When searching for a balance in your dietary intake, it is important to examine all the elements, including meals, snacks and liquid intake. Whether your goal is to lose weight or boost energy, the quality and quantity of your daily snacking is of the utmost importance.
When you're building the perfect snack, take a few key elements into account.
Rules to remember
1. The snack has to be quick, easy and portable. In other words, the ideal snack needs to be able to be popped into a briefcase or purse and/or stored in a refrigerator or desk at the office.
2. Your perfect snack needs to be rich in fibre, protein and healthy fat. By including these ingredients, the snack will help to keep energy up avoiding the dreaded three p.m. slump so many people experience. The emphasis is on calorie light, nutrient dense options.
3. On average, a good snack for you should contain between 100-200 calories, depending on your age, activity level and weight-loss goals (see examples below for snacks that contain about 150 calories).
Once you’ve come up with your perfect healthy snack the question is "How many should I have each day?" As a general rule, a healthy and balanced diet includes three meals and two snacks per day. However, if you have had a decent breakfast that contains protein (eggs, protein powder, cottage cheese or low fat yogurt for example), you may not be hungry for a morning snack. If this is the case, feel free to skip it. The most important time of day to have a snack is in the afternoon, when it can help you avoid feelings of fatigue and avert that desire to eat anything and everything an hour or so before dinnertime.
Page 1 of 2 - check out healthy snack options on page 2.
