Snacks + Planning

Submitted by Renée Turenne Raban, RD

​Planning healthy snacks and bringing them with you is a great way to stay energized for all daily activities, especially in sport. Snacks can also ensure that you get the most from a workout and recover optimally. Unplanned snacks can contribute to quite a few additional calories (some say as much as 40%). Often times these unplanned snacks are high in calories, fat and salt but provide very little in terms of nutrition. Snacking helps tide us over to the next meal preventing us from getting so hungry we end up eating making poor food choices. Healthy snacks don’t have to be complicated or require tons of prep but they do require some planning and thought. Whenever you go grocery shopping, make a list of snack ideas for the week and buy what you’ll need to make it happen. I know I like to keep it simple. Vegetables and fruit are always a safe bet. Apples, bananas, oranges are staple fruits that keep for a long time unrefrigerated and are easy to “grab and go”. Baby carrots & snap peas are great “grab and go” vegetable options. Adding protein to those veggies or fruit will be more satisfying and keep you feeling fuller longer. Some easy protein-rich options include a handful of nuts (almonds, cashews or walnuts to name a few), hummus, cottage cheese, a boiled egg, edamame beans, roasted chickpeas, hard cheese. Healthy grains are also a way to add satiation. A wrap with banana and peanut butter is super easy and delicious! Air-popped popcorn, quinoa, granola in yogurt, homemade granola bars, energy bites or muffins are a few other examples of healthy grain options. What are you bringing for snack today?