Healthy Snack Ideas

Please come and become a ‘fan’ of the healthy snack blog on Facebook. I just finished setting up the page and it’s looking quite bare at first. I am cooking up a contest to create a bit of an incentive, so toss out any ideas you can think of that I can use to entice people to join us–aside from the fact that they will be getting lots of fabulous information about healthy snacking!

Healthy snacks can help you to maintain a productive energy level, stick to your diet and keep your metabolism on an even keel. There is a myth that says between meal snacking is not good for you. Actually, eating good, healthy snacks in small quantities can be very good for you. Let’s take a look at the good things healthy snacks can do for you.

Having a good variety of healthy snack options available at home, at work and on the go helps to keep you from getting too hungry. When you go too many hours between meals your blood sugar drops and your metabolism begins to slow down. At your next opportunity to eat you may then feel the urge to over-eat because you are so hungry.

Giving your body a steady quantity of high-quality fuel helps to keep your blood sugar on a much more even keel, and it can keep you from over-eating.

You should always choose snacks that will support your healthy living goals. Make it a habit to factor snack
supplies in to your grocery shopping trips. When you are calculating your daily calories if you are on a weight
management routine, always remember to include a healthy snack and you will never be hungry and more likely to stick with your diet.

If you have a safe place to keep your snacks at work, be sure to keep a good supply on hand so that you will not be tempted to make unhealthy choices when you get hungry in the mid-afternoon. When we travel it’s not always easy to find healthy snack options. Roadside convenience stores are filled with chips and candies and sugary sodas, but you do not have to be at the mercy of these stores. Take the time to plan ahead and pack some convenient snacks in your travel bags. A great side benefit to this practice is that you can save money by not purchasing those expensive, unhealthy snacks.

Here are a few simple, healthy snack ideas that you can keep on hand:

• Cut-up vegetables (fat-free dressing for dip)
• Fresh fruit
• 1 oz. low-fat cheeze with whole/multi grain crackers
• Handful of mixed nuts
• Low-fat or fat-free yogurt sprinkled with Flax seed or fresh fruit

Eating healthy snacks in between your regular meals can be a good way to keep you on track with your weight loss or weight maintenance plan. They can rescue you from the temptation to satisfy those mid-afternoon munchies with sugary, salty or fattening snacks that you will surely regret later.

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I must confess that I have a teensy bit of an addiction to this simple little snack. How much easier can a snack be to prepare? Steam them, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and enjoy. They make a great, light appetizer, too, and they make a simple, lovely presentation.

Edamame is just green soybeans. They are grown in China and frozen. You can purchase them either in the pod, or out of the pod. For some reason, popping them out of the pod makes them fun to eat, but that’s just me.

Edamame

1 package frozen edamame pods

sea salt

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add edamame pods and steam for 4-5 minutes. Drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm or chilled.

Here’s another easy, light and healthy snack recipe. You can eat them as they are, or use them as a base for mini-appetizers for entertaining. Try a sweet version as an alternative to these savory ones by substituting cinnamon, nutmeg and honey for the dried herbs.

Herb Seasoned Rice Cakes
Yield: 4 servings

24 Unsalted mini rice cakes
1/4 cup Softened cream cheese
1/4 cup low fat sour cream (or plain, low fat yogurt)
1 tsp minced onion
1/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp Dried rosemary leaves
1/4 ts Dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/8 ts Dried dill weed

Arrange the rice cakes on baking sheet. Mix remaining ingredients together and spread
them evenly on the rice cakes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

Healthy snacks can help you to stick with your weight loss plan because they will ensure that you are not starving all of the time. Eating frequent, small portions will help to keep your metabolism fired up and your blood sugar levels even making it less likely that you will feel tempted to make a poor food choice because you are weak from hunger.

Plan ahead and keep a supply of these snacks in your purse or bag, in your desk at work and in oyur cabinets at home. If you have a ready supply of good things to snack on, you won’t even think of grabbing a candy bar or a bag of chips.

Here are a few healthy snack ideas that you can enjoy while losing weight:

- Nuts such as Almonds, and walnuts. Cashews and peanuts have a lot of fat so keep these portions small.

-Seeds such as sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumkin seeds (unsalted)

-Low-fat yogurt or cottage. (Buy it plain and add a sprinkle of ground flax seeds for an Omega 3 fatty acid boost)

-Peanut butter; spread it on a cut up apple, whole grain crackers or just enjoy a spoonful by itself. Enjoy in moderation when dieting as it contains a lot of fat.

-Popcorn popped in an air popper with no butter added is an old standby healthy snack.

-Raw, cut up vegetables with a low or non-fat dressing dip

These are just a few healthy snack ideas that you can try when you are dieting. Make sure to keep these foods around so that when you are hungry you can make good food choices.




When kids come in the door after school the first thing they want to do is eat something. It’s been hours since lunch and they will need a new supply of energy to power them through the homework and after school activities.

With childhood obesity at epidemic levels, it’s clear that not all parents are providing healthy meal and snack options for their kids. The snacks that kids eat should be factored in to their overall caloric intake for the day, but snacks are important in keeping blood sugar levels even and energy levels steady.

Here are some basic tips for stocking your cabinets with healthy snack options for kids:

• avoid most pre-packaged food laden with lots of sugar, fat and salt

• always have a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand

apple slices
bananas
grapes
melon slices

• fruit cups or canned fruit preserved in juice or light syrup (heavy syrup is a lot of added sugar)

• baby carrots, celery, and broccoli served with a low-fat dip (reduced fat ranch dressing works well)

• guacamole and rice cakes or baked pita chips

• low fat, low sugar yogurt served with graham crackers

• air-popped popcorn with no butter

• low fat, low salt pretzels

• low fat granola bars

Make sure that kids eat their afternoon snack as early as possible  so that they don’t impact the child’s appetite for dinner. Keep the calorie count low by controlling the portions so that it doesn’t end up counting as a meal.

Be mindful also of the additional calories in the beverages that they consume along with their snacks. Avoid sugary sodas and juices and encourage them to drink water, lowfat milk or 100% juices that don’t have added sugar.

If you keep a good variety of healthy snacks in the house you’ll be prepared when the hungry children are ready to eat.