Get Your Snack On: Healthy Snack Ideas

Cravings happen even to the healthiest of us. Often, when a craving hits in the afternoon or after dinner, we get the urge to snack. Snacking can be a bad habit because the snacks we choose are often junky, un-nutritious, and high in calories, sugar, and/or fat.

The trick to snacking without piling on the pounds is to find healthy alternatives to the regular snacks you might normally reach for.

Usually, when we get a craving it is for either something sweet (chocolate!), savory (potato chips!), creamy (ice cream!), or crunchy (crisps!). Obviously, my examples are foods you shouldn’t eat all the time if you want to be trim and healthy. But that doesn’t mean you have to fight your cravings for the rest of your life. Instead, you just need to substitute.

Next time you get a craving for something sweet, why not try:

• fresh whole fruit
• apples and almond butter
• dried fruit
• green smoothies
• banana “ice cream” (peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor with nuts, berries or raisins and serve)
• dates stuffed with almond butter or other nut butter
• organic dark chocolate chips or carob chips

For your savory cravings, try these healthy alternatives:

• olives
• pickles and pickled vegetables such as carrot, okra, or beets
• hummus
• steamed vegetables with tamari, amino acids, or balsamic vinegar
• freshly made salsa or guacamole (my personal fav!)
• sauerkraut (will also knock your sweet craving right out!)
• salted edamame (always organic with soy!)

Your creamy cravings can be met by eating:

• smoothies
• avocados
• rice pudding
• dips and spreads, like hummus
• puréed soups
• puddings made with avocado or mashed banana
• mashed sweet potatoes
• coconut milk

Finally, don‘t cave and reach for the Pringles when you can eat these crunchy (but still healthy) snacks:

• apples
• frozen grapes
• Kale chips
• rice cakes
• light popcorn or plain popcorn (use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan)
• carrots (particularly the sweet, organic baby carrots)
• celery and nut butter (dates or raisins on top)
• raw, unsalted nuts like cashews, almonds, and walnuts

Don’t fight your cravings. Instead, listen to what it is your body wants specifically and choose the healthier option that will be good to your waistline. You’ll be both happy and healthy!

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