Improve Your Diet Instantly With These Healthy Convenience Snacks
Just because you’re on the go doesn’t mean you’re allowed an excuse for eating poorly. Carrying along healthy convenience snacks is not only practical, but it keeps you away from the snack machine at work on in a number of public places. These are ten of the healthiest convenience foods around, helping you stay active while providing healthy choices for in-between meals:
1. Natural Nut Clusters
Natural nut clusters are full of nutrition and great taste. They’re available at most popular grocery stores, and there are several different varieties to choose from. Nut clusters are naturally made and they limit the amount of preservatives used in processing. These snack foods have the right amount of natural sugars and protein from different nuts, and a few handfuls of these snacks will leave you satisfied for hours.
2. Yogurt Raisins
These tasty treats are a favorite among grownups and kids alike, and yogurt covered raisins include lots of healthy benefits. It’s a deliciously sweet and salty flavor combination that goes well together and provides a range of antioxidants. This is a portable snack that satisfies your mid-day urge for a sweet tooth.
3. Trail Mix
Trail mix is a good source of protein and contributes to your daily requirement for a few healthy servings of fruit each day. Put together a small bag of trail mix and you get filling fiber needed to fill your stomach, something that keeps you satisfied between meals. Choose varieties that are heavy on the nut, whole grain, and dried fruit, and light on the chocolate.
4. Protein Shake
A quick protein shake is the perfect solution for a healthy meal for your morning rush. Protein shakes are incredibly simple and versatile, requiring only a few seconds to make. There are a number of fruits and ingredients that go well with shakes, like strawberries and peanut butter.
Not in the mood to make one every day yourself? No problem. Many supermarkets now carry pre-made shakes that balance the amount of carbohydrates and protein very well, which saves you the energy and hassle of peeling and chopping or separating the fruit by yourself.
5. Dried Fruit
Drying fruit is a unique process that’s quite different from the core fruits you start with. When you dry fruit, all the nutrients stay intact, since the process uses heat that’s 170 degrees or less. Fruit has plenty of antioxidants and amino acids, and when dried, the most nutritious parts of the fruit remain. Be careful with serving services, however, since there’s lots of natural sugars in these snacks. A few servings of dried fruit would be a healthy way to tide you over until dinner.
6. Bean and Cheese Burrito
There may be several different brands of bean and cheese burritos on the market, but they’re all basically the same product. Burritos are a healthy alternative to the many calories in bread. You can look for organic, all natural burritos if you must, but most are hearty snacks that don’t have too many bad ingredients. Still, you should read the labels on these products to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Burritos can be wrapped up and frozen in advance so they’re ready to eat as a quick snack, lunch, or dinner entrée.
7. Soups
Soup has a tendency to be very filling, and satisfies the heartiest of appetites very well. If you read labels and carefully choose low sodium and low fat varieties, you’ll be in good shape for that quick meal you’re looking for in the afternoon. Another thing to consider is that clear broths and stocks include less additives, which are needed more in cream-based soups to prevent them from spoiling.
So, enjoy a bowl of your favorite soup and don’t worry so much about how it affects your health. With a keen eye to ingredients, you can enjoy a great bowl of soup without packing on high amounts of salt, fat, additives, and preservatives you don’t need.
Better yet, make your own creations at home by mixing a can of broth with some vegetables, rice, pasta, and your own favorite spices. Then, you can freeze single serving soup containers in the freezer for a healthy cup of soup that’s ready in minutes.
8. Veggies and Dip
How simple is this? Combine some fresh veggies with some yummy dip and you’ve got a wholesome snack that you’ll spend little time putting together. Instead of the traditional, les s healthy ranch and blue cheese dressings used for dips, substitute baba ganoush, hummus, or yogurt and enjoy a guilt-free convenience snack that keeps you close to nature.
9. Food Bars
The convenience food market includes scores of different food bars made by a bevy of quality manufacturers. Luna, Clif, Lara, Pure Protein, Special K, Odwalla are just a few of the companies that offer delicious health food bars in different flavors. These are health-conscious quick bites that are well-balanced to provide the right amount of nutritional value.
Depending on the goal of your nutrition and fitness plans, you find different bars that are designed to either help build muscle with lots of protein, or provide a low-fat, lower sugar content to help you lose weight.
10. Oatmeal
Oatmeal isn’t just for breakfast anymore, It’s also a fantastic snack, the homemade oats kind that is. Steer clear of instant oatmeals that have too much added sugar and artificial ingredients.
This is one snack you might not consider a convenience food, but even with regular oats (not the “quick” oats that take less time, you can be enjoying a hot bowl of oatmeal in less than ten minutes, If you wanted to, you could even nibble on raw oatmeal or toast some up and add fruit and nuts for a quick granola-like treat.
Regardless of your schedule, it is still possible to supplement good nutritious meals with healthy convenience snacks you put together in minutes. Adults have different nutritional needs than their children do. Their snacks are meant to keep them satisfied without adding extra calories, fat, sugar, or salt to their diet, most of which we get too much of already.
In particular, if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight, you should incorporate a couple light convenience snacks into your day. This helps burn excess fat and keeps you from eating larger meals than you intend to at breakfast, lunch, and especially dinner. Snack smart with healthy convenient foods and you’ll feel better and stay healthier in the long run.
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