The term “snacks” can be viewed in two different contexts.
Snacks have been given a bad rap, but this is usually because most people consider snack as mid-morning junk or mid-afternoon treats. If you imagine pasties, cakes, biscuits, sausage rolls, chocolate, bags of crisps as the right sort of choices for snacks, then you are going to be highly destructive to your body.
These types of foods not only pile the weight on, but they will create wild swings in your blood sugar, causing potential diabetes if consumed over a longer period of time, mood swings due to the sugar swings, and low energy levels again due to the sugar swings. A bad idea all round then!!!
I have included some snack ideas at the end of this piece, and all of them will be based on my philosophy of eating natural foods when possible.
After an initial period of a few days, you will appreciate the natural flavours of these foods, and not revert to the saturated fat, high sugar, high salt nature of the foods mentioned in the second paragraph.
I love these snacks also due their ability to sweeten your “plainer” foods. Try dates and figs, chop them up and use them as a sweetener for porridge for example.
Chop fruit up and make natural fruit salads from an assortment of fruit, with natural yoghurt as a topping. Nuts also make great toppings for just about anything, and include vital natural fats that will enhance your skin, and just about all your internal workings of your body, making sure you perform and look your best at all times!
This is the time right now to convert your very poor choices of snacks to the natural variety we have just talked about. Eating in between meals used to be a big no-no, eating these snacks though will keep you full in between meals (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) and stop you overeating at meal times, and don’t forget the energy they give you too, a win-win situation I think you’ll agree!!
Snacks-calorie breakdown
Snacks are vitally important, to keep energy levels up, and to keep important nutrients coming in throughout the day
Fresh fruit for energy-100g usually
Apple-50
Pear-64
Banana-95
Blueberries-30
Kiwi fruit-29
Plums-34
Grapes-60
Strawberries-27
Satsuma-23
Dried fruit-to cure a sweet tooth and good for you
Sultanas-138
Raisins-136
Figs-43
Apricots-29
Low-fat yoghurts-provide calcium and nice desserts
Natural low-fat-56
Whole milk-79
Low-fat fruit-90
Low fat fromage frais-58
Nuts-50g-for essential fats
Cashews-287
Brazils-341
Almonds-306
Walnuts-344
Pumpkin seeds-57
Sunflower-57
Mixed nuts chopped-304
Hazlenuts-325
