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Eating a Healthy Diet: Start With the Snacks

By Genevieve Cunningham

Eating a healthy diet can be a challenge, especially if you’re not used to it. You’re suddenly faced with new foods and new recipes … and you’re not really sure what to do with it all. It can get really overwhelming really quickly. If you want to truly change your diet for better health, it’s a better idea to start small, and a great way to do that is with your snack choices. To get moving in the right direction, take a look at these tips for making your snack choices healthier than ever before.

What to Avoid

For most of us, the foods that should be avoided are probably some of our most common snack choices. A few of the foods that you should banish from your cabinet include:

  • Chips - They’re salty, fatty, and calorie heavy. While they probably taste good and satisfy a certain craving, they provide zero in the way of nutritional value. When it comes to snacks, skip the chips as much as possible.

  • Sweet Treats - Honeybuns and sweet cakes and Twinkies … all of these are delicious, and they’re also really bad for your health. They’re packed full of sugar and fat, and once again, they provide zero in the way of nutritional content. Throw them out of your cabinet and don’t buy them anymore.

  • Meal Replacements - Some people think that meal replacements make easy snacks, but they don’t. They make easy meals -- which is exactly what they’re made to replace. If you use these as snacks, you’re likely taking in too many calories which may eventually lead to weight gain.

What to Try Instead

Changing your snacking habits can feel like a challenge, but it’s a challenge worth taking. If you need a push in the right direction, check out these healthier options:

  • Pretzels - Pretzels are a good low calorie, salty snack that can satisfy the same craving as chips. If eaten in the correct portion sizes, they’re an excellent choice. Just make sure that you don’t add any additional ingredients such as extra salt, chocolate, or dipping sauce, and you’re good to go.

  • Fruit - If you like your snacks to be sweet, fruit makes a great option. Fruit is a natural sugar that can satisfy a sweet tooth without as many calories or as much fat. Choose whatever kind of fruit suits your needs, and eat them in moderation. For easy access, just keep a baggie of fruit inside the refrigerator so that you can grab and go when you need something quick and easy.

  • Protein Shakes - This is a great way to get an additional dose of protein, but without much in the way of extra effort. The catch? Protein shakes are best when you’re going to work the muscles as well. Perhaps save this snack for just before or after a workout, and you may find your muscles growing and fat shrinking in no time.

Everyone loves a good snack. But choosing the wrong snack can definitely add to your total calories for the day and cause weight gain or the inability to lose. Improve your diet by improving your snacks. Get started with these great choices, and watch your health improve in no time at all.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Miami Gardens, Fla.

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