stop for gas or eating a bit too many of the donuts someone brought to the office, consider taking healthy snacks with you or having them on hand for those times you’re starved, but lunch or dinner is hours away. When you plan ahead, you can make snacks a valuable addition to your program of healthy eating. If weight loss is your goal, the right type of snack can improve your efforts, by providing extra nutrition with few calories.
Start with simple healthy options.
Most people know that fresh fruit or vegetables are definitely great options for snacks. Some are ready to eat, making them the simplest options. Take an apple, banana or other type of fruit along. If you’ve already washed it, it’s ready to eat and perfect for those times you’re on the road. Is there a refrigerator available, you have other options. Cut fresh vegetables and take along some healthy dip like hummus or one made with Greek yogurt. Even cut up fruit, such as cantaloupe or watermelon, in a container, can provide a quick snack with few calories and lots of nutrition.
Make your snack a combination of carbs and protein to satisfy you longer.
It’s not hard to do, spreading a bit of nut butter on apple slices or eating some sticks of cheese with grapes provide instant energy that keeps you going for quite a while. A bit of cottage cheese with some applesauce, berries or cantaloupe and sprinkled with cinnamon or nuts is another satisfying option when you only have a few minutes. You can combine yogurt with fruit, as well. To make yogurt a quick option, put it in a 4 oz. mason jar. Add a layer of yogurt, one of frozen black cherries and top it with walnuts or wheat germ. Put the lid on and store it in the refrigerator for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.
Go nuts with homemade trail mix.
If you’ve ever searched for healthy options in stores and considered trail mix, you’ve probably noticed, many of them have more M&Ms, chocolate chips, yogurt covered pretzels or other sweet additions that aren’t healthy at all. It’s time to make your own and bag it up in individual serving sizes. Making trail mix isn’t hard. Start with nuts as the base and most plentiful ingredient. You can use raw nuts. If you want, you dry roasted at home. Add seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dried fruit and spices.
- Make your own microwave popcorn for a healthier option. Put a third cup of popcorn in a lunch bag size brown paper sack and microwave on high until there’s one or two seconds between pops.
- Make cold treats to grab out of the freezer by using ice pop molds or Zipsicle plastic pouches, fruit, and sometimes extra water or yogurt. Blend the fruit, add water if it’s too thick or yogurt if you prefer a creamy version. Pour in the mold, freeze and eat when you want a cool treat.
- Frozen banana rounds can be blended until they’re like ice cream or frozen half bananas can be dipped lightly in nuts for a tasty snack that adds nutrition without adding a lot of calories.
- Make overnight oats by mixing one part steel cut oats with two parts milk in a half pint Mason jar. Put on the lid and store it in the fridge at least overnight, but up to three days. Add flavoring or fruit when you’re ready for a snack.
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