“Healthy
snacks are one of the keys to diet success.
Snacking can help to keep you full, balance blood sugar levels, provide
energy between meals, and even boost overall nutrient intake. However, what you choose to snack on and how
much you are snacking can really make a difference.”
Do you
snack? Why or why not? I like to eat veggies or fruit plain, or
paired with some 0% plain Greek yogurt or some mozzarella cheese for the most
part.
Do you
workout? Do you refuel post
workout? Why or why not? I do, but it’s usually my breakfast which
could be a whole grain, low calorie cereal with cashew milk or some eggs with
sriracha. Those are my 2 go-to
breakfasts right now.
The key to
snacks is that they are NOT meals. They
are intended to be small servings to help you a) make it through the afternoon
between lunch and dinner, b) refuel and recover post-workout, and c) medical
purposes like controlling blood sugar.
There is a
huge variety of options that you can choose from for your snacking
pleasure. Let’s go over a few of
them.
Say you’re
at the movies. What do you normally get
to snack on? A large popcorn with extra
butter? A king size box of candies? A nacho and hotdog combo? The best option is to stash some fresh fruit
or veggies, raw nuts/seeds, dried fruit, jerky, or even some prepopped/half-popped
popcorn without all the add-ons in your purse (or your mom’s, if you’re
younger, or girlfriend/wife’s purse if you’re a guy). Also, skip that giant soda and go for the
bottled water. You can refill it at the
water fountain for free!
For fitness,
snacking is an entirely different animal than just regular snacking. For fitness, you snack with not just a
purpose but a PURPOSE. Not only are you
trying to make it between meals and keep your blood sugar balanced, but you
just burned off 300-who-knows-how-much calories during probably intense
exercise. Your body is now in serious
deficit. You literally want the most
bang for your buck. You want a high
protein with a little bit of carbs and some healthy fat. Great options would be celery with peanut
butter, toast with peanut butter, apples with peanut butter, avocado with whole
grain crackers, tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, whole grain crackers and
cheese, raw nuts or seeds with cheese.
You can also choose your favorite from numerous commercially marketed
protein and workout recovery shakes. The
options are various.
When
deciding on what would be the perfect snack for you, you have to think about
what kinds of food you like. Do you like
sweet? Do you like savory? Share your favorite snacks in the comments.
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