There is a common misconception in diet culture around snacking. Some people believe that you have to cut out snacking altogether to lose weight and be in your best shape. I am here to tell you that is not true at all! I Personally am a victim of getting hangry if I am not able to eat my snacks. (Han·gry; adjective “bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.” – Oxford dictionary.) What a lot of people don’t understand is; it’s not how much you eat, it’s what you eat. You have to be conscious about making smart snack choices. In a blog post Echelon Health stated “Following a healthy, balanced diet helps your body to get the nutrition and energy it needs to stay healthy, active and well. This type of diet will help you to maintain good health, a healthy weight, and help you to feel your best.” In this blog post I will be detailing my personal favorite healthy snack alternatives.
Drink Smarter:
Olipop > Traditional soda
Soda can be so addicting, trust me I know. It’s sweet, it’s refreshing, it makes you feel happy. What doesn’t make me feel happy is the fact that one can of Dr. Pepper has 150 calories and 39 grams of sugar. That’s a little over three tablespoons of sugar!
Enter Olipop! I started drinking Olipop a couple months ago and I am hooked. All of the flavours of Olipop contain less than 50 calories, only 2-5 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of dietary fiber. They have flavours such as; Dr. Goodwin (my favorite), rootbeer, cream soda, grape, limon lime, and so much more. So far, only their Dr. Goodwin and Ridge Rush flavors contain caffeine, (which is derived from green tea). If soda is something you cannot give up, I recommended giving Olipop a try!
Salty Snacks:
Plain Popcorn
Plain popcorn has many benefits. It is a whole grain, has a high satiety, and is low in calories. My favorite way to eat popcorn is Skinny pop. I absolutely love skinny pop. Their original popcorn is made with a little bit of sunflower oil and salt, giving it a light salty taste that is addicting. Their single serve bag contains 100 calories and only 0.5 grams of saturated fat. This is one of my favorite low calorie snacks.
Veggies and Dip
Don’t hate me for saying this but vegetables are an underrated snack. Seriously, they have so many health benefits that people forget about, making them the ultimate better snack option. For dip I would recommend using hummus, it has healthy fats, protein, and is incredibly delicious. If you are not a fan of hummus, (I know many people who are not), I recommend making a healthy ranch. You can do this by mixing in a powdered ranch mix or seasoning (any will work) with greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is loaded with protein and probiotics, (which are good for gut health).
Cucumbers with Tuna Salad
Growing up I loved eating tuna salad on ritz crackers. Recently, I was experimenting in the kitchen and I thought; why not replace the crackers with cucumbers? So I did and I was amazed at the results. You can prepare your tuna salad any way you want. (I make mine with a tiny bit of fat free mayo and mustard). After you prepare it, top it on evenly sliced cucumbers and enjoy. These are seriously so tasty and a good healthy snack alternative.
Sweet Snacks:
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate is the key to happiness for a lot of people, so why give it up just so you can look and feel your best? Here’s a secret; you don’t have to, you just have to be smart with how you eat it. Where milk chocolate lacks, dark chocolate excels. Not only is dark chocolate yummy, it is also linked to helping prevent heart disease, making it a better snack option. My favorite healthy dark chocolate is “Jojo’s Dark Chocolate Pistachio Almond Cranberry Bites”. Each bite offers 180 calories, 8 grams of sugar, 8 grams of net carbs, and 5 grams of plant based protein.
Protein Bars
I love protein bars because they are so convenient for on the go snacking. They taste good and keep you satisfied in between meals. Two of my favorites I would like to highlight are; RX Bars and TruBars. What I love about RX bars is the simple ingredient list; nuts, dates, egg whites. They are about 120 calories each and contain 12 grams of protein with no added sugar. I recommend giving the dark chocolate seasalt one a try!
Trubars for me are more like a healthy snack alternative to candy bars. These bars have 190 calories with 12 grams of protein. Trubars do contain 8 grams of added sugar, (that’s why they are a good alternative to candy bars). Flavours for this bar I would like to highlight are; “daydreaming about donuts” (my favorite), “it’s mint to be chip, and “saltylicious almond love”.
Fruit with Nut Butter
We live in a glorious day of age where we don’t only have peanut butter but we have almond, cashew, walnut, and even pecan butter. Loaded with protein and fiber, nut butters with cut up fruit make a perfect healthy and filling snack. The healthiest nut butter would be narrowed down to almond butter. Being high in protein and containing healthy fats makes it favourable among all the others. Just chop up some apples and add a spoonful of almond butter with it and your set!
Final Thoughts
The biggest takeaway I want for you is to remember; “It’s not how much you eat, it’s what you eat” cdc.gov states; not eating all day actually signals to your body that there’s a shortage of food, so your metabolic rate goes very low. And as soon as you eat anything, your body is trying to store every single calorie in that food.” Intentional snacking in between meals will help you reach your goals and keep you from getting hangry. I hope you give at least one of these healthy snack alternatives a try so you can stop feeling guilty and start living freely!
HUNGRY for more? Click here for a list of healthy dinner ideas