Now that school is back, and everyone is getting back to daily routines, it's easy to forget to eat healthy an dhave healthy snacks throughout the day.
Don't overlook the benefits of snacking when trying to lose weight. Snacking helps you fuel up between meals and can prevent you from overeating and making unhealthy food choices. The healthiest snacks include a mix of complex carbohydrates and protein to keep you feeling full throughout the day.
In fact, many nutrition experts suggest shifting away from the traditional three-meals-a-day diet. Instead, they recommend eating small, nutritious meals every three hours or eating five to six times a day. Although it may seem counter-intuitive to weight loss, eating smaller, more frequent meals helps you maintain consistent blood sugar levels throughout the day, and prevents ravenous hunger that often leads to overeating and poor food choices.
If you are tired of your usual snacks or looking for healthier alternatives, here are a few ideas to liven up your healthy snack options:
- Celery sticks spread with one to two tablespoons of almond or peanut butter
- Fresh vegetables (i.e. carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes or fresh green beans) with two tablespoons of hummus
- One serving of whole grain crackers topped with one ounce of reduced-fat cheese and sliced green grapes
- One small apple, sliced with one tablespoon of peanut butter for dipping
- Half a cinnamon raisin, whole-grain English muffin topped with low-fat cottage cheese, no-calorie sweetener (i.e. Splenda®, Truvia or Pure Via™) and cinnamon
- One serving Greek yogurt with fresh fruit
- One cup homemade vegetable soup
- One brown rice cake with pesto, canned salmon and diced tomatoes
- Three handfuls of air-popped popcorn seasoned with spray butter and herbs
- One brown rice cake topped with a sliced hard-boiled egg, light mayo and fresh herbs
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