Introduction
Finding a convenient and healthy snack nowadays can be hard if you don't know what you are looking for. Our newsagents and supermarkets are full of sugary, processed and bad fat containing items. There are a handful of farm shops and stores that do cater for the health concious and there are options within your local supermarkets and convenience stores that you can select if you know what to look out for.
So, what should I look out for?
Let's define the word snack to start with. "A snack is a portion of food, smaller than a regular meal, generally eaten between meals."
Usually when we talk about a snack a person that is not health concious may think of a chocolate bar, a packet of crisps or maybe a biscuit. A health concious person may think of a piece of fruit, a cereal bar or a smoothie drink.
Noticed the pattern?
If not, have you fallen into this trap before yourself?
Education is key in making better choices
Over the years I have noticed this pattern emerging time and time again from my own clients. When you mention a snack the majority will suggest a carbohydrate source. The only trouble with this is that when you consume a carbohydrate at the wrong times of the day, your body can potentially be insulin resistant.
What does that mean?
Insulin resistance is when your body doesn't absorb the carbohydrates into the muscle storage sites all over your body, but rather shuttles the carbohydrates towards the fat cells.
For snacking at least, I prefer to advise my clients to eat items that have low or no carbs in them and lean towards healthy fats or protein as a more healthy option.
Let's talk about fat
Items that are higher in fat can be a great option for snacking because fats cause no insulin response. Insulin is released by the pancreas when we consume carbohydrates. Insulin makes glycogen form carbohydrates which is the only source of carbohydrate that can be stored in our body. The glycogen is then shuttled into our muscles or fat cells depending on whether we are insulin resistant or insulin sensitive ready to use when we move our body for both exercise and day to day chores or to store as fat for a later date.
Nuts
Nuts are a great snack option for most (as long as you aren't allergic to them). They are full of healthy fatty acids, vitamins, protein and fibre. This snack will keep you feeling fuller for longer than a carbohydrate based snack. Just be careful not to over eat them. As with all fat based foods, they tend to be high in calories Vs other lower fat options like lean meats, protein bars and eggs to name a few.
Coconut
Coconut is also a great snack option because it contains MCFA's (Medium Chain Fatty Acids) and these fatty acids are easier to digest than LCFA's (Long Chain Fatty Acids). They are not readily stored within your fat cells and they are processed by the liver, which means that they are immediately converted to energy and they aren't stored in excess.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese has proven health benefits that include a good supply of protein, B vitamins, healthy fats and it has also been proven to lower the risk of developing breast cancer cells. If you aren't eating cottage cheese and you aren't lactose intolerant, maybe you should consider adding it into your weekly menu.
Home made protein bars
Home made protein bars are easy to make and they are convenient to carry with you during the day. They can be made in under 5 minutes using certain recipes. There are lots of recipes online and video tutorials on YouTube that can be followed. The biggest benefit of making your own protein bars is that you know exactly what you are eating. Many shop bought bars contain words that most struggle to even pronounce. If you can't pronounce it you shouldn't eat in.
Avocado
Avocados are my last suggestion but they are definitely not my least favourite. They are packed with healthy fats that help to lower cholesterol and triglyceride's. They are high in fibre and low in carbohydrates and they contain more potassium than a banana. If you can eat them, you most certainly should.
Summary
So there we have it. My list of 5 healthy and convenient snacks that are full of goodness. If you want to find out more information about nutrition, training or you have an event coming up that you want to look and feel your best for feel free to send a message to Ben's PT Essex on Google and I will personally get in contact with you to offer my guidance.
Stay strong and keep healthy
BC
