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It can be a loooooooong stretch between meals sometimes, especially if you're sitting at a desk with your stomach growling at you. Snacks can be a really important part of a healthy diet - smaller, more frequent portions of healthy food can help keep your metabolism more even, keep you more alert and focused, and keep you from binging on less-than-healthy snacks.
So what kind of snacks are good for adults (and of course are good for kids too!)? Look for things that have as little processing and processed ingredients as possible, but that are portable and mostly ready-to-eat without a lot of preparation.
Fruit - Fresh or dried. Fruit is a good source of fiber, which takes your body longer to digest and therefore keeps you feeling full longer. If it's not feasible to keep fresh fruit around, dried fruit will work too - plus, you don't have to worry about it spoiling in your drawer or being in season. Do remember that one of the other benefits of snacking on fresh fruit is its high water content, so when you eat dried fruit instead, be sure to drink lots of water too.
Nuts - Nuts, while high in calories and fat, are still a very good snack for you, in moderation. Different nuts have different nutritional benefits, but pick up a can of your favorite and check out the label - almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and brazilnuts (among many others) have lots of beneficial nutrients and will help tide you over until the next meal. If you're worried about sodium, you can also always get raw or roasted nuts without salt.
Cheese and crackers - Consuming protein is another good snack time strategy. If it's convenient to have some lean meats around, great! But more often it's easy to have some cheese and crackers hanging around. Choose some neat variety with lots of flavor so you can eat smaller amounts and still be satisfied, and pair it with some crackers made from whole grains. The complex carbohydrates and fiber in the crackers combined with the protein in the cheese will help keep you away from the tempting but empty calories in other snacks.
Yogurt or Cottage Cheese - Again, on the theme of quick-and-easy protein, yogurt and cream cheese are great for on-the-go snacking because they're already packaged into convenient serving sizes. Plus, the calcium in low-fat dairy products has plenty of other health benefits. Of course, you will need to keep these refrigerated.
Energy Bars - Walk down the diet-energy product aisle of your grocery store and you're likely to find hundreds of varieties of energy and protein bars. These are great snacks too, but you will need to read some labels to makes sure that the bar you choose works with the rest of your diet - many are fairly high in fat, which is not in itself a bad thing, but is something you should be aware of. Energy bar snacks are also a good way to get your chocolate fix in, if that's what you find you crave, without eating nearly as many empty calories.
As with any food, moderation is key - snacks are just that, snacks, so don't eat meal-sized portions. Vary what snacks you have, try new things, and set out a portion before you start snacking so you don't over-eat.
Email This
It can be a loooooooong stretch between meals sometimes, especially if you're sitting at a desk with your stomach growling at you. Snacks can be a really important part of a healthy diet - smaller, more frequent portions of healthy food can help keep your metabolism more even, keep you more alert and focused, and keep you from binging on less-than-healthy snacks.So what kind of snacks are good for adults (and of course are good for kids too!)? Look for things that have as little processing and processed ingredients as possible, but that are portable and mostly ready-to-eat without a lot of preparation.
Fruit - Fresh or dried. Fruit is a good source of fiber, which takes your body longer to digest and therefore keeps you feeling full longer. If it's not feasible to keep fresh fruit around, dried fruit will work too - plus, you don't have to worry about it spoiling in your drawer or being in season. Do remember that one of the other benefits of snacking on fresh fruit is its high water content, so when you eat dried fruit instead, be sure to drink lots of water too.
Nuts - Nuts, while high in calories and fat, are still a very good snack for you, in moderation. Different nuts have different nutritional benefits, but pick up a can of your favorite and check out the label - almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and brazilnuts (among many others) have lots of beneficial nutrients and will help tide you over until the next meal. If you're worried about sodium, you can also always get raw or roasted nuts without salt.
Cheese and crackers - Consuming protein is another good snack time strategy. If it's convenient to have some lean meats around, great! But more often it's easy to have some cheese and crackers hanging around. Choose some neat variety with lots of flavor so you can eat smaller amounts and still be satisfied, and pair it with some crackers made from whole grains. The complex carbohydrates and fiber in the crackers combined with the protein in the cheese will help keep you away from the tempting but empty calories in other snacks.
Yogurt or Cottage Cheese - Again, on the theme of quick-and-easy protein, yogurt and cream cheese are great for on-the-go snacking because they're already packaged into convenient serving sizes. Plus, the calcium in low-fat dairy products has plenty of other health benefits. Of course, you will need to keep these refrigerated.
Energy Bars - Walk down the diet-energy product aisle of your grocery store and you're likely to find hundreds of varieties of energy and protein bars. These are great snacks too, but you will need to read some labels to makes sure that the bar you choose works with the rest of your diet - many are fairly high in fat, which is not in itself a bad thing, but is something you should be aware of. Energy bar snacks are also a good way to get your chocolate fix in, if that's what you find you crave, without eating nearly as many empty calories.
As with any food, moderation is key - snacks are just that, snacks, so don't eat meal-sized portions. Vary what snacks you have, try new things, and set out a portion before you start snacking so you don't over-eat.