February is usually when people start getting the winter blahs and those well-meaning new year’s resolutions can start to become tiresome – especially the healthy eating one because sometimes all we want to do during long winter days is enjoy some comfort food. It can also be difficult to eat well in the winter when fresh, local produce is less available.
The key is not just to make sure that your meals are filling and healthy, but that the snacks you enjoy between meals are also healthy. We sometimes have the tendency to nibble at things before our next meal and it’s these little snacks that become problematic if you’re trying to stay on a nutritional path. But, snacks are still an important part of balanced eating and are what keep your energy level up between meals, while still making sure your body gets what it needs.
The word “snack” doesn’t have to be synonymous with chips and chocolate and should include foods from at least two of the four food groups – for example, fruit, whole grain crackers, cheese, hummus and vegetables.
Keep in mind that a healthy snack should have between 85 and 250 calories and be properly portioned according to Canada’s Food Guide sizes. If you’re taking these snacks somewhere – like work or a road trip, it’s better to pre-portion them instead of eating straight from the original packaging so you can pay attention to how much you’ve had. This is especially helpful if you’ll be distracted while eating.
Healthy snacks should be easily accessible, whereas tempting ones, if you keep them around at all, should be out of site so you’ll be less tempted to go for those ones when you’re craving a snack.
Some healthy snack ideas include:
- whole grain bread with 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- medium fresh fruit like a banana, pear, apple or orange
- 3 cups air-popped popcorn
- unsweetened applesauce with 1 tbsp. unsalted slivered almonds
- trail mix: whole grain cereal, raisins and unsalted nuts
- ¼ cup dried fruit like apricots, dates, figs, raisins or cranberries
- ½ cup carrot and celery sticks or cherry tomatoes
- homemade mini muffins or squares (make ahead and freeze for future use)
- 1 cup yogurt parfait (layer low-fat yogurt with fruit and whole grain cereal)
- 1 medium sliced apple with 1 tbsp. almond butter
- 3 rye crackers with 1.5 oz. low-fat cheese
- 1 cup smoothie made with low-fat yogurt, fortified soy beverage or skim milk and your favourite fruit
- 2 celery stalks with ¼ cup cottage cheese
- high-fibre cereal and ½ cup skim milk
- 1 slice whole grain bread with ¼ can tuna and 1 tsp. light mayonnaise
- 1 cup sliced sweet peppers with ¼ cup guacamole dip
Snacking healthy doesn’t have to be hard, or even boring. Just make sure you keep a few options around for variety and so you won’t be tempted to snack on the unhealthy options.
Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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