Many people think maintaining a healthy lifestyle, focusing on fitness, or losing weight means giving up on your favorite snacks. However, by making healthier choices in what you snack on during the day or at your office, you can enjoy your snacks without compromising on your fitness and weight goals.
By choosing healthy, whole-food, and less processed options with good protein and nutrient value, you can actually boost your health and diet goals. Besides, this will also help you feel full during the day, which keep your cravings for unhealthy foods low and help you focus on your important and daily tasks.
However, along with making healthy snack choices, it is also important you keep taking recommended portion sizes to keep up with your fitness lifestyle.
Here are 14 healthy food items to snacks on during the day, on the go, or while at the office, without any guilt of cheating on your diet.
Mixed nuts
Nuts are a great option to snack on, they are easily available and easy to carry around with you. You can have them on the go, in the office, or at home. Nuts offer great nutritional value, which makes them a healthy snack. You can buy bulk cashews, almonds, walnuts, and other nuts you like and take a mix of them with you.
Bell pepper with guacamole
Bell peppers are very healthy and particularly the red ones are high in antioxidants. Bell peppers with guacamole make a delicious snack and guacamole add healthy fats and fiber to your snack, which makes you feel full for the rest of the day. You can even add seasoning to your guacamole to make it more delicious for your taste preference.
Greek yogurt with fruit
Plain Greek yogurt with your favorite fruits tastes delicious and makes a nutrient-rich snack. Greek yogurt is high in protein and it’s also a good source of potassium and calcium. However, mixed berries also go really well with Greek yogurt and they are a great source of antioxidants.
Apple slices with peanut butter
Apple slices with peanut butter is a fantastic combination and it’s a very easy snack for you to prepare and enjoy at any time. Peanut butter is fairly high in calories but just a spoon full can offer good nutrients. Besides, apples are loaded with fiber and antioxidants.
Fruits
Having a piece of fruit as your snack would be one of the easiest, portable, healthy snacks. Fruits tend to keep you full and you have a wide variety available to choose from according to preference.
Dark chocolates and almonds
If you have a sweet tooth, this is the best snack to satisfy your sweet cravings without cheating on your diet. Dark chocolate, with at least 70% cocoa, is packed with flavanols that are known for reducing heart disease risk, lowering blood pressure. Almonds are also nutrients and putting the two together makes a delicious and very portable snack to enjoy on the go.
Cucumber slices with hummus
Cucumber slices go really well with hummus. It’s a healthy and delicious snack that’s very easy to prepare and you can enjoy it at home and at work.
Rice
Rice may help maintain a healthy weight. Rice supports energy and restores glycogen levels after exercise and is easy on the digestive system.
Kale chips
Kale is super healthy and you should try to include it in your diet. It’s high in fiber and antioxidants. Kale chips will make a low calories snack that you can enjoy in the afternoon and evenings. If you like you can easily prepare kale chips at home with your favorite seasonings or you can buy them from healthy stores near you.
Chia pudding
People try to add chia seeds to their diet because of their health benefits. Chia seeds are rich in fiber and antioxidants and they go with most diet plans like ketogenic and vegan diets. Besides, you can customize your chia pudding according to your taste and preference. You can make your chia pudding sweet or savory, by adding fruits, nuts, and honey or seasoning.
Eggs
Eggs are one of the most versatile food items and they are also very healthy and one of the most weight loss-friendly foods. They are a good source of protein, vitamin K2 and B12, and they keep you satisfied for many hours. Besides, you can have your eggs boiled, scrambled, fried, porched, or any other way that you like.
Cherry tomatoes with mozzarella
Sweet cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese go very well together and they make a healthy snack too. Mozzarella is a good source of calcium, protein, and vitamin B12. Whereas, tomatoes are high in vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants.
A piece of cheese
Cheese is widely available everywhere, it’s delicious, nutritious, and filling enough as a snack. By controlling your portion size, you can continue to enjoy cheese every now and then without gaining weight. That said, there are different types of cheese available in different corners of the world, you can snack on the ones that you like and are easily available. You can also pair your cheese with some crackers and fruits to make it a complete and balanced snack.
Fruit and vegetable Smoothies
If you are a beverage person, this would be the best healthy snack option for you. You can make your own smoothies at home or you can buy them from one of the smoothie’s places near you. However, making your own smoothie at home will give you more control over what ingredients you want to use according to your dietary restrictions. You can add vegetables along with a piece of fruit to make your smoothie healthier and keep it low-calorie. Smoothies also tend to keep you full for many hours and they are easy to consume at home, on the go, and at the office.