You should eat every 4 hours or so... If you're eating 3 meals a day you can add in a snack!
Snacks curb your appetite so you're less likely to overeat at meals. Snacks keep your mind and body fueled throughout the day. They also keep your metabolism going all day long.
Snack foods that you have at home or in your dormroom are easy to grab when you're on the go. They normally don't cost very much and are MUCH healthier than anything you can buy from a vending machine or a fast-food restaurant.
Do your snacks measure up? What do you grab for when you need a snack?
An ideal snack will have a combination of 5-10grams of protein, 15-30grams of carbohydrate, and be low in fat.
Unsure of what to buy to get started snacking healthy?
Snack shopping list:
-string cheese/cheese cubes
-bagels
-cottage cheese
-dried fruit
-nuts
-english muffins
-fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, frozen berries)
-fresh veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes)
-protein bars, granola bars
-whole wheat bread
-peanut butter/almond butter
-low-fat deli meats (turkey or ham)
-pretzels
-cereal
-mini milk cartons
-hummus/ranch dressing for dipping
-salsa
-pita bread
-reduced fat tortilla chips
-mini cartons of soy milk
-individual yogurts (Yoplait and Dannon make inexpensive ones)
-granola
-whole grain crackers
-beans
-zip-loc baggies
Some snack combinations that meet the protein, carbohydrate, and fat goal:
- half a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, glass of milk
- carrots and ranch dressing
- mixed cut up veggies and hummus
- string cheese, apple, and piece of whole wheat toast
- tortilla chips, salsa with black beans mixed in
- yogurt and granola
- protein bar and a banana
- orange slices and crackers topped with low-fat cheese
- pretzels and peanut butter
- hummus spread on pita bread
- cereal and milk
- cottage cheese and fruit
- english muffin with 1 slice deli meat and 1 slice cheese
- banana, almond butter, and oatmeal
- make your own trail-mix (combine 1/2 cup of your favorite cereal with nuts and dried fruit)
These snack ideas can be used for any time of day and are better alternatives to late-night snacks of Rollins Pizza To-Go, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Wendy's.
THINK BEFORE YOU SNACK --SNACK HEALTHY!
