Snack Attack

Did you know the UK is the biggest snacking region in Europe? As a nation we mange to stuff our faces with a staggering 268,000 tonnes of junk food every year, that’s equivalent to the weight of 76,571 elephants! If that wasn’t frightening enough we each annually munch through an average of £229 worth of snacks despite the health warnings surrounding diabetes and heart disease. Isn’t it time we started to ditch these nasty traditional snacks, such as crisps and chocolate, in favour of more healthy choices?

I don’t know about you but when I was growing up I was always discouraged from eating between meals because it was deemed to be unhealthy. However, there is a growing body of evidence that tells us that snacking is actually beneficial to our health and well-being. Many nutritionists agree that three hearty meals a day, plus a couple of snacks, is the optimum way to eat: it prevents your blood sugar from dropping so low that you experience fatigue and irritability; it helps you to reach your five a day; it stops you becoming so ravenous that you raid the fridge for anything you can get your hands on; it keeps your digestive system toned and in good working order and helps to prevent bloating, indigestion and other common digestive complaints.

Unhealthy snacking is an easy trap to fall into because as humans we are undoubtedly creatures of habit. We’ve all succumb to naughty pick-me-ups at ‘elevenses’ or the 3pm slump when we’re feeling bored at work, tired after a long weekend or just settling down to watch our favourite TV show. Routine and not enough time often become excuses for that extra slice of cake or just one more chocolate. You know what I’m going to say don’t you? That’s right, the only way to escape unhealthy snacking and subsequent feelings of guilt is to change your snack mindset and ditch those habits!

Sugar is essentially pure, white and deadly because the more you have, the more you want. It perks you up in the short term because it helps to raise your blood glucose levels but unfortunately in a very short space of time you’ll end up feeling worse than you did before as your blood sugar levels plummet. The only way out of this vicious circle is to go cold turkey and experiment with all the amazing healthy options out there. Believe me as a reformed addict I would never go back!

Luckily for us we can easily create the perfect snack so below I have given you my top ten tips for healthy snacking followed by some great suggestions to get you started.

My Top Ten Snacking Tips

1. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners Foods that contain artificial sweeteners are usually a cocktail of chemicals. Did you know that aspartame, found in sugar free desserts and diet drinks is a dangerous neuro toxin?

2. Frequent Healthy Snacks Eating at regular intervals helps to keep your appetite under control so you are less likely to overeat or succumb to fatty or sugary temptations.

3. Are You Drinking Enough Water? The body often mistakes hunger for dehydration so always aim to drink at least 2 litres throughout the day.

4. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail Make sure you plan your snacks and always have healthy options to hand in the house, your office and even in the car. Don’t even think about saying there’s not enough time!

5. Don’t be Fooled by Organic Remember that organic doesn’t necessarily mean healthy; organic snacks can be just as bad for you if they’re full of sugar, fat or salt.

6. Ditch Caffeine Avoid caffeine because it plays tricks on your blood sugar levels and stresses your adrenal glands. Most of us certainly don’t need any more stress!

7. Get Label Savvy Make sure you always read what’s in your food so you can avoid ‘E’ numbers and additives. Try to eat food in its most natural form, for example eat raw nuts instead of salted and roasted varieties as unnecessary toxins stress your body and can make you feel tired and sluggish.

8. Avoid Fizzy Drinks Drinking fizzy stuff between meals will trick your body into thinking it’s full without providing any nutrition. Zero Coke wasn’t called zero for nothing!

9. Look Out for Hidden Sugars Rice syrup, corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, honey and fructose are all just posh names for sugar!

10. Boost Protein If you’re planning to eat something sweet, for instance dried fruit; always try to have some protein with it. Good sources include nuts, seeds, cottage cheese and yoghurt.


My Top Ten Snack Foods

1. Fresh Fruit Apples and pears are perfect snacks because they have a lower GI than most other fruits and are full of soluble fibre than is essential for digestive health. Other fruits, such as bananas, are best eaten with some protein so the sugar is released much slower. Try natural yoghurt, soya yoghurt, cottage cheese or nuts and seeds.

2. Fresh Vegetables Why not eat a vegetable like you would a piece of fruit? Try carrots, cucumber, mange tout or even peppers.3. Nut Butters You can get a variety of nut butters in most health food shops. They’re great spread on oatcakes, rye crackers or crudités and you can even try adding them to smoothies for an added protein boost.

4. Homemade Fruit Smoothies You can literally juice / blend any fruit or vegetables and create some delicious concoctions. However if you’re nervous about experimenting there are some great books on the market.

5. Hoummous, Guacamole or Salsa It’s best to make your own so you can limit their salt, sugar and fat content but if time is not on your side Waitrose’s products are by far the best. Serve them with crudités, oatcakes or rice cakes.

6. Nuts and Seeds Nuts and especially seeds are nutrient powerhouses and are so versatile you can add them to any snack or meal. Try roasting seeds in the oven for about 4 minutes and drizzle with soy sauce. You can also try soaking almonds overnight for a slightly different taste and texture.

7. Village Bakery Cereal Bars These are probably the best cereal bars you can buy. They’re available in most large supermarkets and good health food shops. Beware of commercial or breakfast bars as they’re laden with sugar and rubbish.

8. Vegetable Soup A cup of homemade soup is a perfect snack especially if you add a few lentils. A great idea is to make a batch and freeze what you don’t need in small portions.

9. Cottage Cheese with Crudités Cottage cheese is not only low fat; it’s also very convenient to eat when you’re out and about. Just pop it in one of those great mini cool bags you can buy in M&S and serve it with veggies, crackers or fruit.

10. Avocado with Cherry Tomatoes You can make a small salad with avocadoes and tomatoes or serve with crackers or crudités.

Now you’ve got no excuse to overhaul your routine; remember the best way to boost your health and wellbeing is to eat two to three healthy snacks a day; you’ll lose weight, you’ll increase your nutrient intake and your energy will sky rocket. Ditch the cakes, pastries, crisps and chocolate bars and switch to some of the healthy alternatives above. So what you waiting for? Get snacking…

Love Charlotte x