Its the start of the month and some of you may have plans to do some grocery shopping. When you look at your grocery list do you ever wonder what are some healthier snack options that you can pick up at the store to help start to eat healthier? Well you are in luck because today’s post will have MORE healthy, QUICK, and AFFORDABLE options that you can pick up on your next trip to the store.
Having low calorie healthy snacks during your day will help you to lower the calorie intake you have for that day. The ultimate goal is to manage how many calories you are eating so that you can balance that with a great workout. The key to shedding those extra pounds is to eat things that will be beneficial to your body, fill you up until your next meal, and knowing the right portion sizes so that you are not overeating and consuming extra calories. If you do these things plus incorporate a great calorie burning workout several times a week you should be bikini ready just in time for the summer!
Don’t forget, you would like to make your snacks about 300 calories. You don’t want to use most of your calorie intake on your snacks! A snack is suppose to be a filler to help you in between meals when you feel that you are hungry.
Here are some more great healthy snack ideas that are easy, quick, and not expensive! Thanks to SixSistersStuff.com for sharing some of these amazing ideas of snacks that you can grab on the go!
1. 1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes (can mix these with one serving size of crackers to make a great filling afternoon snack!)
2. Small Green Salad with light dressing (suggested serving size is about a handful of lettuce. Try a light vinaigrette dressing. Try to stay away from the creamy thick dressings. Those carry the most calories)
3. Mango smoothie (frozen mango, mango Greek Yogurt or plain Greek yogurt, and a small amount of orange juice or any other juice that you like. Try to use no more than one serving size of juice and make sure that it is 100% fruit juice)
4. Kabobs (thread low-fat meat, low-fat cheese, pineapple and cherry tomatoes onto a stick. You can always substitute other fruit/veggie options)
5.one slice of WHOLE WHEAT bread topped with peanut butter and banana slices (make sure it is whole wheat bread. this is one of the best options when consuming bread products)
5. Grilled Pineapple (throw them on the grill or a skillet on med. heat for two minutes or until golden. The best option for these is the whole round cuts and not the chuncks)
6. Baked Apples (one tennis ball-sized apple, cored, filled with 1 teaspoon brown sugar and cinnamon, and baked until tender. You can also cut the apple into desired sizes and sprinkle the toppings onto the slices. Makes for a less messy version)
7. Strawberries dipped in fat-free Cool Whip (suggested serving size is 1 to 2 cups of strawberries and 2 tablespoons of the Cool Whip)
8. Low-fat tortilla (or whole wheat tortilla) topped with egg salad, shredded carrots and cucumber slices (you can also top is with egg whites, feta cheese, cottage cheese, or any other type of low fat topping that you like)
9. Parfait (build your own with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt, fruit, and granola. Make sure to not use to much granola! some granola can pack a lot of sugar)
10. Bowl of bran flakes with 1/2 cup skim milk and berries
11. Guacamole with you choice of veggies (suggested serving size is 1/4 cup of guacamole)
10. Triscuit’s Thin Crisps dipped in cottage cheese or hummus (this is MY personal favorite afternoon snack. i spread low fat laughing cow Swiss cheese on my crisps which is also just as good!)
11. Cashews (suggested serving size is 1 ounce. It is also good to mix this in with cottage cheese, low fat yogurt, or anything else)
12. Pretzels (suggested serving size is about 17 pretzels)
13. Sun Chips (don’t forget portion control! Read the serving amount on the side of the bag but it is usually about 1 ounce which is usually about a handful of chips)
14. Cheesy Breaded Tomatoes (Two roasted plum tomatoes sliced and topped with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese)
15. Sugar Snap Peas (a great snack if you sprinkle your own spices on it. If you dip it into a veggie dip make sure it is low in calories and stick to the portion size)
16. Steamed Veggies (steam non-starchy vegetables in a microwave safe bag and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese or 1/4 cup pasta sauce)
17. Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges ( you can spread this on crackers, veggies, or even fruit)
18. Snack/Granola bar (around 150 calories or less, like Kellogg’s All-Bran, Kashi TLC Trail Mix, or Fiber one Bar)
19. Baked chips (about 7-10) with salsa (you can make your OWN healthier version of baked chips by toasting whole wheat tortillas! Check out THIS post for the recipe)
20. Protein Bar (great snack after your workout. Make sure to get a bar with low sugar. Be careful to get a bar that is also tasty. Some bars do not taste very well and can leave a bad taste in your mouth.)
21. Sweet Potato Fries (one light-bulb sized sweet potato sliced, tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and baked at 400° for 10 minutes)
22. Snack Wrap (I like a slice of turkey, Swiss cheese, baby spinach leaves, and cranberry relish wrapped up in a tortilla)
23. Pumpkin Seeds (2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, sprayed with oil (just a spritz!) and baked at for 400° for 15 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle a tiny amount of salt on top)
24. Bean Salad (a handful of lettuce, 1/2 cup of your fav beans, top with feta cheese or some other topping makes the perfect pre-lunch snack!)
25. Peaches and Cottage Cheese
26. Chopped Red, Green, or Yellow Peppers (dipped in fat free dipping sauce or sprinkle with spices for a lower calorie snack)
27. Tuna with Triscuit crackers (yes DRY tuna is a great option but i always like to add a little relish or mustard to give it more of a taste)
28. Cooked and Cubed Chicken Breast (you can season it or toss it into a salad for a great snack or healthy meal option!)
29. Homemade Popsicles (puree watermelon, strawberries, mango, banana, etc and freeze in popsicle molds or use your ice cube tray as an alternative. You can also use small disposable cups and peel off the cup and enjoy the frozen treat!)
30. Quesadilla (whole wheat (or corn) tortillas w/cheese (or not) melted in microwave – adding on tomatoes, beans, corn, olives, avocado or guacamole or whatever sounds good. This can be a great snack or a great meal option depending on how much you add to the quesadilla!)
So keep these options in mind when making your grocery list and getting ready to make your next grocery purchase.
Stay tuned for even MORE healthy, quick, and affordable options!
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We’ve all got the occasional hair in our food at one point or another. Ingesting unwanted hair is more likely to occur at fast food restaurants… and it’s not just the hair that grows on the top of heads that you need to worry about.
Apparently, real strawberries are expensive. So fast food companies like McDonald’s choose to use a ridiculous concoction of 50 chemicals to effectively imitate the flavor of one real-world food. These chemicals include ethyl acetate, phenythyl alcohol and solvent.
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FDA laws allow for an average of 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter. In that same half cup of peanut butter, you’ll also find at least one rodent hair (on average). Yum! Now that’s good eating!
Shellac is a type of finishing product that is typically used to improve the shine of wood and furniture. However, it can also be used to improve the shine of certain foods, such as jelly beans. Where does shellac come from? Why, it’s secreted by an insect in Thailand called the Kerria Iacca of course!
Food production companies have long sought ways to combat unhealthy microbes found on processed foods such as lunch meat and hot dogs. A few years ago, the FDA approved the use of bacteriophages (a.k.a. viruses) that help kill these dangerous microbes. So, basically, viruses are purposely being added to your food to improve shelf life.
While cocaine was long taken out of Coca-Cola long ago, the current formula is still formulated to get you high. Each can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. In normal circumstances, the extreme sweetness of this much sugar would immediately cause you to vomit uncontrollably. However, since all that sugar is addictive and keeps you coming back for more, Coca-Cola adds phosphoric acid -– an ingredient that cuts the sweetness to manageable levels.
A more accurate name for Kraft Singles and other packaged cheeses is “cheese-like substance.” Any cheese product labeled as processed or pasteurized includes additives, chemicals and flavorings that account for up 49 percent of the total product. As a result, that cheap cheese in your grocery store has just enough real cheese in it to allow companies to call it cheese.
Choosing to “eat healthy” at a fast food restaurant isn’t necessarily a good idea. To prolong crispness, packaged salads are dusted with Propylene Glycerol, a chemical commonly found in antifreeze. In its concentrated form, the chemical has been known to cause eye and skin irritation.
Many fast food chicken items contain beef additives used to enhance flavor and juke health stats. Chicken McNuggets, the Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and KFC Grilled Chicken Sandwich are a few examples. Check the ingredients, and you’ll see no sign of such atrocities. That’s because such beef additives are listed as “extract” or “essence.”
