Eating Healthy Requires
Smart Snacking

Eating Healthy Snacks

Between work, running the kids to ballet and soccer practice, and a busy social calendar, you may feel like there's no time for healthful eating.

If you have a hectic schedule (and who doesn't?!), it's even more important to eat nutritious foods that keep you going. Nibbling healthy snacks throughout the day is a great way to keep your energy high and your mind alert.

And if you're trying to lose weight, and you understand your metabolism, you know that eating healthy snacks throughout the day is one of the best ways to boost your metabolism.

Now please don't forget the word healthy here, in case snacking conjures up images of potato chips and ding dongs. :-)

How do I, your personal nutrition guide, decide a snack is healthy?

Snacks that contain carbohydrates, protein and small amounts of good fat are healthy...and satisfying.

Too much chemistry for you? All you have to remember is instead of just having crackers or apple slices, top them with a little natural peanut butter, almond butter or cheese.

In other words...

...make sure your snacks include at least 2 food groups.

Here are just some of my favorite healthy snacks:

• hard boiled egg: remove the yolk and fill the center with hummus. Sprinkle with paprika
• piece of part skim mozzarella string cheese and 1 apple
• 1/2 turkey sandwich
• apple and peanut butter
• whole grain crackers and hummus
• 1/2 cheese sandwich
• lowfat yogurt sprinkled with almonds
• edamame (soybeans) and low sodium tomato juice
• banana smeared with natural peanut butter or almond butter
• cottage cheese and peaches
• homemade trail mix: oat cereal + walnuts + dried cherries
• lowfat yogurt sprinkled with lowfat granola
• low sodium V-8 juice and part skim mozzarella string cheese
• turkey slices: spread with hummus, roll up and eat
• small bowl of whole grain cereal and skim milk
• homemade fruit smoothie: blend 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup frozen berries until smooth
• 1/2 baked sweet potato topped with cottage cheese; sprinkle with cinnamon
• small portion of almonds mixed with raisins
• small portion of walnuts mixed with dried cherries
• plain yogurt mixed with sliced strawberries or bananas

Surely there's something in there that sounds good to you!

A system to make eating healthy snacks routine

First, make a "master snack list." That is, a list of all the healthy snacks you would enjoy. Why? Because it's easy to forget what your snack options are (and fall back into bad snacking habits) so get them down on paper.

(Feel free to use some of my suggestions above.)

Then:

• Every week choose 2-3 healthy snacks from your list
• Shop for the necessary ingredients
• Alternate snacks during the week
• The next week, choose the same 2-3 snacks or pick 2-3 new ones

See? Eating healthy snacks is a simple! And yummy! ENJOY!!

If you have some favorite healthy snacks and you want me to post them here so that others can enjoy them too, contact me!

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