Choose healthy snacks and see the difference
Snacking helps us get from one meal to another, but new research reveals that one fifth of adults in the UK choose to snack all day rather than eating the traditional three separate meals.
This, as you can imagine, often results in grabbing food that isn’t good for us.
In fact, nine out of ten workers said they would welcome healthy snacking alternatives, rather than crisps or biscuits. And British women have their biggest slump between 3-4pm.
Lucy Jones, consultant dietician (ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show), recommends protein-rich, tasty snacks. She says:
“Protein helps us to feel full, so a protein rich snack, such as chicken, could also help to avoid unhealthier snacks later in the day. It also includes the B vitamins niacin and B6 that help to reduce tiredness and fatigue, which means the ‘3pm slump’ could be a thing of the past”.
Lucy adds: “Protein has a structural role in every cell in the body and is an essential daily nutrient. Whilst many of us consume a good protein source with our evening meal, evidence shows that we could benefit from spreading our intake more evenly throughout the day, as we cannot utilise more than 30g at any one time. Building protein into our snacks can therefore help to maximise protein utilisation in the body.”
So Mattesson’s has asked Lucy to give us some advice on how we can snack more healthily. Here are her tips:
Snacking for health: Make 2014 the year of the real food snack; a handful of almonds, fruit, a yoghurt and Mattesson’s Double Dippers are 100% chicken breast and low calorie, these represent ways to build in nutrients to your snacks as well give an energy fix.
Snacking for your bikini body: Snacks need to be filling and long-lasting, without contributing more than about 10% of total daily calorie needs. Aim to limit your snacks to less than 200 kcal and aim for high protein, high fibre options to increase fullness for longer.
Don’t forget hydration: Many people reach for a snack when dehydrated, mistaking the early signs of thirst. Keep your hydration levels topped up all day to assist with managing hunger.