Snacks can help you meet your nutrient goals and stave off hunger between meals. By choosing nutritious snacks carefully, they can satisfy cravings while giving you energy throughout the day.
To select nutritious snacks, focus on selecting whole-foods containing proteins. Try munching on nuts or fruit as alternatives to processed treats like chips and ice cream.
Fruit Smoothie
Fruit smoothies combine nutritious fruits with milk and yogurt for protein, giving the drink its signature sweet-tart taste and frosty texture. Fresh fruits provide vitamins and fiber while vegetables like spinach, kale and arugula add nutritional punch; blueberries and strawberries offer vivid hues and pleasant sweetness to round off this treat.
Ice or crushed ice adds coldness and helps the smoothie blend smoothly, and adding frozen fruits such as bananas makes for an especially thick texture.
Smoothies are versatile snacks, adaptable to virtually every taste and dietary preference. The healthiest smoothies include those made with whole fruit and vegetables, yogurt and healthy fat sources like avocado or nuts for optimal nutrition and fullness until your next meal. You may want to add toppings such as granola or sprinkles of chia or hemp seed hearts for increased satiety.
Edamame
Edamame (pronounced e-dam-ah-mah) refers to whole, immature soybeans typically eaten while still in their pods. Also referred to as vegetable soybeans, Edamame can be purchased both fresh and frozen and provides protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and isoflavones – making it a nutritious food choice!
Edamame soybeans are also rich in choline, an essential B vitamin-related nutrient which contributes to healthy sleep, muscle movement, learning, memory retention and cardiovascular disease prevention. Research indicates that diets high in choline may offer protection from cardiovascular disease.
Edamame makes for an excellent snack or appetizer, perfect for sharing at parties with a savory dipping sauce, as well as being added to soups, stews, salads and dips for an nourishing meal. Plus it works well as part of grain dishes such as quinoa and brown rice recipes and noodle dishes!
Edamame is packed with essential nutrients that may otherwise go under-consumed, including iron, magnesium and potassium. Furthermore, it offers essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids essential to heart health.
Baked Apples
Warm from the oven, these delicious baked apples make a tasty fall dessert when served warm from the oven. Add vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened coconut cream for extra decadence! Made with firm and crisp apple varieties such as Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, Jonagold or Pink Lady apples for optimal texture. Brown sugar adds caramelized flavor while spices like cinnamon add warm and cozy spiced appeal. For an added crunch factor add in finely chopped walnuts as part of the crumble topping!
Preheat the oven to 375degF. Halve apples lengthwise through their stem, using either a melon ball scooper or spoon to remove and discard their cores. Combine brown sugar, oatmeal, nutmeg and cinnamon into butter before spooning into each apple half. Bake until apples are tender with wrinkled skins after 35 to 45 minutes of baking time, basting with juice from pan halfway through baking time in order to keep them moist.
Pita Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese
As an athlete in training or busy parent, healthy snacks are an indispensable component of everyday life. Not only can they combat hunger between meals but they can also fill your body up with essential protein and nutrition while satisfying sugar cravings without an unhealthy crash afterwards.
Try filling your pitas with ricotta cheese to boost calcium and fiber while decreasing sugar intake. Spread a thin layer on one dough circle, cover with the second one, and bake!
Yogurt combined with fruit and nuts is an easy, nutritious snack option that packs an added nutritional punch. Raisins provide iron while berries provide vitamin C and potassium.
Stock your pantry or freezer with nutritious foods such as fresh vegetables, low-sodium deli meat, whole grains, dairy and eggs to stave off cravings for junk food. Make sure that a variety of healthy snacks is within easy reach so you’re always prepared when hunger strikes!
