So, if you are like me, and you are human, you probably get hungry all the time. And at weird hours. Sure you can be awesome and program yourself like an automaton to eat at specific times of the day and specific meals, but life happens, and food plans don't always work. The only meal that should work out about the same time of day is breakfast and it should be awesomely healthy.
It doesn't matter what time of day you eat, just so long as your body gets the
nutrition and daily caloric values that you need. If you eat your last snack at midnight, it's okay--it's all about calorie control and not over consumption. Here are my top 10 filling, easy snack ideas that don't bore my taste buds to death.
A fair warning though, some of them aren't very creative because I value my time, and don't always like to spend hours in the kitchen. I mean, when I get hungry,
I get hungry.
10. Apples: If you shop for your own groceries, you know there are all kinds of apples out there. Red, Green and Yellow are just the tip of the iceberg. Under all of the colors you have different variety. I'm not too big on apples (it's a work in progress), but I am big on nutrition. Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C. They also contain the essential Omega oils to help organ function, and even a tiny amount of protein. The most important thing about apples (for me anyway) is that they are very filling and no preparation is required.
9. Grapefruit: Grapefruit is one of those fruits you either like it, or you don't. I trained myself to eat grapefruits by adding a small amount of sugar to the slices after cutting it in quarters, and eventually weaning myself off. I'm not saying this is for you, but it's a good quick satisfying and full-feeling food. Plus grapefruit is a good source for calcium. Who knew?
8. 100 calorie bag popcorn: These are really easy to find, and the perfect snack size. I even get the kettle corn kind, so I can have a little bit of sweet snack.
7. Chocolate milk: Yes, I do believe chocolate milk is a snack. Plus, if you drink a glass right before you work out, it will give you a little energy boost. However, I prefer to drink a glass after I work out (not after every workout mind you, then I feel it would be moot). The various proteins that are found in the milk are really good for muscle recovery and rebuild after a workout. So, I suppose if you wanted to you could drink a regular glass of milk after a workout, but it wouldn't taste the same as chocolate. To my knowledge, there isn't an organic powder for chocolate milk out there. However, I went label hunting to decipher the backs of chocolate milk mix labels and found that Ovaltine is the best out there for you because of what it doesn't have in it. It was a while ago, so I don't remember what Nesquick and Hershey's had in it, but it wasn't good for you.
6. Strawberries In Yogurt: Well, you could do this with any kind of berry; it's really yummy. I've also been known to put a dab of home made jam in my yogurt.
5. Bell Peppers: This is a quick and easy snack that I absolutely love eating raw. I have a drawerful of those small bell peppers and if I am hungry I will nibble on a few. They are a great source of minerals, and to me at least they are really sweet.
4. Deluxe Apples: I call this snack idea a deluxe apple, mainly because if I have time or whatever, I will dip my apple in a side snack. Some kind of nut butter would be ideal because you are not only getting vitamins and minerals from the apple, but you will also be getting protein from the nut butter. If you're allergic to nuts and this sounds like a disastrous idea, then use your favorite yoghurt. (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.)
3. Quick Yogurt Smoothie: This is for when I am feeling a little bit more ambitious and less pressed for time. I will throw yoghurt, orange juice, and whatever fruits I have into a blender and it usually turns out delicious. But if you want to keep it low calorie, you have to be careful what kinds of fruits you use. Since fruits have a lot of glucose in them naturally, you want to be sort of picky about what you throw in your smoothie.
2. Carrots and poppyseed dressing: This is probably my favorite, because it is super scrumptious. Now for those of you who read the labels on dressing, you probably know that Ranch dressing is super high in calories; over 100 calories per serving! There are some Poppyseed dressings out there that are crazy high in calories too, but if you get the right brand (Light house I think is what I buy), then it is something super low, like 40 calories per serving, which is about 2Tbsp. It sounds like a lot of measuring involved, but if you keep your portions small, you get full soon and on a low calorie snack.
1. Turkey slice on crackers with mustard: This is kind of my guilty pleasure, but I think it works as long as you don't eat too much of it. So I am in love with the Ritz Vegetable crackers, and they love me too. I believe it's something like 4 crackers is 90ish calories. So if you are trying for a 200 calorie or under snack, this works well. Take 4 crackers, add mustard, and then take a sandwich turkey slice or two and make mini cracker sandwiches. Like I said, guilty pleasure.
Whether you are looking for something new to try, something old to remember, or some way to fill your belly, hope this helps!
Remember,
Keep Moving!
Lie supine (on your back). You can have your legs close to your butt so your knees are up, or you can have them flat on the floor, since this involves mainly the shoulder muscles. Your arms should be at your sides. The first move is to tighten your ab muscles by pretending someone is about to punch you. This will help support your lower back and help prevent further lower back pain (also important for many other exercises). Next, press your shoulders to the floor and make your shoulder blades flat with the floor. The last move in this exercise is to depress your shoulders, and this simply means to move them (if you were standing up) down towards your feet/butt. Hold this for 15 - 20 seconds and repeat 5 - 6 times.
