Healthy Snacking Tips

Healthy snacking is all about size and balance. A snack should be a part of your total intake of food for the day, instead of ‘in addition’ to large meals. When eaten out of hunger, versus boredom or as an emotional crutch, snacking can be healthy! Snacks should fill in nutrition gaps, act as a bridge between meals that are (too) far apart and be nutritious. Snacking gets a bad rap because many snacks are processed, unhealthy carbohydrate choices with too much fat, sugar, salt, calories, or all of the above.

Tip #1: Pair protein with carbohydrate for lasting energy and balance. Good pairings include fruit and nuts or yogurt, cereal and milk, lean meat and whole-grain bread, veggies with cheese, nut butters with fruit, to name a few. A small portion of leftovers works well too.

Tip #2: Don’t let snacking be your downfall. Limit the 5 C’s: chips, cookies, crackers, candy and cakes. Homemade, lower-sugar versions are acceptable. And there are healthy crackers…but most are highly processed and include unhealthful ingredients.

Tip #3: Snack for the right reasons. Include a snack in your meal plan because you are hungry, have missed out on a meal (or had a light meal), have a long block of time between meals or to tame hunger before a meal (and prevent overeating later). Learn to identify true hunger and when boredom strikes, or you are tempted to eat for emotional reasons, replace the snack with something that will nourish you in another way, like talking with a friend.

Tomato, Corn and black bean salsa

Salsas are a delicious blend of veggies and herbs, typically, and go far beyond the limited roll of zesty dip for chips. Salsas are a fresh, healthy condiment that can top chicken, tacos, fish dishes and more. Most salsas have a tomato or tomatillo component and build from there. Chutneys are also condiment sauces, often featured in Indian cuisine, that are based on fruits with additional ingredients.

Tomato, Corn and black bean salsa

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped, seeded fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn kernels, from frozen, thawed
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro leaves
1/2 jalapeno (seeded), finely minced. As hot or mild as you would like
2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and freshly grond black pepper to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve chilled or room temperature. Approximately 60 calories and less than 3 g total fat for 1/5 of recipe.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is state of being. It’s not a specific exercise or activity. Being mindful is characterized by having a heightened sense of awareness and acceptance (without judgement). It doesn’t involve clearing your mind or getting lost in your thoughts. On the contrary, you are aware of physical sensations, thoughts and feelings as they occur, completely in the present moment. When you notice a thought, such as ‘I feel anxious,’ you leave it there. You don’t judge the feeling, elaborate on it or try to change it. Simply observe it.

You tune into sounds, smells, notice how your body moves and feels. You pay attention to your breathing. It’s a matter of taking everything in through a sense of awareness and peace. There are many ways to practice mindfulness, such as through meditation, a walk in nature, eating with mindfulness and being aware of all of your senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. You are not distracted with thoughts but are present in the moment, in the place, taking everything in.

Why practice mindfulness? Benefits include improved mental processing speed, focus and clarity, less intense/frequent feelings of anxiety and depression, improved adaptability during times of stress, decreased rumination and an enhanced ability to manage your emotions.