When snack time rolls around, what do you crave? A lot of us tend to want a handful of salty potato crisps or a milk chocolate bar. It is easy to give in to these unhealthy cravings, but more likely than not, you’ll either indulge in more than you wanted and ruin your appetite for dinner, or you’ll end up feeling hungry shortly after snacking because you just consumed empty calories.
However, you can replace your crunchy munchies with healthy alternatives and feel genuinely satisfied without unhealthy carb overload.
Several different health experts have reported a rise in snacking! The Telegraph writes, “we [Britain] are the largest snackers in Europe, eating four times more crisps than the French or Italians.” However, as Dr Pixie McKenna points out, our lives are so busy which “means snacking is inevitable.It’s important to fuel our bodies, especially if we’re hungry".
But if we are fuelling our bodies on crisps, eventually our energy will drain; therefore it is essential to consume foods that will help us make it through busy days!
Here are some snack alternatives that may satisfy unhealthy cravings, while also fuelling your brain and body:
Fill up on healthy protein
Cheese lovers rejoice! The beloved snack contains protein and fat, which means it may help to keep you fill for a more extended period and Brie, cheddar, and blue cheese contain traces of conjugated linoleic acid, which “may help prevent obesity, heart disease, and reduce inflammation”.
However, it is essential to keep in mind that cheese may contain a lot of sodium, it is also calorie-dense, and has no fibre, so it is important to eat small amounts when you do munch on cheese! Mixing cheese with whole-grain crackers may help to satisfy you for a couple of hours.
If you aren’t a fan of cheese or your stomach cannot handle it, you can opt for canned tuna, hummus, almond butter, or peanut butter, and you can add any of these to whole-grain crackers or toast!
Satisfy your sweet tooth - the healthy way
If you find yourself craving a sugar-related snack, you may want to mix mandarin orange slices with cottage cheese, which will give your body vitamin C, calcium, and protein!
One snack has been taking the health realm by a storm - nice cream. The healthy, easy-to-make snack only takes a couple of minutes to concoct, and it may help to satisfy your sweet tooth. Your base ingredients are frozen bananas, another fruit of your choice, and healthy toppings like nuts or coconut flakes.
One recipe suggests using two frozen bananas, a cup of frozen strawberries, and ⅔ cups of plain or flavoured yoghurt. However, there are a variety of recipes out there!
Combine sweet taste with protein for the ultimate snack
A health-minded couple, Tina and Mike, created an on-the-go snack that will not only fill you up but will also satisfy your cravings for sweet and savoury snacks! They managed to mix health-boosting ingredients without gluten, dairy, soy, preservatives, added sugars, or anything artificial into an array of uniquely flavoured bars.
Now, you can take a healthy snack anywhere without having to prepare it, which is perfect for those leading busy lives.
With flavours from banana bread to wild apricot to cacao mint to lamington, there is a Blue Dinosaur Bar for all tastes and desires! These paleo bars make for a perfect, nourishing treat.
We love to snack, which is why it is so essential to pay attention to the nutritional value of our midday munchies. In short: keep calm and snack on (the healthy way)!
