What’s your biggest health challenge? You want to eat healthier food but can’t find the time to cook. You want to lose weight but can’t get to the gym. You want to sleep better but can’t start your day without two cups of coffee. Can’t, can’t, can’t.
People are constantly overwhelmed with all-or-nothing options. They think healthy eating means all salad and no dessert, they have to work out for 30 minutes a day, 3 times each week at minimum, and they have to quit caffeine cold turkey and get raging headaches or bust.
None of that is true! You have to start from where you are, not from where you want to be. For the next few days I will give you some ideas of how to get started. Let’s start with the food that fuels our days.
Healthy Snacks for Beginners
Eating a typical American diet provides plenty of calories but few nutrients. We’re constantly assaulted with the latest study finding the exact opposite of what the last study showed was healthy. It’s confusing, misleading, and thinking about it stresses you enough to necessitate a trip to the vending machine for a sugar fix.
We’ve been convinced that snacks must be carbs — chips, crackers, pretzels, pastries, or candy — made with white flour and no nutritive value.
While snacking can help maintain blood sugar and metabolism between meals, more often we fall into the trap of adding hundreds of empty calories to our day. Take the first step by choosing a healthy snack option just one day a week.
Here are some suggestions:
- Fresh fruits and veggies are full of fiber to keep you hungry and vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. Pick your favorite: apples, grapes, kiwi, celery, carrots, jicama, etc. Add a dollop of peanut butter or hummus for extra protein.
- Almonds — especially raw and unsalted — have protein and healthy fats to fill you up. I buy them in bulk and pack a small enough amount that I don’t accidentally overeat them.
- Creamy calcium-rich yogurt comes in convenient small cups! Try Greek yogurt for a rich and satisfying treat. Watch out for low-fat versions that replace fat with sugar.
- Oatmeal is easy to prep then heat up if you have microwave access. Or take instant oatmeal and just add hot water! The fiber will keep you full longer than crackers or candy.
Can you handle just one healthy snack a week? I knew you could.
What’s ONE step you can take this week to be healthier?
Leave your comments below or contact me!
Next up: How to make your meals healthier in no time!
