11 HEALTHY SNACKS APPROVED BY NUTRITIONISTS

Healthy snacking is a fine art – you either stuff your face and accidentally make it a fourth meal, or eat too little and end up overeating a few hours later.

Done right, healthy snacks can ease between-meal hunger, fill nutritional gaps and combat energy slumps. Done wrong, snacking can leave you feeling tired and hungrier than before. Whether you’re trying to transform your shape or perform at your peak, we’ve put a list of the top nutritionist-approved healthy snacks.

Does snacking help or hinder weight loss?

It’s natural to feel a lull in energy levels if you don’t eat between meals. However, the kilojoules from between-meal noshing can quickly add up. So, if you are aiming to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, cut down your meal size. You shouldn’t be eating any extra kilojoules, just spreading it out more evenly across the day.

Fitness Enhancing Snacks

The more activity you do, the more energy you burn. Very active people often need extra energy and nutrients to meet the demands of their busy and active lifestyles. If you’re serious about improving your performance, your training program alone might not cut it, so it’s important to make eating frequently through the day part of your high performance nutrition plan.

How much? In terms of energy, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend keeping snacks to about 600 kilojoules (140 calories). This may be less for people who are watching their weight or much more for active people, because everyone has different energy needs. The average person shouldn’t need more than 2 snacks each day. Very active people may need slightly more.

Here are 11 High fibre and protein-rich snacks with less than 200 calories:

1. A small tub of plain yoghurt and a piece of fruit

2. 1-2 cup veggie sticks with 1 tablespoon hummus dip

3. 1 sliced apple or pear with 1 tablespoon nut butter

4. Small packet of air-popped popcorn

5. Handful of unsalted nuts (30g)

6. Small packet of roasted chickpeas or fava beans

7. 2 boiled eggs

8. 4 vita-weat crackers with a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese

9. 1 small muesli bar (35g)

10. 1 small protein ball (oats, nuts, rolled oats or protein powder)

11. 1 small fruit milk-based smoothie (200ml)