Snack Food

[lockmat]

Okay, so when I used to play sports, I ate pretty well and kept myself in shape, I'm sure like many of us. Well, also like many of us, I've allowed myself to get out of shape, which is pretty easy, but worse is that I'm not watching what I eat as well either.

I want to start eating better, which I guess for my main meals I do, but it's the healthy snacks that actually taste good that are hard to find, well, unless you actually look and think I will admit.

So instead of only scourging the internet for ideas, I'd like to ask HAIFers what their favorite healthy snacks are. It can be our own little HAIF healthy snack cook book.

Well, and ideas???

[20thStDad]

An apple every day around 2-3 pm works great for me. It balances out the pound or so of cracklins I ate this weekend.

[lockmat]

An apple every day around 2-3 pm works great for me. It balances out the pound or so of cracklins I ate this weekend.

What are cracklins?

I usually take two or three of either an apple, pear, nectarine banana or cherries to work for lunch. I've been taking mangos too but they're a little too juicy. What else? I need variety

Also, what color apple? I have to mix the different kinds of apples in, too.

[20thStDad]

What are cracklins?

I usually take two or three of either an apple, pear, nectarine banana or cherries to work for lunch. I've been taking mangos too but they're a little too juicy. What else? I need variety

Also, what color apple? I have to mix the different kinds of apples in, too.

I go with Gala apples, Canino's always has good ones. I will do most any red apple, green ones aren't my thing. I also keep a jar of dry roasted peanuts at my desk and usually need a handful by 9am because I'm hungry.

Cracklins = fried pork skin, but not the same as pork rinds. Some people may use the term interchangeably, but pork rinds to me are those things in the bag at the gas station that are crunchy (also good stuff). Cracklins are thicker, and have not only skin but some of the fat layer and usually a bit of meat too. In Louisiana, at the good butcher places, they are sold by the pound and they always give them to you in a brown paper bag, which then becomes clear due to the awesomeness. So yeah, they're really good for me.

Edited July 28, 2009 by 20thStDad

[Porchman]

Popcorn

with olive oil in a pot on the stove

or

with PAM in a brown paper bag in the microwave

Salt, basil or herbes de provences to finish.

Good fiber! Low cal!

[JLWM8609]

Cracklins = fried pork skin, but not the same as pork rinds. Some people may use the term interchangeably, but pork rinds to me are those things in the bag at the gas station that are crunchy (also good stuff).

Cracklins are good when added to cornbread batter and cooked to make cracklin' bread. Then use the cracklin' bread to sop up the pot likker from cooked greens and you've got good eating.

Ok, that wasn't healthy, but I've personally found that instead of snacking, drinking water fills the stomach and makes you feel full, eliminating the want to consume unhealthy snacks. Drinking water also helps you to lose weight. I've lost about 5 lbs recently just by cutting down on my consumption of salty and fatty snacks. I haven't eliminated them completely, I just eat them sparingly and in moderation. Boy, it's hard to practice moderation, especially when you LOVE food. That, combined with the closing of Beaucoup Wings and Wings has helped me lose a few pounds.

[sevfiv]

^I second the water - I have some adversity to it for some reason (probably my unhealthy addiction to Diet Coke), but I'm trying to force myself to drink more.

Basically whole grains and foods, and good fats and good carbohydrates help.

For something easy, I usually keep Clif Mojo bars handy (must be Mojo, not the regular ones). They are filling and have relatively low glycemic index. They serve as breakfast a few days a week, too.

I've found that lowering empty carbohydrate intake has really made me feel better all around - I aim for keeping it under 80g/day for now (weekends/restaurants make that difficult, though).

[20thStDad]

A third vote for the water, I know I stay think partly because I drink water all day. Also, no kidney stones!

[Daniepwils]

Peanut butter (natural peanut butter, with only peanuts as the ingredients, maybe salt too depending on the brand) banana sandwich is my favorite. Peanut butter, whole GRAIN wheat bread, honey and of course the banana.

My snacks usually consist of a veggie, fruit and a protein everyday. Yes I eat chicken or tuna as a snack! I am weird! (Spinach and broccoli everyday for sure, but I mix it up every week)

Sweet Potato fries (homemade). I will either salt and pepper them, or sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on them if I feel like something sweeter.

Any and all types of nuts (Almonds, walnuts more so than anything)

Any and all types of berries (Blueberries, gojiberries and raspberries)

Greek Yogurt is pretty good, Cottage cheese with cinnamon and some berries...mmmm or cottage cheese and hot sauce

I basically eat nothing processed other than Triscuits (which aren't bad for you compared to chips, they only have a few ingredients). Triscuits with a little feta or ricotta cheese with fire roasted tomatoes and cucumbers on top are freaking awesome.

Homemade Protein bars:

Whey Protein (usually chocolate flavor), peanut butter, oats, honey, cinnamon, dried raisins and figs and a little milk mixed together, let it set in the fridge, and MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM good, nothing but good carbs, protein and fat (the good fat).

Yes I eat alot, basically around 4000 calories a day (6'3, 195 and am very active)

WATER WATER WATER!!! roughly 1.5 gallons a day for me.

Edited July 28, 2009 by Daniepwils

[RedScare]

I eat nuts as a snack. On days that I want something other than salty nuts, I eat grapes. Yogurt is fantastic, but BEWARE the fruits and additives. Some brands love to load it up with sugar, ruining the healthy aspect of the yogurt. You really have to read the label. Or, better yet, buy it plain and add your own fruit. More trouble, but you know what's in it.

I also like the dried fruits and trail mixes, but additives (mostly sugar) are a big problem with these as well.

Water is great, but everything in moderation. Maybe danniepwils is active enough to swill one and a half gallons of water, but for most of us, that amount of water is not healthy. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as water poisoning. Most of us should not be drinking over half a gallon most days.

Edited July 28, 2009 by RedScare

[Daniepwils]

Water is great, but everything in moderation. Maybe danniepwils is active enough to swill one and a half gallons of water, but for most of us, that amount of water is not healthy. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as water poisoning. Most of us should not be drinking over half a gallon most days.

Very true. I think the reason I drink so much water is I am very active (sweat a lot)and eat more fiber than most. It is weird, most people think I drink to much, but I just listen to my body. At one time my doctor thought I was eating to much salt, (the reason why my body wanted more water), but that wasn't the case. He figured it was all the fiber I was eating. He said it is fine to drink that much water as I eat very well and also take vitamins. Too much water will flush out too many vitamins. And too much water to fast will make your kidneys work on overload.

[rsb320]

Water is good as long as you're eating properly. Too much water without food can deplete your electrolytes and cause water intoxication.

I don't tend to be a snacker, but have peanuts, breakfast bars or crackers handy to get me through to the next meal.

[editor]

• Popcorn. Air-popped. No butter. But if I want a little flavor, spray it with Pam and sprinkle on fresh romano cheese. Or drizzle on some heated peanut butter. Sure, that's extra fat, but it's also a ton of good protein and vitamins.
  
• Fuji apples.
  
• Cereal. A lot of the "good for you" cereals taste better as crunchy snacks than in a bowl with milk.
  

[KimberlySayWhat]

Sweet Potato fries (homemade). I will either salt and pepper them, or sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on them if I feel like something sweeter.

I love making sweet potato chips in the oven. Slice them really thin, spread onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on a little sea salt and ground pepper. Bake until crispy. They're so good.

[lockmat]

some pretty good ideas. i especially like editors popcorn recipe and the baked sweet potatoes

[travelguy_73]

I lean toward high protein snacks, which means very little in the way of fruits...These are all work-friendly assuming you have a fridge handy.

• Natural peanut butter, but don't go overboard with the scoops!
• yogurt with Walnuts (I bring a small container of FiberOne yogurt to work each day, and mix in walnuts from a bag I keep in my drawer)
• Protein shake (I use Optimum Nutrition whey (for post-workout) and casein (for slow release during the day). I have a mixer cup that keeps the powder separate from the milk. It's like a chocolate milkshake!

[IronTiger]

For something easy, I usually keep Clif Mojo bars handy (must be Mojo, not the regular ones). They are filling and have relatively low glycemic index. They serve as breakfast a few days a week, too.

I've never liked energy bars, ever, except for this one chocolate "calorie stick" that had an astronaut on it (forgot what it was called). Regardless, they all seem to leave some sort of weird aftertaste.

Pretzels are pretty good (but don't eat the dust...your mouth will BURN) as well as a nice glass of milk: keep it at 1% (or skim, if you stomach it).

STAY AWAY FROM:

A lot of times at the local Kroger and H-E-B one can find fried "veggie chips". They're too expensive, taste gross, and aren't much healthier than real potato chips.

Cheese is not preferable. Sure, they make low-calorie cheeses, but they taste gross too...save your calories for something you REALLY want to eat (ice cream!)

Fried pork skins. They have a strange taste but I've gotten a sick stomach after eating them...every time!

[sevfiv]

Oooh baked sweet potato slices! I also threw in some sliced zucchini the other day (happened to have some hanging out in the refrigerator) and they came out pretty good, too..

[lockmat]

I lean toward high protein snacks, which means very little in the way of fruits...These are all work-friendly assuming you have a fridge handy.

• Natural peanut butter, but don't go overboard with the scoops!
• yogurt with Walnuts (I bring a small container of FiberOne yogurt to work each day, and mix in walnuts from a bag I keep in my drawer)
• Protein shake (I use Optimum Nutrition whey (for post-workout) and casein (for slow release during the day). I have a mixer cup that keeps the powder separate from the milk. It's like a chocolate milkshake!

yeah, my mom keeps telling me that protein snacks are better in the way that they fill you up better than fruit. I guess a mix is good.

[lockmat]

I've never liked energy bars, ever, except for this one chocolate "calorie stick" that had an astronaut on it (forgot what it was called). Regardless, they all seem to leave some sort of weird aftertaste.

You have to look at energy bars the way my friend explained to me the way you have to percieve soy burgers. If you're expecting the soy burger to taste like a regular hamburger, you'll be let down every time. You have to expect what it is. Energy bars are not supposed to taste like snickers; they're made for specialty health reasons. Given that, I like energy bars.

[editor]

Before my blender caught fire, I used to make banana shakes all the time. I got the recipe from Saint Joseph Hospital's web site.

Buy a bunch of bananas skin each one and put them in individual baggies in the freezer. You don't have to get fancy baggies, a little freezer burn is actually a good thing here.

Then each morning, take out a frozen banana, throw it in the blender with some Ovaltine and milk, and take it for a spin. If you use skim milk (and you can because the Ovaltine covers the skim taste), it's pretty close to zero fat, but has most of the vitamins you need for the day, plus some fiber. And it tastes really good, and does a pretty good job as a meal replacement.

[twisty1965]

The magazine Real Simple features healthy snacks in the cover story this month.  It includes a great list, like the one you all are building here, of options.  A new one that I learned from the article... a few strawberries dipped in ricotta cheese. Yummy for those with a sweet tooth. Protein, fiber and vitamins.

Edited July 28, 2009 by twisty1965

[lockmat]

The magazine Real Simple features healthy snacks in the cover story this month. It includes a great list, like the one you all are building here, of options. A new one that I learned from the article... a few strawberries dipped in ricotta cheese. Yummy for those with a sweet tooth. Protein, fiber and vitamins.

Do you know if it's on their website? I'm not finding it

[lockmat]

I was thinking that we probably could do a lot better if we think about foods from foreign countries we've been to as well. I love going different places or talking to people from them and finding out what they eat. Many times it's just the combination or the way it's cooked, not necessarily a wildly different food. I hope to hear the well travled and well eaten people speak up

[sevfiv]

Do you know if it's on their website? I'm not finding it

I'm not sure this is the actual content from the current issue (probably not), but here is their healthy snack page:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/healthy-snack-foods-00000000013033/index.html

-Popchips Original

-Lesser Evil Veggie Krinkle Sticks

-Michael Season’s Baked Hot Chili Pepper Curls

-Smartfood Honey Multigrain Popcorn Clusters

-Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips

-Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips

I haven't heard of any of these except Guiltless Gourmet, and since they are mainly chip-type snacks, I wouldn't come across them anyhow since I don't eat stuff like that very much..

[crunchtastic]

Speaking of protein, weird canned fish. Sardines, herring, etc. Mainly sardines. On a cracker, or a small piece of bread, with a tiny bit of mustard, and a little onion. Ummm. yumm. And extremely healthy with the omega 3s. Just don't eat a whole can at once.

I can eat pickled cucumber, tomato and red onion every single day. In the summer we usually keep a container of it made in the fridge. And black bean/onion/tomato/jalapeno salsa with lime juice and cilantro. Make it from canned beans (corn is a good addition) and keep in the fridge for a chip dip or side dish.

[rgr]

carbs, of course, will fill you up the best, so cereals might work--choose ones that you can just pop in your mouth so you don't have to worry about milk. kashi go lean is one of my favorites (although eating it will create quite a bit of noise). craisins are also great, as are any dried fruit--just watch the added sugar. if you can get to trader joes, a lot of their dried fruit doesn't have added sugar, as i recall. (is there one in texas yet?) also, with a fridge at work, you can bring fiber-one's yogurt--if you're a yogurt snob, you may not like it, but it's got a lot of fiber. low fat popcorn is always great. and beef or pork or turkey jerky is great, as well. costco has a tasty pork jerky.

[sevfiv]

I almost forgot - grape tomatoes. I could eat tons of those without thinking about it. There's a farmer's market in Alvin that was selling them for $1/small tub.

I eat lots and lots of vegetables, though, so using them for snacks as well can get boring (though now that I think about it, I hardly ever eat between meals anymore).

Regarding the weird taste of energy bars - I have had that experience with some, but I think because they had lots of soy protein, unsweetened chocolate/cocoa or carob, and other things like chicory. The Mojo bars are pretty much trail mix glued together with brown rice syrup, though.

[BryanS]

Some of these:

...in yogurt. YUM! ... but DO NOT eat the grape-nuts by themselves. "You'll knock your teeth out." Said one of my fellow LA AFB USAF commissary Compton-area grocery baggers in 1990... who had no teeth. I will never forget that.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Some of these:

...in yogurt. YUM! ... but DO NOT eat the grape-nuts by themselves. "You'll knock your teeth out." Said one of my fellow LA AFB USAF commissary Compton-area grocery baggers in 1990... who had no teeth. I will never forget that.

I used to eat Grape Nuts dry because I hate milk and you do have to be careful, but they're good dry. Except I haven't eaten them in years. Once I got sick and threw up Grape Nuts. The sight of it turned me off to them. The Grape Nuts didn't make me sick, they just happened to be what came up.