Intelligent Snacking

When it comes to choosing snacks, many individuals get themselves into trouble by getting themselves addicted to processed foods, such as cookies, muffins, chocolate bars, chips etc.

If you stick to whole, fresh, raw, organic foods, you can eat, within reason, as much as you want (with the exception of cheese).

The following are some of my favourites:

Vegetables

• Carrots

• Celery

• Peas (farm fresh)

• Cucumbers

• Fennel

• Cherry tomatoes

• Edamame

• Cauliflower

• Broccoli

• Pepper

For those who like to dip their veggies, 3 of my favourite nutritious dips are:

1. Guacamole

2. Hummus

3. Tomato Salsa

Fruits

I would include all fruits. Fruit smoothies make a great snack and a great pre-workout meal. Some of my favourites are:

• Bananas and Berries (strawberries and / or raspberries and/ or blueberries)

• Bananas and Pears

• Apples and Pears with a dash of cinnamon

My suggestion is to avoid adding milk to your smoothie (dairy and fruit don’t combine well when it comes to digestion). If you are going to add liquids to your smoothie, use water or almond milk.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are bite sized nutritional snacks packed with heart healthy fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

• Almonds

• Cashews

• Peanuts

• Walnuts

• Pistachios

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sunflower seeds

• Organic almond butter or organic peanut butter on whole grain bread or crackers

Hot Air Popped Corn

I enjoy it plain, but if you would like a topping, try it with olive oil or coconut butter (vs regular butter). You can also try combining your favourite spices to make different blends (such as Cajun or Italian) to use as an alternative to salt.

Cheese

Cheese is an excellent source of protein, vitamin D, zinc and calcium. Cheese is high in saturated fat, the type that raises LDL cholesterol, so individuals with high cholesterol should ideally eat the cheese types with lower saturated fats.

According to the Good Cheese Guide the following cheeses were rated out of ten on how healthy they are for you based on a 30g portion.

• Parmigiano 9/10

• Swiss 8/10

• Ricotta 7/10

• Edam 8/10

• Brie 6/10

Parmigiano and Swiss have little lactose, so people with lactose intolerance can usually eat them without any symptoms.

Parmigiano and Edam are high in salt so not advisable for high blood pressure sufferers.

According to www.cholesterol.about.com the following cheeses have the lowest saturated fats:

• Provolone

• Mozzarella

• Ricotta

• Cottage Cheese

Avoid processed foods (foods that have been chemically processed and made from refined ingredients and artificial substances) such as pop, cookies, chips, packaged and canned foods.

Processed foods are usually:

1. High in sugar.

2. Designed to be addictive.

3. Loaded with artificial chemicals, flavours, colours and preservatives.

4. High in simple carbohydrates, which leads to rapid spikes in blood sugar.

5. Contain genetically modified ingredients.

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