Eating five or six meals across the day speeds up your metabolism and having healthy snacks at your disposal can stop binge eating or sneaking to the vending machine at 3pm. Choose from these healthy snacks below to fulfil those cravings and get you through the mid afternoon slump.
Fresh fruit
Fruits such as bananas, pears and apples are a convenient fruit to take to work, a good source of vitamins and a good snack to get you through the day. Eat fruit by themselves, add them to smoothies or yoghurt or make a fresh fruit salad. Keep them in easy reach of your office or at home so you can snack on fruit instead of chips, biscuits or lollies.
Sandwich
A healthy sandwich on wholemeal bread always makes a filling and nutritious snack. Turkey and chicken are a good source of protein but stay away from processed meats. Add vegetables, cheese and low fat dressings to make interesting sandwich combinations.
Cottage cheese and crackers
You can’t go past cottage cheese and crackers for a low fat, delicious treat. Cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. Add tuna, salmon or ham and tomatoes for a bit of variety.
Fresh yoghurt or smoothie
Smoothies and fresh yoghurts are an efficient and easy way to get a daily dose of fruit and dairy and they can be made with almost any fruit combination. Experiment with different combinations to make a tasty and varied treat but make sure you choose a low fat option so this means no ice cream or flavoured toppings.
Nuts
Nuts are an extremely healthy source of unsaturated fats but only eat a small serving size of 30grams or less and always buy unsalted nuts. Most nuts – including almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and pistachios – contain mainly mono-unsaturated fats.
Contrary to popular belief, snacking is good for you and eating regularly throughout the day will help to prevent overeating. However, the snacks that you eat need to be healthy and a small portion size.
Organising healthy snacks in advance and taking them with you to work, when you go to events or when you’re out and about doing errands will make it easier for you to eat the right foods and not reach for the easy option of junk food or takeaway.