20 Healthy Snack Ideas

By EP Dietetics

8:00am, Saturday 3 September 2016

Some simple snack ideas to help fuel you through the day.

To snack or not to snack?  

Snacks are not a necessity for everyone. Personally, i can't go any longer than a few hours without eating! So a little snack in between meals helps to keep my hunger at bay. I often get asked by clients if snacking is good or bad, see my pro's and con's below.

The pro's of snacking: 

- provides you with an even distribution of energy over the day

- helps to control your blood sugar levels throughout the day (which means you are not as likely to go looking for that sweet fix once the '3pm slump' hits) 

- assists you in meeting your nutritional requirements (especially if you tend to eat quite small meals) 

- may stop you from overeating at your meals 

- if portion controlled can be great for weight management

The con's:

- if you are already in the habit of eating 3 well rounded meals each day, then snacking on top of that would probably mean you just end up exceeding your daily requirements 

- if you are choosing poor quality snacks- e.g. chips, lollies, you are likely to end up eating more and more as they are not satisfying (not great from a weight management or blood sugar perspective) 

Important note- tune into your hunger cues. If you are genuinely hungry in between meals then eat, but if you are not hungry or eating because you are bored, stressed, emotional, trying to make the day go quicker...put that snack down and learn to listen to your body.   

Important note #2- make sure you are well hydrated. Not drinking enough water leads to dehydration which in turn can lead to you believing you are hungry or craving for sweet foods in between meals. Aim for around 2 Litres of water per day. 

Below is a list of some of the 'healthier' snacks on offer, and these are options that i would eat myself and recommend to my clients. Rather than relying on lots of over processed snacks that are full of extra sugars, salt and saturated fat, aim to choose snacks based on wholefoods and keep the processed ones for special occasions only. Remember it's just as easy to peel a banana as it is to grab a couple of biscuits out of the jar!

Choose 1-2 snacks in between meals depending on whether your goal is weight loss or weight maintenance. All snacks listed below are around the 100 calorie (420kj) mark which make them a good portion for a mid meal. For more specific advice, please consult with an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.

  • 1 cup chunky soup (try to choose soups that are based on vegetables, such as minestrone, lentil and vegetable, chicken and vegetable) 
  • 2 Tbsp hommus and vegetable sticks 
  • 1/4 cup salsa + vegetable sticks 
  • 130g tin Baked Beans 
  • 1 slice wholegrain/dark rye/sourdough bread + fresh tomato + herbs + little drizzle of olive oil 
  • 1 serve fruit (for example; 1 large apple OR 1 medium banana OR 2 kiwi fruit OR 2 punnets of strawberries!) 
  • Tub of Yoghurt (100g Ski Delight, 170g Chobani 0%Fat, Vaalia 100g) 
  • Smoothie using 100ml low fat or skim milk milk + 1/2 serve fruit + 1 tsp honey 
  • 2 Ryvita crackers + 2 tsp natural peanut butter 
  • 4 Vitawheat crackers + 1 egg 
  • 2 Vitawheat crackers + 1/4 cup cottage cheese 
  • 1 row of Rice Crackers (10-13 crackers in most packets) 
  • 1 slice thin raisin toast + a scrape of spread 
  • 1 x small tin fish 
  • 20g raw/unsalted nuts/seeds (20g = 14 almonds OR 4 brazil OR 14 cashews OR 6 macadamias OR 6 walnuts)
  • 200ml glass low fat or skim milk 
  • 1 x small size Skinny Cap/Latte/Flat white
  • 1 x 25g packet Roasted Chickpeas 
  • 1 x Be Natural Honey, Almond, Peanut bar 
  • 1 Energy Ball (see our previous recipes, these if made to the recipe are calorie controlled, some others can be VERY energy dense) 

 

Updated 6:51am, Saturday 3 September 2016

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