Trying to resist the temptation of snacking in between meals is extremely hard. If you have skipped dinner or had an early bite, grabbing a sandwich or chips late at night is also something many of us do. But going for traditional favorite snacks like pizza, French fries, crisps, and other greasy and unhealthy foods may be very harmful to the organism.
Not only will you put on a few extra pounds, but you are at risk of getting high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, and potential diabetes. Luckily, there is a solution to the negative snacking habit, and that is making and preparing your very own healthy snacks.
Don’t be fooled. Many healthy snack options are actually quite tasty, savory, and juicy, and you can easily prepare them in a split of a second. What is more, by making healthy snacks by yourself, you know what you have put in the recipe, therefore you are aware of the nutritious benefits it has.
Here are some marvelous ideas on how to make healthy snacks that won’t cause you to pack on the pounds and that will help you satisfy your cravings.
1. A handful of nuts
Nuts are a fantastic nutritional boost. You can get nuts in every convenience store or greengrocer’s store, so even when you desire a quick snack during your break at work or at night you can easily get them.
Nuts are rich in healthy fat, protein, and fibers making them a perfect snacking option. Scientists have even proven that eating a handful of nuts per day is linked to reducing numerous heart conditions, prevents certain cancers, and may even help you shed pounds.
Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and others are as delicious as nutritious.
2. Creamy hummus
Long enjoyed across the Middle Eastern and North African countries, hummus is a creamy, thick spread made out of mashed chickpeas or other types of beans.
This tasty dip is ideal for late-night snacking, or for any other time of the day for that matter. By eating hummus on a regular basis it will help you lower your cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and lessen the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Due to its healthy ingredients, you can combine hummus with other foods and not worry about getting fat.
The basic recipe includes chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and tahini. But you can add peppers, feta cheese, and cucumber to enhance the taste even more.
3. Powerful strenuous snacks
After hard and powerful training you need to eat quality food in order to fuel your organism and re-energize your muscles. Any type of protein snacks is great for keeping the organism strong as long as you input healthy ingredients.
Vanilla protein powder is a perfect ingredient for many delicious desserts and snacks. You can mix the protein powder with coconut flour, eggs, and chopped dark chocolate and make chocolate chip protein cookies. Then, you can make vanilla raspberry and cacao slices by adding protein powder, almonds, cashews, and frozen raspberries and blending it all in a juicer.
Amongst other ideal protein snacks recipes to munch on after your training these may be the yummiest, but you can experiment however you desire as long as you use quality ingredients.
4. Greek yogurt smoothie
Once the smoothie machines were introduced to the world, it completely revived the notion of making healthy and nutritious snacks. The process of preparing healthy snakes became much easier and quicker.
You can put almost anything in a smoothie, but maybe the best snacking option that will satisfy your hunger and sweet tooth at the same time is mixing fruit with Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is a delicious, nutrient-dense snack, rich in potassium, proteins, and calcium. And by adding antioxidant fruits like blueberries, raspberries, or cranberries and a little bit of honey, you have a perfect meal.
5. Fruit
Let’s face it, there is nothing healthier and more nutritious than fruit. Whenever you are feeling hungry and when there is nothing concrete in the fridge, you can always grab some fresh fruit in your pantry. And healthy snacks don’t need to be complicated at all. Bananas, kiwis, and grapes are perfect sources of magnesium, protein, vitamins and quality fats.
If one banana or kiwi cannot substitute your crave for snacking, you can make oatmeal. Oatmeals are magnificent to indulge in before crawling into bed. Just add warm water and milk, lots of fruit and there you have a great snack.
6. Flaxseed pudding
Sweets can be our worst enemy by being so delicious but unhealthy, especially when we desire to eat an abundance of it. It can be hard to make something that is both tasty, sweet and that have impressive health benefits, or can’t it? Actually, yes.
Flax seeds are first beneficial for weight loss and for controlling blood sugar levels, but in combination with cinnamon and cheese, it can be made into a delightful pudding.
Use 80 grams of cottage cheese, a tablespoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of flax seeds, and there you have it.
7. A Caprese avocado toast
Caprese salad is a mix of mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil leaves and drizzled over with olive oil. Even that can be a yummy snack, but you can boost up a little bit in order to make it more solid and help you to survive until lunch or dinner.
Use a whole grain bread, toast it, then cut fresh avocado, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Layer everything on the toast, and sprinkle it with sea salt. You can also roast turkey meat slices and add it to the mix.
This might sound like a complete meal, but it truly represents a refreshing snack that will keep you going throughout the day.
8. Crackers and cheese
You won’t find a person who doesn’t like to snack on these regardless of the time of the day because they are simply that delicious. Crackers are actually a type of snack that offers a balanced intake of proteins and carbs, whilst cheese keeps consistent blood sugar level in balance. However, a healthier version is with whole wheat crackers and low-fat cheese.
Other options are with multigrain or low-fat mini toast. Snacking on healthy crackers will also help you stay energized throughout the day without caffeine if you are one of those persons who has fallen in caffeine trap.
9. Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds should be your number one choice if you like to have a late night snack. Besides being rich in magnesium, low in calories, they are also rich in something called tryptophan that supports quality sleep.
Try adding apples or raisins with pumpkin seeds and your body will automatically route tryptophan to your brain encouraging it to make melatonin faster and making you really sleep like a baby.
Aside from improving your sleep disorder, pumpkin seeds will satisfy your cravings just enough to get your body ready for nutritiously packed breakfast.
10. Hard-boiled eggs
Eggs are definitely one of the foods that first pop up to our mind when we talk about foods rich in proteins. Eggs can be literally mixed every single food possible, therefore they are also quite often used in snacks. But have you ever thought of eating solely a hard-boiled egg for a snack? Yes, it might sound peculiar, but one hard-boiled egg replaces 6 grams of protein, enabling you to fight off cravings towards other food instantly.
If you are not keen on eating eggs in that way, you can slice it and make lettuce and cucumber salad, or make delicious scrambled-egg muffins. Eggs are generally incredibly filling and may reduce the number of calories you eat for many hours.
11. Kale chips
A member of the cabbage family, Kale is one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods on the whole planet. Kale leaves are loaded with fiber and antioxidants like quercetin and kaempferol which are responsible for decreasing your blood pressure and may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
What is more, a single cup of kale contains vitamins A, K, C, B6, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium, and manganese, and very little fat. If that is not a super snack, then you will rarely find some veggie that can top that up. They may not be so enjoyable to eat raw, so make kale chips.
You will need one cup of bite-sized kale leaves, one tablespoon of olive oil, and three grams of salt. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, use a spoon and gently place them on a tray and roast for 15 minutes.
12. Peanut butter
A true classic. Peanut butter may not be the healthiest snack there is, but if you opt for the unsalted version it is a true delight.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain seven grams of protein making it the ideal breakfast choice. But when you are in a need of a quick snack, it would be advisable to grab a whole grain toast and spread it with peanut butter rather than opening a bag of chips.
Basically, this snack is a good source of “healthy” fats because it contains a lot of unsaturated fats and it is also good fuel for the muscles after a demanding training.
Stock up your pantry and fridge with only healthy food options. Next time when you are in a need for a quick snack, resort only to some of these delicious and nutritious snacks and in no time will your mood be uplifted, feel happier and healthier.