It can be difficult to stick to a diet when you’re either a busy mum, are working or are out and about – as the only snacks usually available are chocolate and crisps from the vending machine or sandwiches full of calories.
These sorts of foods are no good for your health or if you are trying to lose your pregnancy weight, especially when you’re trying to lose weight, as they’ll just leave you wanting more, meaning that you’re likely to overeat.
Here are 5 healthy eating snacks that are easy to sling in your bag which are healthy, low fat, low calorie and packed with vitamins and nutrients that will give you a burst of energy when you’re feeling tired
Rice Cake Sandwiches
Rice cakes are super low in calories and fat but they are high in protein. Make your rice cakes a little more special by sandwiching them together with something like low fat cheese, cottage cheese or hummus.
Wrap your rice cakes well in cling wrap to prevent them from turning soft. Large rice cakes tend to have less than 50 calories per rice cake, and all the fillings above are less than 50 calories per tbsp. – giving you a healthy, filling snack for less than 150 calories.
Veggie Sticks
Veggie sticks are an incredibly healthy snack and they are also satisfying, too – their crunch and sweetness will help to fill you up and they will provide you with some much needed energy. Try raw carrot sticks, raw cauliflower florets, raw broccoli florets, cucumber sticks, pepper sticks and cherry tomatoes.
If you want something to dip, you could make a little pot of tomato salsa with fresh tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, a little chilli and salt and pepper. Put your salsa into a little lidded pot and your veggies in a mini lunchbox and you’re all set!
If you serve your veggies with a homemade tomato salsa or with something like a spice mix, the snack will be under 150 calories, although you could serve them with hummus or a nut butter for a slightly higher calorie count.
Yoghurt & Banana
Bananas are a great food for slow release energy – they will fill you up and will slowly release their energy, thus preventing blood sugar spikes. Serve your banana with a pot of your favourite low fat yoghurt for a bit of sweetness, calcium and protein – if you like, use the yoghurt as a dipping sauce! Choose a medium banana and a yoghurt containing less than 60 calories to keep this snack under 150 calories.
Almonds
Almonds are a very simple snack, and although they are fairly high in fat, they are high in the good kind of heart healthy fat that could actually help you to lose weight when eaten in moderation.
Almonds are another great slow release energy food that will help to keep you fuller for longer and prevent blood sugar spikes, and they are also a great source of protein and fibre. 22 raw almonds will provide you with 149 calories, and they will really fill you up – just be sure to count out 22 almonds instead of guessing the amount of almonds you’ve eaten.
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a super easy snack to make and the bonus is you can portion it out so that you control the calories. You can also choose what goes into it – whether you want cereal, nuts, dried fruits etc.
If you want cereals in your trail mix, opt for a crunchy cereal that hasn’t been coated in sugar or honey, such as rice crisp cereal or bran flakes. As for nuts, opt for raw nuts that haven’t been honey coated or roasted to keep the calorie count low. You can put all sorts of dried fruits into a trail mix, including apricots, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, blueberries etc.
Simply portion out ¼ cup trail mix into a re-sealable freezer bag or small lidded box to make it portable. On average, ¼ cup serving of trail mix has 150 calories, although this could be lower or higher depending on the ingredients you put into it.
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