Joanne Turner's Blog by Joanne_Turner

• Fruit – fresh, dried, tinned
• Low fat yoghurt
• Veggie sticks with hommus
• Small handful of unsalted nuts
• Glass of low fat milk
• Boiled egg
• Small tin of tuna
• Wholegrain crackers with low fat cottage cheese

Foods such as biscuits, chocolate, lollies and cakes are not ideal as snacks as they are energy dense due to their fat and sugar contents and will not have the same filling effects as the healthier snacks mentioned above will. These foods are termed ‘empty  kilojoules’, meaning they give you extra kilojoules in the diet but nutritionally not much else.

Snacking can be useful to manage hunger levels so you are not left starving hungry prior to a meal and thus overeat at a meal. You don’t however want to fall into the trap of eating a morning tea or afternoon tea snack just because the time says so and not because you are hungry. Also you do not want to eat out of boredom. So listen to your hunger cues and if you do not feel like a snack don’t reach for one. If you are eating out of boredom choose an activity to stop your boredom, one that of course does not include eating, such as going for a walk, calling a friend to have chat, doing the gardening or cleaning the house.

Snacks can also be ideal if you are trying to gain weight. We always talk about people trying to lose weight however there are people out there who find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. So if this is you having snack between meals is essential, choose the nutritious and energy dense snacks such as nuts, cheese and crackers, milk and yoghurt.

Snacks are also important for recovery after sport and fitness. Having carbohydrate and protein based snacks within half an hour of finishing a training session or sporting activity is important for refuelling the body and repair of muscle. Rehydrating the body with fluids is also important. Choose a fruit based smoothie as something easy and you will get the three components within the one snack – protein, carbohydrate and hydration.

Snacks are not essential but you need to choose what is right for you and your lifestyle.