Everything, as they say, should be in moderation. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean three hours at the gym or drastically changing your diet, it’s about finding what works for you and your body and doing it in moderation. Keeping yourself healthy means finding the balance between properly sustaining yourself while you’re in the office as well as ensuring that you are getting the right amount of physical activity. In this blog post, we here at TheGetWell would like to walk you through some of the healthiest snacks you can munch on to keep you feeling full without the guilt.
Mixed Nuts
Nuts, despite having high-fat content, have many benefits. According to Health.com, nuts are packed with good fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Some nuts are also known to benefit your brain, heart, and more. Nuts are also a handy snack that you can stash just about anywhere. It even tastes great with your favorite food! Need added flavor to your otherwise boring salad? Sprinkle some crushed nuts on top! Sandwich feeling a little soggy? Add some nuts for that added crunch!
Did you know that nuts are known to contain high doses of fiber as well? Fiber-rich food absorbs water in your body, eases bowel movement, helps maintain bowel health, lowers cholesterol levels, and aids you in controlling blood sugar levels.
Dark Chocolate
There’s been an ongoing debate about dark chocolate being considered a healthy food or just an agenda pushed by candy companies to reposition dark chocolate as a healthy snack rather than a treat. The Harvard School of Public Health has even put out a study about dark chocolate and the results are somewhat conclusive.
According to Harvard, dark chocolate contains two to three times more flavanols (a plant chemical that helps protect the heart) than milk chocolate. Flavanols have also been shown to aid the production of nitric oxide that helps relax blood vessels and improve blood flow, thereby lowering blood pressure. As with everything, dark chocolate should be eaten in moderation as it can contribute to weight gain if eaten in excess.
So should you or should you not eat dark chocolate? If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you wouldn’t have a problem choosing dark chocolate over sweeter types of chocolate. But if you do have those sweet cravings from time to time, dark chocolate could be a great alternative.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a vegetarian’s best friend. Most types of peanut butter contain a simple combination of peanuts, oil, and salt. If you’re going for a real healthier option, we suggest you’d get the kind of peanut butter with less sodium and without the added sugar.
For anyone looking for a good source of protein to add to their diet, look no further. Peanut butter is rich in good fats that are good for your heart as well as an ample amount of protein to aid you in your workouts.
In a Harvard Medical School Q&A, Dr. Walter Willet, Professor of Nutrition from the Harvard School of Public Health, says most people are afraid to include peanut butter in their diet because of its high saturated fat and sodium content. Dr. Willet claims, however, that the presence of saturated fat doesn’t necessarily mean that peanut butter is unhealthy.
“Saturated fat isn’t the deadly toxin it is sometimes made out to be. The body’s response to saturated fat in food is to increase the amounts of both harmful LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol) and protective HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol) in circulation. In moderation, some saturated fat is okay.” says Dr. Willet.
So what are you waiting for? Get your peanut butter fix now!
Greek Yogurt
Yogurt has always been marketed as having good-for-you bacteria. This means that the probiotics found in yogurt help battle harmful bacteria that can cause infections in your intestine. Greek yogurt, on the other hand, is known to be much more nutritious than regular yogurt. If you stick with plain yogurt, meaning without the added sugars, you would be getting a significant amount of vitamins including calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12.
Greek yogurt is also an excellent source of protein that could aid you in recovering faster after a workout. Don’t like eating yogurt as is? Don’t worry! Yogurt could be considered as one of the most versatile foods out there as you can use it for baking, pair it with fruits, or as a dip.
Fruits
For the most part, fruits are considered to be healthy snack options as they are unrefined and unprocessed. However, fruits have relatively high sugar content compared to other natural foods. This is why people that are high-risk candidates to get diabetes (or people that already have diabetes) tend to portion their fruit intake. Fruits are also loaded with fiber and water to keep you feeling full without the calories.
Don’t forget that fruits are an entire food group. Each type of fruit is different when it comes to the vitamins and nutrients that they provide. For instance, oranges and citrus fruits are known to be excellent sources of vitamin C. On the other hand, tropical fruits such as bananas and mangoes are great sources of potassium and other antioxidants that help reduce and prevent cell damage. The key takeaway, however, is that sugars – natural or not – can be harmful to your body. Make sure to eat a well-balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy or dairy alternatives.
Vegetables
“Eat your vegetables, it’s good for you.” We’ve all heard that sentence at least once in our lives. Eating veggies every day is important for our health. The nutrients in vegetables are vital in the health and maintenance of our bodies as well as help us perform everyday functions. Making it a priority to include vegetables in your balanced diet should aid your body in achieving the daily nutrition it needs.
Vegetables are low in fat and protein but can easily complement any protein-rich food you’re eating. Vegetables are also packed with nutrients with minimal calories so it can definitely be a snack that you can munch on. Fiber also plays a big part in the value of vegetables as snacks as it’s high fiber content can help make you feel full without the calories.
Not a big fan of veggies? That’s ok! Ease your way into eating vegetables by pairing it with delicious dressings or dips. For instance, if you’re thinking of buying chips as a snack, why not just replace it with baby carrots and celery sticks with a light blue cheese dressing. If you want to make it healthier, you can substitute the blue cheese dressing with a Greek yogurt dip!
