Can tea-time snacks be healthy?

Snacking or eating between meals is a great way to kick-start your lowered activity and energy levels during the day. On a taxing day at work, we tend to have our eyes glued to the clock for the 4 o’clock tea break, which is a mini get-away from the droopy eyes and the boredom of the office grind. What better way to spend this break than with our favourite snack and a hot, refreshing cup of tea or coffee. A good crunchy biscuit or cookie with tea is a great munchie; however, the tea break becomes a problem when snacking snowballs from eating just two cookies to devouring a pack of them, ultimately making you dread the reading on the weighing scale. According to experts, “healthy snacking is the key to good health.” Boring food after working all day might make you go “say no more” on this idea, but all you got to do is trick your taste buds and make the healthy and boring snacks taste more fun. Here is a list of lip-smacking snacks that are a tastier and healthier alternative to the greasy pack of chips and the fattening samosa:

A replacement for your cup of coffee/tea: For 9 out of 10 people, a cup of coffee/tea is the beverage of choice as the caffeine gives them an adrenaline rush to get back on track when the mood runs low. However, these classic favourites are also loaded with sugar, which makes them unhealthy, especially if you are someone who needs more than two cups of coffee/tea per day. Take a pick from the following drink options and give your tea/coffee routine a break:

Plain water, water mixed with herbs (pudina stick) or fruits (watermelon, kiwi) or sparkling water
A glass of mixed vegetable juice or tomato juice
A small glass of fresh fruit juice
Unsweetened coffee or tea
Plain soy milk or fat-free milk
Green tea
Black coffee
The filling snacks

Here are some foods for those people who have frequent hunger pangs. These food options are healthy and satisfying and will keep you full for a longer time:

If your sweet tooth does not get satisfied even after eating a bar of chocolate, you should switch to these sweet-tasting alternatives because your sweet tooth might lead to diabetes or other health problems:

Canned fruits with light syrup or natural juice
A fruit salad using your favourite fruits (you can also add some nuts, seeds or greens to your salad)
Pears and apples
Unsweetened dried fruits
Frozen fruits like grapes and bananas
Baked apples
Fresh fruit juice, unsweetened
On-the-go snacks

If you do not have time even to move a muscle from your seat, just carry these portable and bite-sized snack packs in your tote and munch on them while working on your project:

If you want to start snacking healthy, following are some tips that will help you plan your snack dishes effectively:

Choose heart-healthy and protein-loaded snacks to stay full for longer
Plan your snack meals ahead of time
Make a rule to not nibble during the day
Eat snacks that are rich in fibre and other nutrients
Match snacks to your activity levels
Avoid snacking in front of the mobile, TV or computer; it might make you overeat and turn your snacks from a snack-size portion into a meal-sized portion
Opt for fresh veggies and fruit snacks
Practise portion control

Opting for healthy snacking in daily life not only makes you feel healthy but also promotes overall health. It can help prevent and manage many health problems like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure as well. If you are running out of ideas to create new snack-meal recipes, talk to a professional nutritionist on www.healthassure.in to get a snack-meal guide with delicious snack recipes based on your fitness goals, body type and health conditions. You can also consult expert dieticians on the HealthAssure app for custom-made meal plans. Download the app now!

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