Simple Ways to Make Healthy Snacking Easier

Simple Ways to Make Healthy Snacking Easier

Some people would argue that we shouldn’t snack at all, but not me. I know that for my body, it’s best to eat more frequent, smaller meals than three bigger main meals. For my metabolism, blood sugar levels, and energy levels it is definitely best to snack. Not all snacks are created equally though, of course. The ideal snacks are healthy options that supply us with nutrients and long-lasting energy. Treats in moderation are always fine, but don’t make every snack chocolate bars, crisps, or biscuits!

Read on to find out more about some simple ways to make healthy snacking easier.

• Remove Temptation

Think about the snacks that you tend to reach for. Are they healthy? If not, stop buying them and having them available to you if you are trying to be healthier. If the chocolate bar is there right in front of you, it will be hard to resist. Don’t torture yourself by having lots of unhealthy options at home in your kitchen cupboards or in your desk drawer at work. When you want to have a treat as part of your healthy diet, go and buy the treat and enjoy it at that moment. It will be much easier to avoid the treats if they are not within reach.

• Make Healthy Options Available

Instead, make healthy (and tasty!) options available. There are loads of snacks out there that are both healthy and enjoyable to eat and these are the products that you need to have available at home and at work instead. This way, there will always be a good option available for you when you need a snack.

Great options include: fruit, vegetables, hummus, rice cakes/corn cakes, nuts, nut butters, healthy snack bars and porridge, for example.

You can meal prep some of your snacks too by washing and chopping your fruit and vegetables for a day or two in advance. At home it’s easy to make your own porridge for a healthy breakfast or filling snack, but if you’re on the go or working in the office, opting for porridge oats in single serving sachets or pots is much easier. The brand MOMA makes delicious porridge with British jumbo oats. They are gluten-free, vegan, high in fibre, and very quick to prepare. Plus, they’re available in a range of delicious flavours too – my favourite is the Almond Butter & Salted Caramel porridge. The pots and sachets are easy to keep in your desk drawer at work too, so that you’re prepared whenever you get hungry.

I also like making my own energy balls or energy snack bars at home. I use nut butter, ground almonds, oats, seeds, coconut, maple syrup, and sometimes a bit of cocoa or chocolate. I can make a batch of these to last me and kids for a few days which makes healthy snacking so easy!

• Add More!

Adding more things to a snack can help make it more satisfying. If you’re having just some nuts for a snack that might not be very filling, but if you instead have some nuts, an apple, and a bit of cheese, you suddenly have a much more interesting snack that is likely to fill you up better. It will also take a little bit longer to eat which will help your brain and body register the snacking. I like to add chopped up banana and some nuts to my porridge for this reason. Plus, it tastes great too!

• Remember to Hydrate

A healthy lifestyle always needs to include drinking plenty of water. Remember to hydrate throughout the day – keep a filled insulated water bottle within reach at all times. Drinking more water will also help your body realise when it’s actually hungry too as often thirst is mistaken for hunger.

Consider the above to make healthy snacking easier. Healthy snacks don’t need to be boring or taste bad – there are so many yummy but healthy options available to buy and to make yourself at home too.

Features gifted samples from MOMA.