[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Chances are that
snacking is something you do regularly. Snacks have become a common part of our culture, and for many people, they are a daily occurrence.
It may come as no surprise, though, that not all snacks are created equally. Some snacks can support your health and provide lasting energy, while others can take a negative toll and leave you with an energy crash not long after you eat them. That’s why it’s important to know how to choose the right healthy and energy-boosting snacks to fuel and nourish your body right.
Keep reading to learn more about the potential benefits of snacking, whether or not you need to snack, and how to choose the best energy-boosting snacks.
The benefits of snacking
When done right, snacking can definitely support your health. Some potential benefits of snacking include:
- Helping to control hunger, which may make you less likely to overeat at mealtimes
- Can help improve mental clarity and focus
- May help control cravings
- Can provide you with enough energy to fuel your body and daily activities
- Can support balanced blood sugar levels
- Can help provide your body with essential nutrients
Do you need to snack?
According to a recent
food and health survey, snacking frequency is on the rise. Over half of the participants reported snacking at least once per day, and about a quarter reported snacking multiple times per day. Another recent
study found that snacking two or three times per day was the most common reported frequency amongst participants, and snacking at home was more common than snacking away from home.
Despite the possible benefits, snacking isn’t required for good health. It can be easy for snacking to get out of hand and lead to less-healthy choices or simply too many overall calories.
It’s probably no secret that snacking doesn’t always happen as a result of hunger.
Common triggers for snacking that are often unrelated to hunger include:
- Participating in a social gathering
- Being bored
- Being surrounded by other people eating
- Having tempting foods visible to you
- Being awake late at night
In these situations, snacks often involve highly processed carbohydrates like chips, pretzels, crackers, cookies, candy and other sweets. These foods can lead to excessive calories less-healthy fats, artificial ingredients and other things that don’t benefit your health.
Ultimately, whether or not you may need to snack depends on many factors such as your current eating habits, your body type and size, your health conditions, life stage, and more. It is always important to be listening to your hunger and fullness cues (a principle of
intuitive eating). These things should guide a majority of the snacking you do.
When should you snack?
The timing of snacks matters, too. In general, it is best for snacking to occur about 1-3 hours after eating a meal and at least 1-2 hours before eating the next meal. This will help prevent being overly full and missing out on quality nutrients at mealtime.
If you frequently find yourself hungry less than an hour after eating a meal, it might be a sign that your meal is not balanced enough. You can try adding more protein, fiber, or a bit more healthy fat to keep you feeling full for longer.
Also, keep in mind that eating late at night may
negatively impact your sleep and digestion, and possibly lead to
weight gain. So while there is nothing wrong with a bedtime snack, try to keep its portion reasonably small and allow about an hour between eating and going to bed.
What to look for in a healthy snack
As with all foods, some choices are better than others. Many typical
snack foods are low in filling nutrients like protein and fiber and instead are high in refined carbohydrates and added sugars and refined carbs. Unfortunately, this combination is likely to leave you with a crash in your blood sugar, which can trigger more hunger and cravings just a short while later.
That’s why it’s important to include a combination of high-fiber carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats with your snacks. Each of these nutrients plays a role in not just giving your body immediate energy, but calories and nutrients that will keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable and keep you
feeling full until the next eating time.
Keep reading for plenty of examples of what balanced snacks look like!
12 of the best energy boosting snacks
Rather than just providing extra calories, the right type of snack should provide quality nutrients that give you lasting energy. Keep in mind that snacks are meant to be mini-meals, so try to keep portion sizes reasonably small.
Here are some simple and nourishing snack options for that energy boost you may be looking for:
- Veggie sticks dipped in hummus.
- Low-sugar trail mix. Activated and KIND are brands that make a delicious low-sugar trail mix. Trail mix can also be easily made at home. Keep in mind that trail mix is both nutrient and calorie-dense, so you’d only need a small amount for a snack.
- A piece of fruit + a hard-boiled egg or string cheese.
- A slice of whole-grain toast topped with avocado and/or a cooked egg.
- A whole-food energy bar. Good examples include the RX Bar, KIND bars, and Lara bars
- An apple or banana paired with nut butter, such as the Nutzo brand.
- Plain, low-fat Greek or Icelandic yogurt topped with berries and/or low-sugar granola such as Purely Elizabeth.
- Canned, wild-caught tuna or salmon, such as Wild Planet, seasoned as desired and paired with a small amount of whole-grain crackers or a whole-grain English muffin.
- Homemade or store-bought energy bites, such as Navitas Organics Power Snack bites.
- Dried legumes, such as edamame or chickpeas. The Good bean and Seapoint Farms are examples of some brands that make these products.
- Cheese and whole-grain crackers, such as the Mary’s gone crackers brand.
- Air-popped popcorn, such as Skinnypop. For some added nutrients and flavor variety, consider tossing it with a small handful of nuts.
In summary
Some snack choices are better than others. While snacking is not required, it can be part of a healthy diet when done right. Rather than consuming mostly carbohydrates, it’s important to include protein and a bit of healthy fat to create an energy-boosting snack.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161675" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1659990659444{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/hippie-snacks-avocado-crisps"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161674" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1659990681289{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/natures-eats-nuts-for-energy-mega-trail-mix"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161676" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1659990699057{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/plant-snacks-plant-thins-sea-salt"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
