What you eat between meals matters as much as the food you consume for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This is where a lot of people make mistakes because it’s not uncommon to assume that if you eat chips or other snacks, you get to “correct that mistake” with healthy meals.
Your body doesn’t work like that, and it needs a constant flow of healthy foods rich in valuable nutrients to remain healthy. It is important to establish healthy eating habits; it’s always useful to watch food documentaries with detailed insight into consumers’ habits, processed foods, and benefits of well-balanced diets.
Healthy eating requires proper snacks, too. Here are some snack ideas you could use:
Nut butter packets
Nut butter is one of those snacks that are both delicious and healthy at the same time. They are made from cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts and you can easily find them in grocery stores, farmer’s markets, even online. Nut butters are abundant in nutrients like proteins, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats. Besides nut butter jars, brands like Nuttzo and Justin’s supply on-the-go single-serving packets of these healthy snacks.
Pistachios
Reasons to eat more pistachios are numerous; they are rich in Vitamin B6 which is responsible for the production of hemoglobin whose role is to supply oxygen to the cells. One study found that consumption of pistachios lowers levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces cardiovascular disease risk. Evidence suggests that moderate intake of pistachios is beneficial for body weight management due to their satiety and satiation effects and they help your body maintain healthy antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
Walnuts
Did you know that one-quarter cup of walnuts provides more than 100% of the daily recommended value of plant-based Omega 3 fatty acids? Health benefits of walnuts are numerous including cancer-fighting properties, heart health, and weight management. Another reason they make a perfect snack in between meals is that they deliver remarkably powerful antioxidants which destroy free radicals and protect your body from oxidative damage. Men who eat one-half cup or 75g walnuts a day improve vitality, motility, and sperm quality. Let’s not forget that walnuts are super beneficial for your brain as well.
Edamame
Basically, edamame is an underripe green soybean that provides a unique mix of slow-digesting carbs, proteins, and steady energy levels. If you’ve never tried edamame before, you should definitely do so because this healthy snack delivers a number of benefits to your body. Since it’s soybean, edamame has the potential to protect the brain from age-related diseases, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and decrease odds for breast and prostate cancer. The folate in edamame helps relieve symptoms of depression, alleviates inflammation, and promotes fertility in women. So many benefits coming from such a small soybean.
Dried plums
Prunes or dried plums are ideal for people who want to eat something sweet but healthy as well. Thanks to high fiber content, this snack promotes satiety thus helping you manage weight. Appetite suppressant properties are necessary for weight loss too! One study showed that dried plum prevents the loss of total bone mineral density in postmenopausal women due to the ability to inhibit bone resorption.
Apricots
Apricots are versatile, you can eat them as they are or add to yogurt and oatmeal for natural sweetness. Plus, you can opt for dried or fresh apricots, it’s up to you. So, what makes them an ideal snack? It’s because they provide various health benefits such as prevention of anemia, eye health, reduced risk of fatty liver diseases, and so on. Bear in mind that apricots have anti-inflammatory properties as well, improve digestion, and regulate your blood pressure. Besides all this, they are incredibly delicious.
Kale chips
The word “chips” immediately reminds you of potato chips that you munch on a daily basis, especially at night. You already know that’s not, exactly, the healthiest food choice one can make, especially if it’s store-bought. When it comes to chips, you just have to be creative and think outside the box. For instance, kale chips are a wonderful snack, it’s tasty and healthy, plus it doesn’t require too much preparation. You’ll be surprised to know that this particular snack can help you lose weight, protect eyesight, and improve heart health. How it’s chips after all?! It’s because they aren’t fried, but baked thus retaining nutritional content. Sounds tempting? You can find a recipe for kale chips online, including here.
Regular snacks that people consume on a daily basis are unhealthy, contribute to weight gain, and increase the risk of numerous health conditions. These negative effects don’t miraculously improve just by opting for a nice, healthy lunch.
This article listed a few ideas for snacks that are both healthy and delicious. Give them a try, you’ll love them.