Healthy snacking tips
When hunger pangs kick in, it’s tempting to reach for a convenient and potentially unhealthy snack. Pre-packaged snacks that are marketed as healthy (or not) tend to be high in fat, salt and/or sugar. A decent snack that’s both nutritional and delicious can be hard to find, but fear no more - healthy snacks do exist. The trick to keeping things healthy is in the planning, more so than the discipline. Once you have the good stuff on hand, that’s more than half the battle. Below we’ve got some tips and tricks for healthy snacking that’ll keep you away from the biscuit tin.
The perfect combination
Whether you’re indulging at home, in the office or on the go, healthy snacking starts in the kitchen. The beauty of homemade snacking means you know exactly what you are eating. Once you’ve planned and prepped, you can whip up a bunch of snacks in bulk that last longer, are unprocessed and will save you money in the long run. One of the key elements to creating healthy and satisfying snacks is to combine sources of fibre, protein and healthy fats. For instance, you might feel hungry not long after munching on an apple but if you add a few tablespoons of nut butter, it keeps you fuller for longer. That’s down to the healthy fats and protein in the nut butter combined with the fibre from the apple taking longer to digest.
You can make your own nut butter at home with a good food processor by blending nuts with a pinch of salt. If you’re buying nut butter, be sure to read the labels carefully and avoid any unnecessary ingredients. Considering that homemade nut butters usually contain two ingredients, choose your nut butter based on a short ingredient list, zero/ low levels of added oils, zero/ low added sugar and no emulsifiers. Skip the low-fat or reduced-fat versions as they tend to contain more sugar to make up for the lost flavour.
Nut butters are really versatile and can be added to porridge, granola or smoothies. Some healthy baking recipes tend to replace traditional butter with nut butters for vegan cookies, cakes, brownies and muffins. Don’t forget about other dips and spreads, such as homemade hummus: a savoury version that’s quick and easy to prepare. They’re perfect with raw vegetables like celery and carrot sticks or spread on whole grain toast or rice crackers.
Nuts about chocolate
Conventional dried fruit often contains added sugar and sulfites, so again, always check the packaging carefully. Freeze-dried fruit is a great topping for baked goods. It offers the ultimate crunch without preservatives, additives or added sugar. Nuts are full of vitamins and minerals and play many important roles in the body from keeping skin healthy to improving immunity. Just one Brazil nut fulfils twice your daily selenium requirements, which is vital for detoxification. Eat them raw, roast them, soak them or make fruit and nut snack bars with them. You might even sweeten things up by pairing your nuts and seeds with melted or raw chocolate.
You’re probably already aware by now that you should swap out the white and milk chocolate with a darker version. Dark chocolate is said to contain antioxidants and falls into the category of healthy monounsaturated fat (alongside avocados, nuts and seeds). The higher the percentage of cacao, the better, as it can lower cortisol levels and raise serotonin levels while reducing inflammation and improving brain function. By impacting serotonin in particular, you may feel differences to mood, sleep and appetite. Bear in mind that high percentage chocolate has higher levels of caffeine (so avoid it late at night) and it can take some adjusting to as it tastes quite bitter. One square a day is sufficient or you can opt for a chocolate-flavoured protein powder and add it to your morning shake. It’s a great way to balance out the greens and stabilise blood sugar. We love fruit slices dipped in organic dark chocolate for an afternoon pick-me-up as well as carob chips.
Multipurpose pantry staples
There’s something satisfying about multipurpose ingredients, like chickpeas or beans, that can be used to bolster meals and also set aside to create a snack. Upon opening a jar of chickpeas to make your meal, you can also reserve some to roast with spices and snack on later. Ora’s holistic food chef, Alessandra Mariotti creates amazing spicy-crunchy chickpeas. Utilising a pantry staple, they’re a healthy alternative to the versions you find in supermarkets that are high in sodium, full of salt and often fried. Another upside of canned or jarred chickpeas is the aquafaba. The liquid from canned chickpeas can be used as an egg substitute for vegan recipes, making everything from vegan-friendly macarons to pesto. So be sure to keep it!
Looking for inspiration? Holistic Food Chef, Alessandra Mariotti has an entire section devoted to indulgent sweet and savoury snacks on the Ora membership. There’s everything from superfood cookies to activated coconut almonds and “cheesy” popcorn. Become a member to view all the videos and recipes or sign into your My Ora now.