oldmanblurtsout™

I like to snack. How about you? It helps me in a few ways. It helps me stay full so I don’t eat as much at meal time. It keeps my metabolism going so I don’t put my body into starvation mode where it wants to hoard every morsel of food and store it as fat. It also keeps me from bingeing at night so I don’t get that bloated feeling (see Blurt: Bingeing at Night?).

However, snacking can have its drawbacks as well. It can lead to overeating if you are not paying attention to how much you are consuming. This is compounded if you are eating out of the bag in front of the TV. In doing so, you don’t see the amount of food you are eating and before you realize it, you have consumed the whole container. This can be alleviated by pre-measuring your portions and putting them on a plate or a bowl so you can visually see your food. If you see what you eat, your brain gets the signals that you are full easier. For more information read my article entitled, Blurt: Don’t Need a Knife to Cut Calories.

Finally, it is important to pick healthy snacks over the numerous unhealthy options that are on the market today (i.e. fried snacks like jalapeño poppers, chips, snack cakes, honey buns, etc.) Here is a brief list of healthy snack ideas.

• Prepare the old stand-by and keep on hand cut up celery sticks, carrot sticks, broccoli, and any other veggie you like with a low fat dip.
• Pickles make a good snack.
• Take raisins, nuts, dehydrated banana chips and your favorite dehydrated fruit and mix together as a trail mix.
• Always have a basket of fresh fruit on hand.
• Spread peanut butter or light cream cheese on celery. For a different taste, top them with raisins.
• For an attractive centerpiece for a party or a picnic, cut a watermelon into a basket. Hollow it out and cut the watermelon into chunks. Use the watermelon as a substitution or in addition to the cantaloupe found in my article, Blurt: Light Fruit Salad Recipe. Use the hollowed out watermelon as a serving bowl for the fruit salad. (For instructions to make a watermelon basket view the video below.)
• Make your own baked potato chips. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. I always use a paper towel to wipe up any excess spray. Slice potatoes thinly, about 1/8 of an inch. You can make thicker ones if you prefer. Set them on the baking sheet and lightly spray with the cooking spray. Bake for about 30 minutes until brown. Remove potatoes and place on paper towel. I use pepper because I prefer not to add salt but this is when you would want to add salt or use your favorite seasoning while they are still hot. If baking more than one sheet at a time switch racks halfway through. Russet or Yukon potatoes work best.
• Keep 100 calories snack packs and snack bars on hand.
• Put a cup of Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal into a bag and munch on them throughout the day. They are a good crunchy snack.

What is your favorite healthy snack? Please comment below with any healthy snacks ideas of yours to share with everyone. Thanks and God Bless.

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