AU natural
If you’re a fan of peanut butter, but not of the high levels of unhealthy trans fats – which can’t be properly digested by the body – it contains, switch to a natural product. While no lower in calories, these are free of hydrogenated oils. Great spread on crackers or oatcakes and eaten with an apple as a mid-morning snack.
Care for carob
If you want an alternative to caffeine-rich chocolate that is cocoa and dairy free, try chocolate substitutes made with the tree bark of the carob tree. These taste naturally sweet and so will contain quite a lot less guar than many chocolate bars.
Cut the cheese content
Instead of smothering your pizza or salad with lots of high-fat low-flavour cheese, switch to a highly flavoured cheese like Parmesan, extra mature Cheddar or a blue cheese such as Stilton or Gorgonzola, and use a smaller amount. A tablespoon of Parmesan contains only 2 g of fat (one of which is saturates).
Service-Station Trap
Car journeys can be long and you might find yourself eating to keep awake. And, of course, service stations are waiting for you with a tempting array of super-sized snacks. To avoid the temptation, set off on your journey with a good choice of healthy snacks to see you through.
Stay well stocked
Lots of people get hungry for sugary snacks in the evening, and if you’re at home watching TV it can be difficult to resist that bar of chocolate. Keep healthy snacks to hand – low-fat yogurt, dried or fresh dates, figs or mango, oatcakes – and only have the chocolate if you still want it after you’ve had two healthy snacks.
Keep it fresh
All fruit is healthy but dried fruit is significantly higher in calories than fresh fruit. This is because the moisture is taken out, leaving more sugar per serving. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best to stick to fresh fruit, which you can eat more of for the same number of calories.
On the move
Next time you reach for a snack when you’re out shopping or in the car, stop and think whether you’re rally hungry. Are you bored, tired? Does it just happen to be there? Carry a healthy snack such as nuts or oastcakes in your bag for times like this.
Look below the surface
Don’t be fooled into thinking yogurt-coated nuts and raisings are healthy foods. They are filled with calories, sugar and fat without any of the active cultures of fresh yogurt. In fact, the yogurt taste is often just flavouring. Just 20 yogurt-covered nuts provide around 460 calories, 32 g fat and 8 tsp sugar. Instead, choose nuts in the shell – they will take longer to eat, giving your brain more time to recognize you are full.
Air-Popped corn
Popcorns is a great filler and fibre provider and has only 100 calories and 3.5 g fibre per regular serving – much less than nuts and dried fruit. But choose air-popped corn rather than fried, and don’t add lashings of salty or sweet toppings.
Cut the coffee
There might be a coffee bar on every street corner, but that doesn’t mean you need to stop for a top-up at every one! Coffee drinks can be really high in fat and calories because of the milk and syrup – mocha coffee has 11 g fat, cappuccino 6 g and regular white coffee 1 g fat, so choose carefully – and don’t dip in a sweet snack.
It had better be celery
Celery is a super snack food – not only is it crunchy and refreshing, it genuinely does take your body the same amount of calories to eat and digest it as it gives you. Avoid smothering it with creamy dips and go for healthy versions instead, such as hummus made with olive oil or low-fat yogurt mixed with garlic and fresh herbs.
Serve yourself a salad
So that you’ve always got a healthy option when you open the fridge door, make up a large bowl of salad a couple of times a week and get into the habit of serving it with every meal, adding extra vegetables to your diet.
Choose decaf
Many people swear by the caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate and many soft drinks to give them a boost whenever they’re flagging, but caffeine addiction can lead to fatigue and lack of concentration. Give yourself a break for a few days or switch to decaffeinated drinks – even if just a cup or two a day.
Fishy Pate
To help you get your extra portions of fish, make your own fish pate using canned fish with your favorite sauce – think horseradish with salmon and mackerel, or tomato with tuna – to use as a sandwich spread during the week.
Keep it individual
Never take a whole box or packet of snacks or food to eat in front of the computer, television or while reading, because you might absentmindedly eat more than you intend. Serve yourself an individual portion in a bowl instead, and get yourself a refill only if you really want more.
Danger zones
Most people have “danger times” for snacking during the day (for a lot of women it’s around 4 pm). Make an effort not to be around fatty snacks at this time, or take along a healthier alternative such as nuts and seeds.
Crab a crape
Keep a bunch of grapes in your fridge and grab a handful when you fancy something sweet. They release sugar quickly, so are great for satisfying cravings – wait ten minutes and only reach for the chocolate if the grapes really don’t hit the spot.
Can you burn if off?
For each pound of body weight you want to burn off, you need to use up roughly 3500 calories, so unless you’re about to become a marathon runner, think carefully about which snacks you choose.
Up water levels
Drinking water is essential for keeping your system healthy – not only does it keep your cells hydrated and help you organs function optimally, it also keeps food flowering through the digestive system, which means you’ll derive more benefits from your healthy foods.
Sugar-free your immunity
Cutting down on snack foods containing refined sugar can limit your susceptibility to fatigue, colds and winter bugs. High levels of sugar affect immunity by reducing the efficiency of white blood cells.
Low-cal your hot drinks
Try using skimmed, or fat-free milk instead of your usual whole or semi-skimmed version in hot drinks where calories can add up without you realizing. This could save you 30 calories per cup of tea or filter coffee, even ore if you drink cappuccino or latte. And ditch the syrups and flavorings.
Go bananas
For an energy boost to help you through a late-afternoon dip in energy, choose a banana. They’re packed with potassium for extra energy.
Pack up the car
If car journeys are a time you find it difficult not to snack, pre-empt your cravings by packing fruit and vegetables in snack-sized portions, or healthy rice cakes or dried fruits. Pack enough for the family, so you won’t be tempted by their snacks.
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