Saying so, snacking between meals is extremely essential; to balance blood sugar levels and keep you satisfied for longer. If you choose carefully, a wholesome snack can be packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and good fats. The aim should be to maximise nutrition and minimise poor food choices and empty kilojoules.
Coming to sweets and desserts, most of us have a sweet tooth and find it extremely hard to resist digging into some decadent treats. This is where you need to be careful. If you crave something sweet, have a small amount of dark chocolate, or a date /fig following your meal. Although make sure you don't eat dates on an empty stomach, as they are sky high on the GI index and will send your blood sugar levels through the roof. A smart trick is to stuff dates with raw almonds to blunt the blood sugar response.
So if you do feel hungry between meals, stick to foods on the below mentioned snack list. Each choice is packed with wholesome nutrition and you can pick according to your mood.
Healthy Snacking List
1. Low-GI fruits such as pears, apples, guava, oranges, grapefruit and apricot
2. A dozen of green or black olives
3. Wedges of organic apples dipped in almond or peanut butter (recipe enclosed)
4. Cucumber, radish, carrot slices dipped in hung curd dip
5. Raw unsalted almonds, pistachios, walnuts and macadamia nuts
6. Bowl of strawberries
7. Vegetable broth
8. Whole rye bread with peanut/almond butter
9. Cup of grapes (in hot weather)
10. Roasted soy nuts
11. Home-made natural popcorn
12. Apple-strawberry shake (take half an apple, six strawberries, small amount of raw honey and a glass of milk, and whiz the ingredients in a blender).
13. Fresh juices of carrot, celery, cucumber, beetroot, ginger and amla
14. Raw veggies like cherry tomatoes, green, red, yellow capsicum strips dipped in hummus or herbed tofu dip
15. Make your own trail mix of pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon, chia, flax seeds and organic raisins
16. Two figs with 10 -12 almonds
17. 2 hard-boiled eggs
18. 2 prunes or plums (when in season)
19. Boiled chicken soup or salad
20. A cup of cherries
21. Half a cup of natural yoghurt (no added sugar) with fruits and raw nuts
22. Six dried apricots with 10-12 nuts such as almonds and walnuts
23. Banana elixir- fresh chilled bananas, a cup of plain or natural yoghurt with a tea spoon of chia seeds and a small amount of raw honey (whiz ingredients together in a blender).
24. A date with 8-10 walnuts
25. A cup of steamed corn
26. A cup of sprouts
27. Dark chocolate - a good quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium and few other minerals.
So choose carefully from the list to see amazing results on your waist line and a healthy glow on your skin.
Here's an easy and delicious recipe for making almond butter -
Almond Butter Recipe
Ingredient:
3/4 cup water (filtered)
100gm of plain yogurt
1 cup (150gm) almond meal
1 Tbsp raw honey
Method:
Place the almond meal, water, honey, and yogurt in a blender and whiz until the consistency of a thickened pouring cream.About the Author:Shilpa Arora ND is a renowned Health Practitioner, Nutritionist and certified Macrobiotic Health Coach. She has to her credit Doctorate in Natural Medicine. She is currently based in Delhi NCR region, successfully running her Nutrition Studio with individual consultations, offering life style programs supported by the most up-to-date clinical research.
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