Snacks that boost your energy and are healthy too!

Snacks and snacking get a bad rap in our overly health-conscious society. Snacks are full of calories…snacks spoil your appetite…snacking means you’re eating junk food—not so! The truth is, nutritionists agree that our bodies need re-fueling every 3 to 4 hours, and a healthy snack gives you an energy boost and can help keep hunger under control so you aren’t tempted to overeat later.

The trick is to choose your snacks with as much care as you do your meals, so that they work for you. Of course, when you’re in the middle of a hectic day, or rounds of errands it’s hard to keep from grabbing that fast pick-me-up—only to crash or be ravenously hungry just a little while later.

The secret to snacking healthy is to be prepared.

Rather than scrambling when hunger hits, or finding yourself hunting for the nearest vending machine, have healthy, energy-boosting snacks on hand and ready to eat. Plan for times you typically get hungry and be ready with an alternative food that is without all the additives, extra fat or chemicals that add flavor and color, but no nutritional value.

Snacks that satisfy your sweet tooth and are still healthy…

1. Graham crackers (or other whole grain crackers) with low-fat chocolate milk
2. Fresh fruit
3. Smoothie made with skim milk and fresh fruit juice
4. Baked sweet potato
5. Animal crackers
6. Low-fat yogurt with fruit
7. Frozen juice popsicle

When it’s something crunchy you crave, try these…

1. Peanut butter crackers or rice cakes
2. Cut up veggies with low-fat salad dressing
3. Pretzels
4. Breadsticks
5. Air popped popcorn
6. Handful of raisins and roasted peanuts
7. Pumpkin or sesame seeds

A few other healthy snacking options you might try…

1. Vegetable or bean soup
2. Roast beef sandwich with mustard instead of mayo
3. Low-fat string cheese
4. Turkey sandwich on whole wheat pita
5. Baked potato topped with salsa and low-fat sour cream
6. Apple or banana slices with peanut butter
7. Whole grain bagel with low-fat cream cheese

If you’re like most of us, there will be times you’ll be caught unprepared, with no healthy snack in sight but with a hunger that’s telling you to get something NOW. Grocery shelves and fast food places are full of some tantalizing new options, but you’ll want to choose carefully.

As a consumer, you need to be smart about the claims you believe and what you put into your body. Just because something says “all natural” or “light” does not mean it is. The only way you’ll know if those claims are more than just advertising hype is to read the label—both front and back—to see what’s inside a potential snack food. Power bars and energy drinks are everywhere these days, but beware—these aren’t always the nutritious snack they’re touted to be. Many are highly processed, contain added fats or other substances that can make them just as nutritionally complete as a candy bar.

If your only option is fast food—don’t panic. Try to choose menu options that are as close to their natural state as possible. This means a baked potato over those fries…a smoothie over a milkshake; frozen yogurt over an ice cream. If you must, simply must, choose a high-calorie snack—try controlling the portion, eating 2/3 of the serving, rather than the whole thing.

Healthy snacking, just like healthy eating, takes practice, effort and the strong desire to make a change. But once you do, the rewards of snacking smart help you stay healthy and full of energy no matter how busy your day might be.

Kacper Postawski is an innovative sleep science researcher and the creator of the Sleep Wiz, your surefire natural remedy to end insomnia forever and enjoy energizing sleep in as little as 3 days! He can show you how to fall asleep effortlessly, create more time, and an abundance of energy in your body by optimizing your sleep system! He dispels the “8-hour sleep myth”, tells you what most people never realize about sleep, and what the drug companies DONT WANT YOU to know.