Canada’s New Food Guide Tips – Healthy Snacking

What do you grab as a snack?  Probably something quick and less healthy than it should be.  Here are some tips to snack better. 

Why healthy snacks are good for you

You can enjoy snacks as part of your day if you make it a healthy choice. 

Snacks can:

  • keep you energized
  • help support good health
  • provide important nutrients
  • be an important part of daily eating habits
  • help satisfy your hunger between mealtimes

Young children can benefit from snacks as they:

  • have small stomachs
  • may have trouble eating all of the foods they need at meal time

3 ways to practice healthy snacking

Keep these in mind to practice healthy snacking.

  • Choose healthy snack foods
  • Follow the healthy eating recommendation to make it a habit to choose a variety of healthy foods for your snacks.
  • Follow the healthy eating recommendation to limit highly processed snacks.
  • Eat your snacks mindfully
  • Eat your snacks slowly and without distractions, such as watching TV.
  • Choose small portions. Serve a small amount for your snack and try not to eat directly from large containers.

Eat snacks when you feel hungry, and not just out of routine or when you feel:

  • tired
  • bored
  • emotional

Too much snacking can lead you to eat more than you need.

Plan your snacks ahead of time.

Think about healthy snacks when planning your meals and when you need them the most in the day.  Is this a change you can make?  Add them to your grocery list. Follow the healthy eating recommendation to help make it easier to plan ahead.

Ideas for healthy snacks

Here are some easy ways to eat healthy snacks when you are at:

  • work
  • home
  • school
  • on-the-go

Prepared in advance

Try preparing snacks in advance to save you time:

  • Chop extra vegetables when cooking so you’ll have some for snacks.
  • Make muffins or homemade granola bars and store them the freezer.
  • Hard-cook eggs on the weekend. They will keep for one week in the fridge with the shell on.
  • Make your own trail mix. Take whole grain cereal and nuts and seeds and toss them together.
  • Buy portioned containers to place all your snacks in.

Grab and go

Here are some travel friendly options you can bring anywhere:

  • oranges, bananas, and plums are examples of fruit that come in their own natural packaging that makes them easy to transport
  • keep cut up vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, celery and peppers in the fridge and bring along in a reusable container or a snack size baggie
  • roasted chickpeas or nuts such as almonds, cashews, soy nuts or peanuts can be kept in your bag for when you feel hungry. Portion control is key. 

For work and school

Keep healthy options with you at work.

Try: 

  • apples
  • oatmeal
  • nut butter
  • canned fruit
  • canned tuna
  • plain popcorn
  • whole grain crackers with low fat cheese
  • nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Make sure to keep snacks like lower fat yogurt or lower fat cheese in the fridge or in a cooler bag with an ice pack.

At home

Try some of these snack ideas at home:

  • whole grain toast with nut butter and banana
  • lower fat cheese and whole grain crackers with cherry tomatoes
  • lower fat yogurt topped with frozen berries and walnuts
  • green leafy salad with orange sections and almonds
  • Whole grain English muffin topped with apple slices and melted lower fat cheese
  • sliced cucumber and red pepper with hummus or lower fat yogurt dip
  • whole grain crackers topped with lower fat cottage cheese and peach slices
  • whole grain cereal with fruit slices and milk or unsweetened fortified plant-based beverage

So many great snacking ideas.  These should inspire you to grab something healthier for when you are on the go or just feeling a bit hungry between meals. 

 

https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/tips-for-healthy-eating/healthy-snacks/

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