Snacks are an important part of a healthy diet. In fact, it is difficult to take all the nutrients recommended daily only through the 3 main daily meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. By purchasing healthy foods, you can help fuel your body by preparing snacks that are as tasty as they are healthy. By learning to plan and making small changes to your eating habits, you will be able to choose healthy snacks for you and your family.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Take an Inventory of Your Foods
Step 1. Start by looking at what's in the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry
What is the bulk of your inventory made up of? How many healthy snacks are available? How many unhealthy snacks have you seen?
Step 2. Make a list of all the unhealthy snacks you can have access to
Include any packet of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, or other treats suitable for a snack. Don't forget all the savory snacks too. List any snacks that you remember buying or making recently.
Step 3. List the healthy snacks on a separate list
This time you will need to include vegetables, fruit, whole foods, lean meats, unsalted nuts, etc. Compare the two lists, and start thinking about what you need to do, and not do, to keep yourself healthy.
Method 2 of 5: Analyze Your Foods
Step 1. Look at your list to see how many changes you need to make to your habits
Will it be enough to make some slight improvements or is a complete renovation necessary? Or can you define yourself halfway between these two extreme situations?
Step 2. Circle all those snacks that can easily be replaced with healthier ingredients or snacks
For example, a box of cheese fries can easily be replaced with a plain baked potato fries.
Step 3. Delete with a final line all those foods that are completely superfluous
Lollipops and candy canes, for example, are a food that should be eliminated from the diet, except for some special occasion.
Method 3 of 5: Practice Self Awareness
Step 1. Evaluate your snacking habits
Knowing why you eat between meals is important in order to be able to change your habits. Ask yourself: Do I tend to snack at night? Do I eat for emotional reasons? Or out of boredom? You should also evaluate your level of commitment, and try to prepare healthy snacks in advance if you know you don't have the time when you're hungry.
Step 2. Analyze the snacks you tend to crave most often
Knowing your snacking habits will help you more easily identify substitutes that are both healthy and tasty for your palate. For example, if you tend to like French fries, try substituting them with baked corn curls served with a sauce of your choice.
Step 3. Develop a self-control routine
Focus less on food. If you can't wait to get home and enjoy a whole bowl of ice cream to calm down, try replacing it with yogurt or sorbet. Think of food as a necessity, not a consolation, and eat only when you are really hungry.
Method 4 of 5: Shopping Tips
Step 1. Create a plan that helps you change your choices when you are at the grocery store
You will be able to discover new healthy substitutes right on the shelves of the store. As you explore, you will realize the presence of foods that you did not know existed.
Step 2. Read and compare the labels on the snack packs
Analyze all the ingredients. A label indicating that all ingredients are natural does not always lead to a healthy choice. Fruit juices are a clear example of this. A rich sugar content can be not very nutritious and very caloric, albeit in a completely natural form.
Step 3. Avoid unnecessary purchases
Organic products may be healthier, but some snacks do not become more necessary and less superfluous. Buying a packet of cookies just because organic will not improve your snacking habits in any way. Stick to healthy food choices and avoid putting everything in your cart that you can easily give up.
Method 5 of 5: Use Smart Strategies
Step 1. Value your snacks
Choose satiating options. Foods rich in fiber generally have a more satiating power and contain fewer calories. Low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, and seeds are all great choices when you want a quick and healthy snack.
Step 2. Think about energy
Complex carbohydrates, such as protein-rich products, such as peanut butter or low-fat cheese, provide significant energy.
Step 3. Keep an eye on the portions
Choosing a healthy snack does not mean being able to abuse in the quantities taken. Eating to binge is never a healthy option. In any case, don't blame yourself if you give in to something unhealthy! Look for balance, and don't eat too much or too little, even when it comes to healthy foods.
Advice
- Be careful when in company. At parties, avoid the appetizer trays. Finger food is often very high in calories, especially when it is eaten in large quantities.
- Know what you are buying. Low-fat doesn't always mean low-calorie. Zero calorie foods don't always have nutritional value.
- Never go shopping on an empty stomach! If you are hungry you will be much more inclined to buy unnecessary and harmful foods.
- Remember to reward yourself with some occasional gratification, they will help you not to be bitter about the changes made to your diet. From time to time, we all need to pamper ourselves.
- Keep some chewing gum on hand. The 5 calories contained in chewing gum are far fewer than the hundreds that you could get from eating unnecessary snacks. Even flavored teas, for example with mint, can be a valid help when you want to taste something good.
- Oil is liquid fat, but your body needs that type of fat. Known as unsaturated fat, oil is the best choice when compared to saturated and hydrogenated fats, remember this as you read the ingredients list. Organic olive, grapeseed, coconut, sesame seed, almond, walnut, and avocado oils are all good sources of nutrients.
- Vary your diet. From time to time, change the way you dress your salad, and try some unusual and exotic fruits and vegetables. Explore cookbooks and spot recipes for new snacks.
- Eat the recommended amounts of each of the food categories.
- Prefer organic foods.
Warnings
- Ice cream, like other foods, can be addictive. When it is customary to eat it every day, you begin to feel the need. To limit the problem, start not indulging in it every day and avoid having it on hand.
- Avoid corn, canola, and cottonseed oils, as they are often genetically modified. He also notes that peanut oil often contains very high levels of pesticide residues.
- If changes in your diet seem to lead to negative results, see your doctor.
- Stay away from products that contain high fructose corn syrup. It is an artificial sugar that exposes health to numerous risks. If you don't want to take fructose you should also avoid agave as although advertised as a "healthy and natural" sweetener, it contains significant amounts.
