Disclosure: Some of the links are “affiliate links". This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Some of the articles are product reviews that receive compensation from those whose products I review. I will only recommend products or services that I believe will truly benefit and be of value to my readers.
Aug 212010

My Top Five Healthy Snacks

Nutrition Add comments

‘Snacking’ is Not a Swear Word!

Some of us are better than others but let’s face it, we all love a good snack now and again.

Saying the word ‘Snack’ almost feels like I’m swearing at times because so many diets have (wrongly) tried to teach us that snacking is bad. Actually, I approve of the grazing, or little and often eating approach because for many of us it can be easier to judge how much you should eat and it seems more purposeful than eating a huge meal because (in theory) we snack when we feel hungry, so the energy is put straight to good use. Don’t underestimate how powerful your perception of food is. If you view food solely as fuel (as many athletes must), then some of the deeper and more complex issues that we have with food are no longer a problem (i.e. over-eating, eating when we are not hungry). For the majority, we have a passion for food, and take pleasur it its taste, texture and colour – so living off energy gels is not going to do it for us!

Image: Maggie Smith/FreeDigitalPhotos

When Snacking Goes Bad

Sadly there are so many snack-type products out on the market that are blatantly unhealthy such as sweets, and other products that market themselves as being ‘healthy snacks’ but are actually only going to worsen your hunger pains in the long run (I’m thinking high sugar cereal bars). So this is the first hurdle some snack fans fall over.

The second hurdle is often preparation. I love to have an evening snack. When there’s a good show on TV, there is nothing criminal about grabbing a snack (as long as you don’t do that all day long!). The problem is you have cooked dinner, and you’re looking for a quickie food fix. Nobody wants to invest too long in the evening creating a health masterpiece for a snack. We want to grab and go back to the comfy sofa. Preparation and a little thought is the key to avoiding the snack minefield of pre-packed foods and sweets that our tastebuds are craving.

We know there is a healthier way!!Here are some healthy, speedy snacks that you can easily prepare (in no particular order)

My Favourite 5

1.Sliced Apple & Nut/Seed Butter

(I love dunking apple slices into a small bowl of warmed sunflower seed butter – even better if both are organic!)

2. Full Fat Greek Yoghurt with frozen blueberries, cherries and dusted with cinammon

(The natural fat in the yoghurt will help your body absorb the fat soluble vitamins from the tangy berries, and cinammon goes with everything in my book!). Sorry to those who are not dairy fans.

3. Hot Banana, coconut milk, and cocoa (and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper!?)

We all know banana and coconut are a great flavour combo but I like to add a bit of dark chocolate or pure cocoa powder into the mix, or even cayenne pepper for a kick!

Banana also has a nice side effect of being a natural sleeping pill (aiding seratonin etc)

4. The humble boiled egg (free range pelase!)

A controversial choice for some maybe but I needed a more transportable snack in my top 5, and this is The king of snacks when it comes to packing a nutritional punch.

5. Avocado drizzled with fresh lemon juice

Avocado makes a great food for mixing with other things but sticking to the snacks approach, an avocado is easy to slice open (in half) and dig in with a spoon. Not everyone can eat an avocado straight (due to the high fat content) – I like a refreshing drizzle of lemon juice.

Hope you have found some of these ideas useful and will give them a go (if not already doing so). We’d all love to hear of other healthy snack suggestions, so don’t be shy – please share them!

Related posts:

  1. Why Are Cherries Good For You?
  2. Food: Body Fuel or a Life Joy?
  3. Healthy Home-made Energy Bars
  4. Training on an Empty Tank
Posted by LMD at 09:11
  • Jewelied

    I grab a very small handful of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or walnuts. In fact, I buy a raw nut mix at the health food store and keep it at my desk at work. Anytime I plan to eat a carb (good ones only, including fruit), I eat just a few of these a few minutes beforehand.

  • Jewelie Dee

    I thought I'd better add that I eat the nuts before the carbs to keep the sugars from slamming my blood stream, avoiding possible inflammation and (long-term) diabetes.

  • http://www.lmdfitness.com/ Luke M-Davies

    Jewelie – thanks for sharing your snacking habbits (which I approve of!) – I too love to munch on nuts & seeds. They tick the convenience and health box. But there is a but for me…nuts are pretty calorie dense and when I delve into a big tub of them I tend to take too many. I think some people think nuts are very healthy and eating lots is fine. I agree with the healthy part (though the Omega balance is not perfect by any means) but a large volume is not required. My favs are Walnuts, Almonds and Brazil nuts (also offering the best nutrition I feel). Little, varied and often with the nuts and seeds is probably my preferred approach – a great energy source too (though I'm aware that fats are harder to digest, so don't really use nuts to get through endurance events).

  • Kitti

    Hello! LOVE this site and thanks Luke for sharing all of your knowledge and experiences with us :)

    Oooo this is a perfect spot for my two new recipes :)

    Here's the first- it's a snack bar that you can cut bigger or smaller depending on preference. 7 slices leaves you with 8g protein, 8g carbs, 4g fat and 1g fibre per serving.

    25g chopped dates, 40g apple puree, 50g sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (total), 50g wheatgerm, 0.5scoop natural protein powder (flavoured one's would work too though!), pinch of cinnamon or ginger

    Mix it all up really really well! Then 180 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes. Cool and divide!

    Second recipe is one that I've not yet eaten but it's sitting in the fridge ready for breakfast so will be tried tomorrow!! It's a muffin recipe.

    Whole egg, 1 tbsp apple sauce, 0.5 scoop protein powder

    Mix. Put in 2 muffin cases. Microwave for 1 minute. Allow to cool.

    So all in all, I aim for protein-based snacks. Mainly so that my main meals can be a little more carb-y and I don't feel that I'm missing out on protein. I'm struggling to come up with good, lower calorie, portable options to take to the office though…

  • http://www.lmdfitness.com/ Luke M-Davies

    Kitti: Glad you love the site – that's very inspiring for me! Your snack recipes are much appreciated too. Glad to see cinnamon in your home made snack bars – it's my favourite alternative to sugar and adds great flavour! It sounds a little bland but lower calorie office options are usually right there for the taking – apples, or chopped carrots, any fresh vegetables would do the job.

  • http://www.jcdfitness.com JC

    I can definitely appreciate the full-fat Greek yogurt. I love how tangy it is. The fruit added makes it an awesome treat!

  • http://www.lmdfitness.com/ Luke M-Davies

    I used to go for the 0% yoghurts. Yes they offer protein with less (fat) calories (which is why body builders like them) but the flavour of full fat Greek Yoghurt is far suprior, and the fat helps our body to absorb much of the (fat soluble) vitamins on offer, especially if you mix in fruit. I prefer to have a little less and go for full fat, then more bland 0% stuff.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links on LMD Fitness are “affiliate links". This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission or some other form of compensation. Some of the articles are product reviews that receive compensation from the companies whose products I review. I will only recommend products or services that I believe will truly benefit and be of value to my readers. My aim is to continue to create more articles and material to keep bringing the best I can to my readers.