Kick Cravings To The Curb With Healthy Snack Options
Cravings happen...PERIOD...even to the healthiest of us!! When your hunger, energy and cravings are out of wack, a whirlwind of out of control taste buds are sure to follow. So be sure to keep yourself in check with these delicious and nutrient packed snack options to FUEL your body, instead of crash it!
Often, when a craving hits in the afternoon or in the evening after dinner, we get the urge to snack. Snacking can be a bad habit to get into, because the snacks we choose are often junky, un-nutritious, and high in calories, sugar, 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 are trying to loose fat and be 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, daikon, beets, and lotus root
- hummus
- steamed vegetables with tamari
- freshly made salsa or guacamole
- salted edamame
Your creamy cravings can be met by eating:
- smoothies
- avocados
- rice pudding
- dips and spreads, like hummus
- puréed soups
- mashed sweet potatoes (also a great sweet craving snack!)
- coconut milk
Finally, don‘t cave and reach for the Pringles, when you can eat these crunchy (but still healthy) snacks:
- apples
- frozen grapes
- rice cakes
- light popcorn or plain popcorn
- carrots (particularly the sweet, organic baby carrots)
- celery and nut butter
- raw, unsalted nuts like cashews, almonds, and walnuts
Don’t fight your craving. Instead, listen to what it is your body wants specifically and choose the healthier option that will be good to your waistline and will keep your hungery and cravings in check!!
