Snack Ideas

Nutrition

Healthy options to avoid Trigger Foods

Snacking is a great way of balancing your daily nutrition and avoiding those hunger pangs and energy lulls throughout the day, but there’s often a sense of “naughtiness” associated with the concept. Just one Google search for the word “snack” is crammed full of chocolates, crisps, sweets, savouries, party food and basically highly marketed and low nutritious food. So before I cover my snack suggestions I want to try and help you think differently about “Snacks”.
Firstly some people are quite happy having 3 meals per day, others are happier “grazing” and snacking regularly throughout the day. There’s no right and no wrong. Personally I normally count my calories in 6 sections; Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, Supper. I try to eat regularly throughout the day because otherwise I get hungry and raid the biscuit tin. I’ve always put it down to poor willpower or a sugar craving… but the truth is actually that when I get hungry and I’m in need of a snack, it’s not a quick 50-100 calorie fix I need. If you have got to the point where you feel hungry, you’re likely to need around 200 calories to fix the balance, possibly even as much as 300 calories. So when you’re hungry and you get a little yoghurt for a snack, or one of those 99 calorie diet bars… it’s probably not going to be enough and you’re going to internally scream, panic, and grab a “trigger food” – you know the one, I hope we all have them and it’s not just me!
If you comfortably eat 3 or 4 set meals per day and don’t want to change, then don’t! However if you want to live with snacks, try to think of them as an opportunity to get some healthy, nutritious food down and aim for around 200 calories and don’t be afraid of having more if your calories allow. It’s better to make a nice big chicken sandwich and have half in the morning and half in the afternoon, rather than relying on a small sugary snack bar or low calorie bag of crisps. YOU DESERVE MORE! Get some fuel inside you before you crash, it’s not about trying to last until the next meal on the bare minimum. Yes it may mean smaller meals to balance the calories, but imagine how much more activity you can get into your day if you have the energy levels to get up and do more of the things you love if you plan nice, big, healthy snacks.
If you have any great snack ideas you think I should add here please email [email protected]

Ryvita

A very underrated snack, the rye crispbread is low calorie and a great source of slow releasing energy. Portion size would depend on your calorie targets but I’d normally suggest 2 rather than 4 like the photo. Put some light spready cheese on top with some tomatoes, salmon, chicken, grapes, eggs… whatever you like really! Alternatively there’s a lovely Currant, Seed & Oat version, it’s slightly higher in calories but is delicious with a dollop of 0% Fat Greek Yogurt and topped with strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

Grapefruit

An acquired taste, and oranges are a similar alternative. To be honest fruit in general makes a great snack. Grapefruit however is one of my favourites because it’s packed full of carbohydrates and very little protein and fats, it is a fantastic option for getting a burst of energy in between meals. The trick is to eat it as nature intended, and that doesn’t mean chopping it in half and caking it in sugar before hacking at it with a teaspoon. The quickest way to eat a grapefruit is to cut them into segments like the photo and chew the red bit out or by cutting the peel off.

Flapjacks

I love a flapjack! However finding healthy versions on sale is very difficult and I’ve not located an easy to access brand locally. They are often very high in calories because they’re sometimes drowned in butter and added sugar, so it’s better to make your own. I’ll also admit I am a terrible cook and have yet to find a great, easy, healthy flapjack recipe. If you have one, please send it to me and I’ll type it up for the world to share! Just be careful if like me you find cakes and biscuits can be a trigger food for you, one flapjack might end up becoming several.

Rice Cakes

A cracking little lightweight snack and can be topped with sweet stuff or savoury depending on your preference. In Aldi they stock some chocolate coated ones which aren’t too high in calories and super tasty, however be warned, the pack of 9 comes in 3 x packs of 3. So you can easily end up eating 3 in one sitting if you’re not careful. My suggestion, is to open a pack of three and wrap them up individually in foil and put them back in the pack. Yes it’s a bit of waste, but when you know you’re going to have one as a snack you just grab the one then and the temptation is gone! Feel free to add some fruit on top for an extra nutritious, sweet snack.

Malt Loaf

You can’t beat an old favourite… Malt Loaf is a cracking little energy boost and is one of my main go-to foods during endurance rides. It’s tasty and can very energy dense. I normally buy the big loaf and cut down, there’s also an Aldi version which is fine. However the lunchbox ones may work better if you like everything pre-portioned out, handy if you run the risk of not wanting it to go to waste or stale and prevents the urge to devour it all! It also freezes well if you cut it up first.

Eggs

Such a brilliant food they’re getting an extra mention here! How they’re cooked doesn’t matter, with the exception of frying. All fried food absorbs the fats it’s cooked in, so ideally just use a light spray fat, or go for scrambled, poached or boiled instead.
My timesaving cheat here, is to use an egg cooker. Home Bargains sell them, alternatively check Argos. You can cook 6 or 7 eggs to runny or hard boiled perfection (and saves on gas!). I cook mine, then stick them in the fridge to grab when I need a good satiating snack!

Nutrition Plans

Manage your weight by creating your nutrition plan

I’ve been big. When I started running I was wearing mens 3XL tops because the 2xl felt too snug when I moved. I’ve done every diet under the sun, and the only way I believe I can help you is to find a lifelong nutrition plan that suits you and your food choices.

I don’t believe in restricting and I believe that no food is off limits, but I also advocate a “food is fuel” approach to selecting your nutritional choices. We all have individual goals and our bodies are unique in their own ways, what works for one person won’t always work for another. Therefore I work with my clients to help educate and develop their own individual plan they scan stick to for life.

If you would like to know more and think I might be the right support for you you Contact Me.