April is just around the corner and it’s the time when New Year’s resolutions begin to teeter. You’ve been sticking to your new routine for a while but it’s not as easy as it was when you were feeling refreshed and had a ‘new year, new you’ attitude.
You’ve been going to the gym 4 times a week, pushed through the spinning classes you were dreading and have found yourself drinking green drinks that smell (and taste) like ponds. However Spring is almost here and the kale crisps aren’t really cutting it. You’d do anything to just sit and watch TV with a big bag of your favourite cheese and onion crisps and a big bar of chocolate whilst watching the snow out the window!
You find it hits you most when you’re at work. It’s a rainy Wednesday afternoon, it’s been the longest week and you’re barely over half way through it. You’ve been doing well with your meals but you’re struggling not to snack whilst you’re sat at your desk. It’s not easy with left over chocolates being bought in to the office and it being someone’s birthday seemingly every other day! You’re not satisfied on missing out and if you want to make it through the afternoon, you need something that will fulfil the need of your sweet tooth.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in a snack rut and have been over doing the fruit and nuts and are stuck on what other lower calorie options there are. Luckily for you, we’ve come up with some solutions to snacking that are healthy, but will also help satisfy your snack cravings.
Swap…
- Cake for berries – fibre rich fruits like berries and apples have natural sugars which will satisfy your sweet tooth and the fibre will slow down your metabolism making you feel fuller for longer.
- Crisps for humous and vegetables – Humous is a good substitute for the taste of salty comfort foods and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery provide a good crunch.
- Chocolate for apple & peanut butter – Not only is peanut butter just as tasty as chocolate, it comes with lots of benefits too. As long as you go for a natural peanut butter, you’ll be able to reap in the benefits of monosaturated fat (the good kind that helps you burn fat and build muscle) and copious amounts of energy from the calories in the peanut butter.
- Nachos and dip for avocados and crackers – Full of heart diseases preventing monosaturated fat and Vitamin E & micronutrients which will do wonders for your skin!
- Ice cream for Greek yoghurt and berries – In a standard bowl, you’ll get around 18g of protein and only 100 calories. Be careful when picking your yoghurt, some have added honey or syrup which will increase the calorie count!
These are just a few options, but there’s plenty out there to choose from. Remember it’s not about depriving yourself of your favourite things, it’s just about having things in moderation! If you gave up everything that verges on the unhealthy scale, you’d only find yourself craving it more.
