I’m a snacker. Yep, I love my snacks. It’s not a craving thing either; I’m genuinely hungry between meals. I think as I’m quite active and on the go, I have a high metabolism and I need to eat regularly. I tend to have breakfast at 6.30am so by 9.30am, am usually reaching for a piece of fruit.
Snacking is fine, if you are genuinely hungry but you want to choose filling foods, that are healthy. Biscuits, cakes and sweets may give you a quick fix but are not the healthiest and may not have the best effects on your blood sugars, causing a high, followed by a sluggish low!
Protein is your most satiating macro nutrient and ideally most of your snacks should be based on this. You tend to eat less of it in comparison to carbohydrates and there is a much more favourable affect on your blood sugars, preventing that sugar crash.
These are the foods you need to be grabbing!
Not all my snacks are protein-based but here are my top most healthy, filling snacks:
– Nuts – Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and Brazils are my favourite. Twenty-five grams is a portion and these are contain protein, essential fats and fibre. A great snack on the go, as you can keep a tub at work. Just make you only have a handful at a time!
– Greek Yoghurt and Berries – I always have a tub of this at work with me. You can pick low fat Greek yoghurt but I actually prefer the full fat stuff. The more expensive Greeks contain more protein and tend to be thicker, as strained more but the cheaper varieties are fine. Berries are packed with antioxidants and a tasty way to sweeten up the yoghurt.
– Houmous and Crudites – when I was expecting I was always starving so used to take a tub of spicy houmous in (to hit my taste buds) and some carrot sticks. This snack gets in one of your 5 a day, plus essential fats, protein and fibre. Yummy!
– Guacamole and Crudities – I only got on the avocado train recently and I don’t actually really like it on it’s own! However guacamole I love! It is quite high calorie, as is packed with essential fats but I find it quite filling and very tasty.
– A Protein Bar – when I’m at work and gnawing the table sometimes I nip to the shop for a protein bar. They are low sugar and usually have about 20g of protein (designed for post work out). Problem is they tend to be very pricey and usually over £2 each which is a lot. There are some recipes online if you like baking, so worth checking good old Pinterest.
– Cold Chicken – sometimes when I’m at home and really peckish the scones are calling me but I know I want something a bit more filling and less stodgy. Left over chicken or some of the pre-packed stuff is great. A few bits of that keeps me going until my next meal.
– A Banana – now some may argue this is higher sugar as fruit and yes this is true but bananas have fibre and other vitamins, such as C that give you a boost. I find out of all fruits a banana keeps me going for the longest and the less ripe they are, the less sweet.
– A Peanut Butter Sandwich – in the early stages of pregnancy I was always hungry and on the way out of work I would always have a slice of granary bread with a thick spread of peanut butter. Filled me up and I got home feeling ok before my tea.
So there you have it. My favourite snacks to fill me up and keep me going until that next meal! I hope these give you a few ideas if struggling and want to keep it healthy!
Always look for something with protein and try and avoid the refined sugar when you can!
Happy munching!
