Healthy Snacking

Juicy Chef

Thursday, October 20, 2011

To snack or not to snack? This is a heavy-duty question many people ask themselves. One minute we are told it's alright to do so, another time we are told it is bad for us. Is it no wonder that we are confused? Common sense, however, is proving that we can snack within reason, as it is not good for us to go hungry for prolonged periods. It's OK to nibble on something to "tide you over". The real crux is for us to know the quality of snacks we indulge in, whether they are nutritious versus empty calories.

One of the traps we can fall into is snacking out of stress, boredom or comfort, an example of this is while reading a book or watching television. I have been guilty of this, especially while watching sports. It is kind of ironic that I am stuffing my face while watching these fit athletes; I should be ashamed! Having a food diary though, highlighted my poor eating habits and I have done a lot to improve them.

Today's photos will show you ordinary supermarket purchases which will help facilitate your cravings for a snack in-between meals. Fruit for me is the best snack. It's nature's gift to us. Bananas, an apple, a few grapes, an orange, a nice slice of watermelon are great snacks. Nuts and seeds are also good for when the munchies take over. Have a sweet tooth? Dried fruit are great to nibble on; I also mix them with granola and make snack bars (recipe below).

We all love chocolate. Studies now show that chocolate has some positive benefits for the heart due to its antioxidant properties. The average chocolate sold is milk based, which typically has additional fillings like fudge or caramel. These usually add calories, but snacking on chocolate in its purest form, such as a few squares of dark chocolate, is perfectly acceptable.

For more savoury treats, cottage cheese and string cheese are convenient snacks. The latter comes packaged in convenient calorie-controlled portions and go nicely with fruit or crackers. Of course, when I buy crackers I go for the whole grain sorts such as bran or wheat/oat combinations which are more nutritious than plain white. Celery and carrots are my two favourite vegetables for snacking. I cut them into strips and munch on them. I like to dip carrot sticks in hummus, the famous chickpea purée which you can buy already made and it's quite easy to make this Arab/Jewish treat yourself. There is a big debate between the Israeli and Lebanese about who invented hummus; much like the dispute over Pisco between Peru and Chile. I like to combine celery sticks with peanut butter. Any cold cut, such as ham, turkey breast, pastrami, is also good for a quick in-between meals bite. I eat a couple slices of pure protein as is, that is without bread.

I also love yoghurt. The Greek variety is especially rich in protein and is a good stop gap. I typically eat natural yoghurt, if not, I like the ones with granola or fruit on the bottom. Snacking on yoghurt provides our body with good bacteria (probiotics), which is good for our stomach and intestines, therefore our digestive health.

I am not a parent, but I know that school is now back in session and adults like to indulge their children with a treat or two. You can indulge your kids, but do opt to give them sensible snacks with proper nutritional value.

Dried Fruit and Oat Bars

Whenever a recipe is not mine, I clearly state this. This recipe is from Fiona Hayes, a low-fat food specialist on about.com and one which I have tried numerous times. I have included the metric measurements.

Ingredients:

2 cups/500g oats

1 cup/250g plain oat cereal

(such as Cheerios)

1 cup/250g whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup/250g dried mixed fruit

1/2 cup/125ml honey

2 egg whites

1 medium banana, mashed

1/4 cup/60ml Canola oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°F

Line a nine by 13” baking pan with foil with about an inch overhang and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Microwave oats for two minutes on a large plate, stirring halfway through.

Place oats, oat cereal, flour, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in dried fruit.

Add honey, egg whites, mashed banana and oil. Stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined. Empty mixture into lined baking pan and press down with some waxed paper or wet hands.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are golden. Cool for 10 minutes in pan then grasp foil ends and lift out of pan. Cut into 18 bars and place on a cooling rack.

Contact me at juicycheffoodmedia@gmail.com

Thanks to my weekly sponsors MegaMart.

Bon Appétit!

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Healthy Snacking