Healthy snacks

I really like snacking, but struggle to find healthy snacks. Does anyone have any ideas?

I've been snacking on cherry tomatoes recently - not very exciting, but a nice little snack if you're peckish.

M&S have brought out some yummy lentil crisps - they're pretty low in calories too.

Popcorn and rice cakes are good handy snacks, or carrot sticks with hummus.

Popcorn is always a good choice I can never have carrot sticks, my parents made me have them so much when I was younger so now I'm sick of them to say the least!

I really like the Nature Valley oats and honey bars. They look a bit gross but taste gorge!

I don't think I've ever struggled to find a healthy snack... there's a huge range of vegetables that can be eaten raw and the same for fruit. If you need dips, there is houmous, tzatziki and tomato-based salsa dips that are readily available or you can make your own quite quickly. There are Nakd bars which are a handy snack, or you could make your own version if you have a food processor. There are also yogurts, nuts, seeds and dried fruits... pieces of lean meat, cheese, soups (warm or chilled) and eggs.

Regular food aside... there are cereal bars, oatcakes, popcorns, rice cakes and other various packet snackfoods like ryvitas that are easily available. If you like that kind of thing.

I like innocent smoothies, they're quite filling and taste really nice!

I love innocent smoothies - the coconut and banana one is my ultimate fave!

There's a new carrot and mango one that's pretty nice.

Those smoothies aren't good for you though - they have the same amount of sugar as a can of Coke. I know people say "it's a different type of sugar", but really it is the same, and has the same calories.

It is a different type of sugar, it's sugar that reacts differently in the body. The sugars in fruit are natural and more suited to the body, so it won't affect you in the way that cane sugar will by giving you huge raises and drops in blood sugar. It WILL add to your overall calorie intake though, which is the thing to watch out for more than anything but smooties themselves aren't bad for you and the health benefits of fruit vastly outweighs the 'damage' it will do to your body if you're eating a sensible diet. Fruit alone won't make you fat.

I don't like the texture or taste of the shop bought smoothies, but I love a freshly made one.

Good news - I'd have been gutted if it had turned out I was drinking something bad - I'd always thought they were pretty healthy!

The main thing you need to watch out for in bottled smoothies is added sugar, if you make them fresh then you know what goes into it. You can't control what they are doing to improve the flavours.

As with anything, moderation works well. If you want smoothies, focus on making your own and consuming the innocent ones as more of a convenience food or a snack. They're very expensive for what they are and they are pasteurised, this depletes vitamins.

Also ignore anyone who tells you that you won't get fibre and minerals from a blended fruit smoothie, if it's blended the fibre is still in there. There's even more if the fruit skins are left on. It's juice that lacks fibre, unless you're mixing pulp back into it which kind of defeats the purpose!

I really should start making my own - what do you usually put in your smoothies?

Personally I use -

Banana, peach, melon, nectarines, plums, fresh apricots, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, mangoes, orange juice, oat milk and yogurt. Not all at the same time! Whatevers available. I use fresh or tinned pineapple, pears and peaches and will happily use frozen fruits occasionally if they're on offer. Any softer fruit works in a smoothie, I think fruit like fresh apples and pears work better in a juicer.

I add orange juice or water to a pure fruit smoothie to loosen it slightly. I only use yogurt or oat milk with plain bananas. I like thick textured smoothies, but I have them as a breakfast on their own with a handful of nuts about 30 mins after to help keep me fuller for longer.

I imagine one of these 'thick textured smoothies' would be good before a run or something, as they would provide energy, but wouldn't fill you up too much so that you felt sick when you're running! This is what happened to me last night -not pleasant!

Oh, no... definitely not good before a run. Wait at least an hour if you drink one, or trial it a short distance from home. Not so much from the stitch point of view, but it's more likely to give you diarrhoea. Fruit passes through the digestive system relatively fast.

A ripe banana is often good though, or a few dates. A good energy boost that tends to be quite easy on the stomach.

How long should you wait after you've eaten a banana before you go for a run? Or could you go straight after?

It depends, I would be fine after 15 mins but some people can't eat at all before a run. Experiment with a short run to find out if it works for you. I rarely run straight after eating, there's normally a 15 minute lapse but this is OK, it allows a bit of digestion time and boosts your energy a bit more. I can cycle on a full stomach if I'm going at a fairly steady pace, but I would never risk that for running! :)