Healthy Snack Ideas

Did you know that making healthy snack choices can give you more energy and allow you to lose weight? A common problem when it comes to snacking is that it's too easy to just eat or munch all day long without giving it much thought. We may grab a donut on the way to work and get candy bars or potato chips from the vending machine during the day. The problem is, most readily available snack foods may taste good, but they are high in calories and not very good for you.

How do you choose healthier snacks? First of all, you should start paying close attention to what you eat, not only at meals, but throughout the day. This isn't to say that you have to be zealous and never have a treat. We are talking about making more conscious choices, so you are at least aware of what you are consuming.

The best way to eat better snacks is to take them with you. If you rely on what you can buy outside, from convenience stores, cafes, delis and vending machines, you are likely to make the choices that are familiar to you, which usually means those that taste good and give you a rush of energy.

If you start bringing healthier foods with you, like fresh fruits, yogurt, trail mix with dried fruit and nuts or perhaps whole grain crackers with peanut butter (no sugar added!), you can be prepared for those drops in energy without resorting to candy bars.

One thing to be aware of is that not all healthy looking snacks are that good for you. Read the ingredients, especially on items like energy bars and drinks. If they are high in sugar, they aren't that different from regular candy bars or soda. They do make healthy types of energy bars; look for ones made from raw ingredients with no added sugar. When it comes to drinks, your best bet is always water!

Another tip is that if you drink a lot of coffee, try switching to tea. Green tea is high in antioxidants and has only half the caffeine of coffee. It may also help you to lose weight.

These are just a few ideas to help you become more conscious of your snack choices. Making healthy snack choices is an important step in creating an all-round healthier lifestyle.

When it comes to snacks, one of the main culprits that makes them fattening or unhealthy is usually sugar. There are other factors to consider, of course, such as salt, unhealthy fats and perhaps artificial ingredients. However, for the moment, let's focus on sugar, since it's so hard to avoid, and so hard to stop eating!

It's obvious that if you eat candy bars, donuts, cookies and other sweets that you are eating sugar. Do you look at the ingredients before you buy other types of groceries? For example, peanut butter, tomato sauce, canned vegetables and breakfast cereals all tend to be high in sugar, unless you specifically look for brands that say "no added sugar" or "unsweetened." You can also choose organic or all natural sweeteners, which are better than refined sugar. Yet even these should be eaten in moderation.

Fresh fruit is a good source of natural sugar, as is unsweetened dried fruit. Fruit juices are highly concentrated, so even if they are pure, with no added sugar, they contain higher amounts of fructose than you really need. The best rule is to use water as your main thirst quencher. If you want to drink a glass of pure juice in the morning, or in the middle of the day, that's fine, but if you use fruit juice as a thirst quencher, you will be getting many calories and possibly spikes and drops in your energy level that is not that different from soda or "energy" drinks (which also tend to be high in sugar).

Even many products sold in health food stores, or the natural foods section of the supermarket are often high in sugar. Trail mix, for example, can be very healthy if it's made from dried fruits and nuts. Today, however, many trail mixes also have pieces of candy, which makes it just another dessert. All natural and organic cereals can even be very sweet. Look at the ingredients, and see how near the top the sweetener is.

A good way to regulate your sugar intake is to buy foods that are unsweetened and add your own sweetener. Then you can not only choose how much to add, but you can choose healthier sweeteners. Good, all natural sweeteners include fresh fruit, raw honey, pure maple syrup, agave nectar and stevia. You can buy plain yogurt and add some fruit or sweetener.

It's okay to eat some sweets. The point is to be aware of how much sugar you are consuming. Since it's added to so many items, you have to pay attention. You can also gradually decrease your sweet tooth. Many people are simply conditioned, since childhood, to need things very sweet. You can change this habit by simply cutting back on sweeteners throughout the day.