Don’t let your healthy eating habits slip while you’re away from home. Here are some tasty ways to keep going.
Pack a snack and plan ahead
If you feel hungry when you’re out and about and there are no healthy choices around, it’s all too easy to grab a chocolate bar or packet of crisps. To beat temptation, try to carry a satisfying and nutritious snack in your bag and plan for these events.
Eat a hardboiled egg
An egg is a great source of protein, so you’ll feel fuller for longer. It also provides vitamin D and vitamin B12 and only contains about 80 calories. Peel the egg in advance to make it easier to eat on the go, pop it into a pot with some lemon juice and chopped rocket or watercress for some fabulous liver supporting folate.
Nibble on nuts
Nuts are rich in protein, fibre, and healthy fats and minerals, and their small size makes them easy travel with. Just a few will do. 14 almonds provide around 100 calories. Pop them in a small bag or container and carry them in your bag to nibble. You don’t need to eat them all!
Fresh fruit
Nature’s original pre-packed snack! Fruit is portable, nutritious and super hydrating. What more could you ask for? My top picks are apples, pears, plums, and blueberries, all berries are good. These fruits are slow releasing sugar, which means they will keep you going rather than giving you a sugar spike. Eat a piece of fruit with a few nuts like almonds or pistachios, this will keep you fuller for even longer due to the fat and protein in the nut, slowing down the sugar hitting your blood stream.
Vibrant vegetables
Pre-cut vegetables, such as organic carrots, cucumber and celery sticks. These are low in sugar, high in fibre and easy to transport in a container. You can easily add a tasty dip by putting a dollop into a small jar, throw in some mixed vegetable sticks and screw on the lid- you have a simple, super-healthy on the go snack.
Check the label
If you want to buy a packaged snack it can be difficult to know how healthy or unhealthy a food is just by looking at it. However, most foods have a nutrition label to help you decide. The best choices have a higher protein, lower carbohydrate percentage, best to avoid cereal bars, these are laden with sugars from concentrated juice to rice syrup. Nut based snacks are always going to have more protein than grain-based snacks like oats or puffed rice.
Light and healthy lunches
If you feel the need to grab a takeaway for lunch, do your best to keep it balanced with healthy protein sources and lots of colourful vegetables and salad. Choose salads with protein like chicken, fish, prawns, eggs, beans, chickpeas or a hot soup with vegetables, very satisfying. Sandwiches are always going to be an easy option if you are busy and stressed, I suggest eating only one half of the sandwich. Pret offer a range of single sandwiches made with one slice of bread, and pair it with chopped veggies and humous as above or a boiled egg. Focusing on the quality of your calories rather than how many is the most important life lesson when it comes to improving our health and our body composition. Sugary snacks are high in calories from carbohydrates and low in vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.
100-Calorie Snacks
If you’re watching your weight these snack ideas are all less than 100 calories. Alternatively, just don’t snack! We really don’t need to be eating all day long.
- 1 small apple and 3 almonds – 67 calories
- 1 oatcake with 1tsp of almond butter – 96 calories
- 1 boiled egg with a little bit of spinach 98 calories
- 1 carrot with 28g tzatziki – 97 calories
- 1 large whole apple – 70 calories
- 1 roasted skinless chicken drumstick – 75 calories
A Personalised Healthy Eating Plan
If you would like to boost your health and wellbeing by improving your diet, book a Nutritional Therapy consultation with Julie Deeks at The Forge Clinic. Please call 020 8332 6184 or email us now.
