When we talk about snacks and deserts, we also talk about healthy snacks. But what we need them?

Snacking

Making is a very effective way to add more nutrients into your diet. It is also very effective in preventing overeating at meal times. Many people use this method and they get a good percentage of the total calories from snacks. For some of them it provides about 25% of the total calories of the day. When it is providing so much calories to you, choosing healthy options is very critical for you.

Prevent overeating

You can be very hungry between meals and when that happens at meal time, you are likely to eat more than you should. Such type of overeating can make you obese and overweight. Snacking can help you to prevent such overeating possibilities. If you feel hungry between meals, you do not have to wait until the meal and instead you can pick up a few healthy snacks so that you are not very hungry at the next meal. You can combine a carbohydrate rich foods such as whole grains, fruits or vegetables with protein foods like nuts or dairy products. It will not only fulfil your hunger, but will also provide the necessary elements for a healthy body.

Keep your sugar levels steady

If you go for healthy snacking habits, it will help you by keeping your sugar levels steady. It is possible to do so by eating a consistent amount of carbohydrates at each meal or snack. Whether you realise it or not, it is very helpful for diabetics and also beneficial for people who do not have diabetes. If you are not able to keep your sugar levels steady, there will be a large spikes and dips in blood sugar levels and that can make you insulin resistance. Such a constant change may also result in type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. By simply choosing the healthy snacks, you can get rid of all this possible problems.

Get more nutrients

When you choose healthy snacks, they will provide you with more nutrients which are very essential for different functions in your body. It can also help you to meet your nutrient needs for the day. It is possible to include more healthy options like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and nuts and seeds in your snacks. They are not only healthy but they are also nutrient rich and you will find many nutrients from them without having to worry about nutrients in your main meals.

Important considerations

Before you go for a healthy snack, there are some considerations that you should carefully consider. You should not snack right before a meal. You should eat a snack only if you are truly hungry. Many people go for snacking out of boredom. Many other people also indulge in snacking because of emotional reasons like depression, sadness or anxiety. You should never do this because too much of snacking will result in overeating and that will cause weight gain, obesity and other problems.

Most snacks should be around 100 calories. If you need to use a snack in place of a meal, you may consume more calories than that. Such a larger snack it not be more than 250 calories for whatever reasons.

Carefully choose the healthy options by eliminating the unhealthy easily available options.

References

1. The Blended Bites Healthy Snack And Dessert Recipe Collection
2. Snacks for adults
3. Smart Snacks