It’s getting to the time of year where many of us crave calorific snacks, often with the justification of needing ‘extra fuel to stay warm’. The good news is that not all snacking need be bad. Be sure to stock your cupboards (and your office desk drawers) with healthy options, so that you have something nutritious to hand when you fancy a wee nibble. For daytime consumption pack a lunchbox of a combination of low GI (slow burning) and high GI (quick burning) snacks, to get satisfaction as well as an energy boost. For instance, a snack of 4 brazil nuts with 6 dried apricots will give you: slow burning fuel (brazils are quite high in ‘good’ fats), a sugary boost of the apricots, with dried fruit also counting as one of your five a day. The trick is to pack your snacks in advance, and never eat straight from the bag. For instance, a serving size of sunflower seeds is only 30g (a small handful) not a whole bag! So here are some ideas to make your cold weather snacking nutritious and energy-giving.
- fresh fruit, chop it up to make it more appealing.
- carrot sticks and hommous
- oatcakes with cream cheese and herbs, or blue cheese and apple
- a bowl of cereal. Great if you’re watching the tellie…
- homemade popcorn (with a little salt, no butter)
- a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- wholemeal pita bread with salad
- a small handful of almonds
- an apple (the pectin in it will help you feel full)
- lovely sweet cherry tomatoes
- natural yoghurt with chopped fruit, or flavoured low fat yoghurt
- wholegrain toast with marmite
- half an avocado
- homemade flapjacks
- edamame beans (frozen soy beans in pods from a Chinese supermarket)
- for meat eaters, beef jerky is high in protein and low in fat, but can be high in salt
Try healthy samples at my Real Food event
Personal Trainer Tracy Griffen will be running a Healthy Eating evening at Real Foods, Broughton Street on Wednesday 19th October from 7.30pm – 9pm. Come and learn about how to stay slim over winter, and enjoy tasters, a guided tour of Tracy’s favourite secret ingredients with a free goody bag at the end. All for only £5!
Check out http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148834061871345 for full event details and how to get your tickets…
