10 Healthy Snacking Tips To Keep Your Body Fit
There are many healthy snacking tips online yet most of us still do not understand the importance of snacks and that is why when I say snacks most of you might think of fried potato chips and cold drinks. Snacks have always been an intricate part of our eating habits. Snacks can be a great way to fill in those nutritional gaps which our other courses of meals leave behind. Snacks can help to build your physique if you decide to snack right. Add healthy, green and fresh fruits to your snack list and if you go down the unhealthy lane then it might burst your physique. Often we make many excuses that I travel a lot so I cannot keep track on my snacking habits or I can not wake up in the morning early enough to make a healthy snack and pack it for office. Well if you plan to get rid of these excuses then this list is probably for you. These healthy eating habits can help you make snacking a great experience. Some are high in protein, some are just fresh and tasty fruits while others are low in carb. So sit tight with a pen and paper in hand, ready to find out how to snack healthy.
Jump to a Heading
1. Veggie sticks rock!
Vegetables are the best source of all the freshness and nutrition. There are many vegetables that can be eaten raw so they make for great snacks. So lets go healthy! To start with, you get to choose among all those tasty veggies. If you don’t feel like carrots today then leave that out and go ahead with just asparagus. Vegetable sticks allow you to experiment with so many flavors and colors. You can even have a healthy dip for your veggie sticks. So many different textures and shapes that you can mix and match and make a great snack from. Make sure to add some root vegetables, some green vegetables, some leafy ones and yes certainly tomatoes. So try it today itself and eat your vegetables in a healthy way also make an awesome sauce to go with it.
2. Go nuts
Oh yes! that is absolutely what you heard. Go nuts! From walnuts to almonds, peanuts to pistachios, dates to hazelnuts, the list is endless. This crunch bunch is loaded with so many vitamins and minerals. A few almonds can provide you with many nutrients that your body needs. Most of these nuts have sodium that is also an important mineral that provides energy to our body. Almonds are also a great source of protein and carbohydrates. One more important thing to note is that these nuts are a great source of antioxidants. Consuming a handful of these nuts in the morning can pump you with energy. They can even help you lose weight since they are high in fiber content. So when you get these hunger pangs then grab a handful of nuts.
3. Keep the junk out of your reach
Those skinny fries seem to always get under your skin and make you fall in love with them. You seem to just get attracted towards them. Their aroma and the taste always seems to get the better of you but you have to avoid them. One of the best ways to do this is to keep all those fries and chips away from your reach. Keep them on the top shelves of your kitchen so that you are lazy and hungry and you want something to snack on you will not see the junk food and can have fruits or vegetables instead. Avoid then junk section when you go grocery shopping so that you do not get some fries and chips along with you. It is absolutely necessary that you stop eating the junk food as part of your snacks. All they do is give you calories and lots of fats. If you wish to maintain a healthy body and an awesome figure then say no to junk.
4. Don’t wait too long to eat
I have seen many people who have a proper timetable when it comes to eating. So they have 8 am for breakfast or tea time, 12 pm for lunch, 5 pm for snacks and then 9 pm for dinner. The best thing about having a proper timetable is that our stomach gets used to our eating times and we feel hungry just before our eating time. Now, what happens when you skip one meal? That is when you start to feel hungry and you don’t eat anything. You might feel that skipping a meal or waiting too long to eat when you are hungry will not make much of a difference, but it has been seen that people who tend to wait long before eating they tend to disturb their metabolism and gain more weight. So if you are planning on not being a couch potato then stop being lazy and grab a bite every time you feel those hunger pangs in your stomach.
5. Add fruits to snacking list
This is one of the top tips on this list. Are you waiting for the end of the world? No, then please add fruits to your snacking list. Fruits add the required freshness, minerals, nutrients and also the required energy. You can have your fruits in many different ways, make fruits salad with all the different types of fruits, you can even add yogurt to the salad for a little twist. Maple syrup, chocolate syrup, and honey are equally viable alternatives for yogurt. You can even make chocolate popsicles from these fruits such as strawberry dipped in chocolate even frozen blueberry yogurt tarts are fun to eat. So invent your own yummy dishes using lots of healthy fruits and yogurt and chocolates.
6. Go gala over greens
Green and leafy vegetables are full packed with so many nutrients and minerals and what more, there are so many varieties to choose from. There is cilantro, spinach, mint, rosemary and much more. There are many herbs which can be used in a lot many ways. You can make mint juices, rosemary and cilantro are used as toppings or seasonings, spinach can be eaten raw or even blanched. Green beans, avocado, and green chilies are also a part of the nutrition filled family. Avocado is great for breakfast, you can make chutney from avocado or even spread it over bread and eat at breakfast. Kale and artichokes and even broccoli are a part of the healthy green family. So don’t wait for anything and go gala over greens.
7. Keep yourself hydrated
It has been rightly said that a glass of warm water in the morning can keep you going all day long. It can help enhance your metabolism and you will never have any stomach related problems ever. There are so many healthy juices that you can drink each morning. Orange juice, Apple juice and if you leave the juices apart then you can go with milkshakes or banana shakes. Citrus juices provide you with a lot of vitamin C and theses juices also add a glow to your skin. Kale and spinach juice also provide you with iron, carrot juice provides you with vitamin A and lots of other minerals. Cucumber juice and watermelon juice helps to cool you down during summer and provide vitamin K. So what are you waiting for? Go get some fresh juices as snacks.
8. Eat slowly
In our busy lives, it is really hard to sit silently and take out time to eat slowly. There are many reasons that you should eat your food slowly. Eating slowly helps you lose weight and also helps in better digestion. Enjoy your food and eat it rather than gulping it down your throat without thinking. To help you I can give you some small tips, you should chew your food properly before gulping it, also take small portions of food while eating. Also, avoid eating while watching tv. So change your habit and start eating slowly.
9. Choose your midnight snack wisely
Standing in front of the fridge with those midnight hunger pangs? Well, I get them too and I know the feeling. You can’t even go to sleep with all those rumbling noises from your stomach. Midnight snacking is a very old habit of many of us but you should be careful while choosing your midnight snacks. A study has proven that carbohydrates help us sleep at night. Eating something light before going to bed will also help you sleep silently. Avoid eating anything fatty, spicy, sugary or caffeinated. A good midnight snack would be around 200 calories with complex carbohydrates and proteins. Few of the snacks which you can choose for midnight snacks are cheese strings, avocado, and hard boiled eggs on crispy bread even fruits and nuts.
10. Snack mindfully
How many of you do this, Watch TV or a movie while eating. Most of us do, right? This is one of those habits that you need to change right now. Studies have found that if you eat without paying attention then you tend to gain weight. Without paying attention to what you eat you tend to eat more than what you are hungry for. Change this habit now and start snacking mindfully. Enjoy what you eat, taste every ingredient in your snack. Mindful snacking can help you be healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Turn away from your computer while eating and concentrate on what you eat.
So if you like our list then let us know about it in the comments section below. Also, check out our list on 8 Food Items that Helps to Lose Weight Naturally
