July 17, 2020, by Charlotte Gauja
A tasty way of life, with 5 healthy snack recipes
With many recommended diets, advisors giving their opinion and controversial information surrounding what healthy eating really is- healthy eating can seem like a minefield. It is not surprising that most of us will struggle to achieve our goal. The reason for this is we are all unique and we all require different types and amounts of macros and vitamins. There is no “one glove fits all” when it comes to nutrition.
Knowing what to eat can takes people years to work out what food plan and food groups work best for them to achieve their goals. Whether that be preparing for sports or training to reduce body fat, everyone’s nutritional needs are different.
One of the most common reasons people do not achieve their goals comes down to under-eating. Not having the right fuel in the body to perform the task ahead. Undereating and then trying to achieve goals is like not filling a car with fuel but expecting to drive 100 miles.
Another very common reason for not achieving the goals is not taking in the correct percentage of macronutrients. A lot, understand the importance of protein and will happily take supplement when required. However, many are quick to cut out fats or carbohydrates, when they are equally as important as protein. Taking in the correct percentage of each macronutrient is vital but is also specific to the individual.
Carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose which is then stored in the muscles are the fuel “glycogen”. Glycogen is the body’s main fuel and is used to perform all the bodies conscious and sub-conscious movements. Glycogen is the brains sole source of energy, which is why it is vital to take in good quality carbohydrates.
Fats are broken down into 3 main groups, Monounsaturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats. Fats are vital for absorbing vitamins, providing insulation, keeping vital organs functioning and is stored as a energy. Natural oils from oily fish and nuts are great sources of healthy fats. They have been proven to reduce cholesterol and maintain a healthy functioning heart.
Craving sweet treats can be one of the challenges when following a healthy food plan. Our bodies naturally crave sugar and when sugar intake is limited the craving becomes stronger. One way to overcome this is by being creative in the kitchen and preparing healthy but tasty sweet snacks.
Below are 5 easy to make snack ideas:
- Protein ice-cream – 1 scoop weigh protein, 400g of frozen fruit, ½ cup of sweetened almond milk, 1 banana, blend to desired thickness, freeze for 3-5 hours.
- Coconut bites – 70% or above dark chocolate, 50grams dried coconut, 1 can full-fat coconut cream (only use the thick cream), 2 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Protein bar – 100g peanuts (chopped), 1 cup of oats, 2 bananas mashed, 1 scoop of weigh protein, 1-2 tbs honey. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with 70% dark chocolate (optional).
- Sue’s Balls 1.5 cups rolled oats, 0.5 cups whey protein powder, flavour of choice, 0.5tsp of cinnamon, 1 tbsp chia, 0.5 cups natural peanut butter, 3 tbsp natural honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cups of peanuts, 4 sweetened almond milk.
- Coconut ice-cream – freeze 1 can of coconut cream (just the cream), 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tbsp vanilla, add the coconut milk remaining from the can, Blend to desired texture, freeze 3-5 hours.
Check out UoNSport’s Health and Wellbeing Home to explore our inclusive offer of health and fitness to try whilst you are in lockdown.
The blog was really good. I was impressed by the way of explanation focusing on the healthy snack. We have updated to different lifestyles it is actually good to improve our health by preparing some tasty as well as healthy snack recipes. I hope the snacks taste good and can be prepared for repeated times to stabilize our health in modern times by replacing junk foods. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for providing healthy snack recipes, I realiy like it
great post, thanks for sharing this blog.