Best fruit and veggie snacks?
Options
MLBinVA
Posts: 9 Member
Like the title asks what are the best options for fruit and veggie snacks? Trying to eat healthier but don't know what the best options are and figure someone else has already figured it out. Also is there a preferred time to have them as snacks, ie this fruit in the am and that veggie in the afternoon??? Historically I'm horrible about getting them in my diet but want to be better. I take a multi vitamin but I'm sure raw is better.
I guess also asking are fruit and veggies the best snacks or should I be looking for something with more protein?
TIA
I guess also asking are fruit and veggies the best snacks or should I be looking for something with more protein?
TIA
1
Replies
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Try Celery & peanut butter, Apple & Peanut butter, Banana & peanut butter, Edamame, carrots & hummus, bell pepper & hummus, dried fruit snacks (raw with no additives), string beans, oranges, raw broccoli & Salad dressing, Cauliflower & salad dressing, Plum, honey dew, pear. I would recommend when you use the salad dressing to watch the sodium content. Don't worry about the fat, but just make sure it fits in with your macros.0
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A healthy diet is balanced and varied. You need enough of a range of nutrients every day, and not too much of anything (in practice: calories) over time. The easiest way to get this, is to eat some food from each food group every day, and different foods from day to day. This means that a healthy diet has some fruit and vegetables, some meat and fish, some grains and starchy roots, dairy and eggs, nuts and seeds, fats and oils.
This also means that no particular foods are healthy (or unhealthy), or healthier than others. It is the mix that does the trick. There are so many ways to balance your diet, that it's impossible to list, and likewise, hard to mess it up.
This also means that meal timing is pretty irrelevant in the big picture. You should spread out your meals and snacks as you like.
If you don't like (aren't used to) fruit and vegs, start small. If you like apples, try pears. If you like peas, try green beans, and so on. If you're scared of foods touching, eat them separately. If you're skeptical to texture, puree them. Or you can eat new foods with familiar foods, paired (peppers and hummus) or mixed up (casserole). Raw and cooked both have their pros and cons; again, a mix is best.3 -
Whatever you like that fits your goals1
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I like carrots and peanut butter. Don't knock it til you try it.1
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Thanks for the input so far, I like X and peanut butter just seems to be high in fat for the amount and if I'm trying to manage that macro then it makes the rest of my meals tough. When I look at the diet portion of my goals carbs and fat are easy to hit but it's tougher to get the protein in balance. Any ideas that are more balanced if there are any other than a straight up protein bar or shake or chicken breasts...0
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I don't like to snack, as I prefer to have larger meals, and thus include lots and lots of veg and fruit in my meals. But if I liked to snack fruit would be a really easy and enjoyable option and if you want some protein (really depends on how you use your snacks, how many calories you want, how much protein you consume at other times), greek yogurt with berries (add them yourself) is a great option. Some like fruit in cottage cheese, but I like it plain. Raw veg are also easy, but low cal -- less easy but not hard would be raw veg plus a dip of something like hummus or baba ganoush.0
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Base your intake on meals (not snacks) and build your meals around protein foods, that helps. A normal macro distribution, for instance MFP's default, helps too. Keep in mind that the macro split you choose, is not a goal in itself, it's a tool - to make it easier to stick to your calorie goal, not to make make it harder.Thanks for the input so far, I like X and peanut butter just seems to be high in fat for the amount and if I'm trying to manage that macro then it makes the rest of my meals tough. When I look at the diet portion of my goals carbs and fat are easy to hit but it's tougher to get the protein in balance. Any ideas that are more balanced if there are any other than a straight up protein bar or shake or chicken breasts...1 -
thanks I'm just trying to make sure I get smaller amounts more often since that seems better than eating 2 or 3 meals and getting the bulk of my daily calories bunched up. Seems to me the best way to keep metabolism going is to have your three modest meals a day but to have small snacks in between so you never get hungry and the body constantly has fuel.0
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thanks I'm just trying to make sure I get smaller amounts more often since that seems better than eating 2 or 3 meals and getting the bulk of my daily calories bunched up. Seems to me the best way to keep metabolism going is to have your three modest meals a day but to have small snacks in between so you never get hungry and the body constantly has fuel.
If you prefer how it feels, then there is no reason not to eat smaller meals more frequently.
But your metabolism will run effectively all day whether you're eating one meal or half a dozen. You don't need to be constantly fueling your body.
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You body has fuel constantly, no matter when you eat; if your metabolism stops, it means you are dead.thanks I'm just trying to make sure I get smaller amounts more often since that seems better than eating 2 or 3 meals and getting the bulk of my daily calories bunched up. Seems to me the best way to keep metabolism going is to have your three modest meals a day but to have small snacks in between so you never get hungry and the body constantly has fuel.
It's perfectly normal (and not dangerous) to be hungry before meals. (Starving yourself is another matter, but not really what we're talking about here, I think.)0 -
The problem (for me) with plain fruit or veggies as snacks is that it just doesn't fill me up. If I have some fat with it, it's better... So I usually go for apple and some cheese, or carrots/cucumber dipped in some ranch dressing. Love a tomato with some red wine vinegar and salt and a slice of mozzarella too...thanks I'm just trying to make sure I get smaller amounts more often since that seems better than eating 2 or 3 meals and getting the bulk of my daily calories bunched up. Seems to me the best way to keep metabolism going is to have your three modest meals a day but to have small snacks in between so you never get hungry and the body constantly has fuel.
Your metabolism won't stop nor will your body stop burning calories if you're hungry... But it's true to an extent that if you can limit hunger, you will have more energy (speaking for myself there - I don't do as well when I exercise while hungry).0 -
fruits and veggies are good snacks if you need more of them. Protein is good is you need more of that. :-) Eating the protein with fruits and veggies can be good, though.
When to eat them - depends on what prevents you from eating them now, and what timing most helps you eat more. Time of day doesn't really matter in terms of your body absorbing them, or energy levels, etc...
Like me, I do not like veggies. I eat them plenty, in plenty of variations and dishes, and I still don't like, them and likely never will. So trying to have veggies as snacks, with just salad dressing or something (which works great for some people), works terribly for me -it's always a struggle to eat something I don't want in the first place, and eating it alone is even harder - all that work for something I don't even want, you know?
It works much better for me to simply add in an extra veggie or two to whatever recipe I am making that would work. I grate veggies and add them to burgers, for example. And then I get something I like the taste of, with just a teeny bit of extra effort to add veggies in. :-)
I know some people have veggies and fruits as snacks, pre-prepared so they are ready when you get the munchies and therefore the easiest to grab and eat. Or using fruit as a dessert instead of something else. Etc..
as for some snacks
- apple with a little honey to dip it in.
- carrot fries - basically carrots cut in fry shape, par boiled for 2-5 minutes, then coat with a little olive oil and seasonings and bake until done. Can be very tasty and you can make a lot at once and save for later. You can try this with many root veggies.
- frozen bananas - cut banana into big piece, stick a toothpick into each one, and freeze. Works well with a dollop of peanut butter put on them before freezing too (or even with something more decadent like nutella or something)
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Carrots and ranch, apples, olives and grapes are my go-tos. SO GOOD.0
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Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts and keep them coming.
The reason behind me trying to have them as snacks is I find if I have something, anything, small regularly I don't get hungry and it's much easier to avoid splurging on junk or even extra helpings of what should be a healthy meal. For instance today I brought 3 cups with me to work one with blueberries, one with raspberries, and one with a combo of sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Every hour or two I'd have one of the cups split between when I got there, lunch, and when I left for the day. By doing that I wasn't tempted to order more than I needed for lunch, never had the urge to hit the snack machine, or even munch when I got home. I feel like that's because my body just always still had something it was working with.
I'm horrible about eating my fruits and veggies so was just trying to incorporate them into what is becoming a healthier diet / lifestyle figuring if I started out with them now they would become part of the new habits. Because I'm new to tracking or logging what I eat I was just surprised that what I thought was a super healthy snack seemed higher in carbs than I thought. For me carbs are easy to get in my diet and protein seems harder than I thought so I'm still on the hunt for a snack that's a better blend of the two yet low in calories.
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But a healthy diet is balanced, and berries and vegetables are mostly carbs. They don't really keep you (as in, most people) full (as in, for very long), on their own. We become accustomed to what we do, think, feel. Satiety and meal patterns is something we become accustomed to. That said, "carbs" isn't "unhealthy". What you need, is to have a healthy diet, which is something that makes you feel full, which is balance - between carbs, protein and fat. If you eat an unbalanced diet, you'll struggle with hunger. If you're hungry a lot, or just unsatisfied, you'll tend to overeat. Unbalanced meals are also unsatisfying, in a wider scope than just "fullness" - taste, mouthfeel, colors, nutrition. If you're used to overeating, overeating is what you do, in an attempt to get that nutrition, satisfaction, that never comes, because you're just having more of the same.Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts and keep them coming.
The reason behind me trying to have them as snacks is I find if I have something, anything, small regularly I don't get hungry and it's much easier to avoid splurging on junk or even extra helpings of what should be a healthy meal. For instance today I brought 3 cups with me to work one with blueberries, one with raspberries, and one with a combo of sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Every hour or two I'd have one of the cups split between when I got there, lunch, and when I left for the day. By doing that I wasn't tempted to order more than I needed for lunch, never had the urge to hit the snack machine, or even munch when I got home. I feel like that's because my body just always still had something it was working with.
I'm horrible about eating my fruits and veggies so was just trying to incorporate them into what is becoming a healthier diet / lifestyle figuring if I started out with them now they would become part of the new habits. Because I'm new to tracking or logging what I eat I was just surprised that what I thought was a super healthy snack seemed higher in carbs than I thought. For me carbs are easy to get in my diet and protein seems harder than I thought so I'm still on the hunt for a snack that's a better blend of the two yet low in calories.
Foods that have a better blend of carbs and protein - and fat - are more satisfying and provide more "staying power". Carbs are digested faster than protein and fat, so you need to eat more often. If you look at your calorie goal for the day as a budget, like any other budget, maybe it's easier. Compare it with your salary - you will still want to (have to!) pay your mortgage even if that is the biggest expense each month. Exactly like that is your calorie budget. Fat has twice the calories of protein and carbs, but you need it, and it's nice, just like a house is a really nice thing to have.
Healthy eating is not just a "healthy" diet. It is taking care to get in proper nutrition, but also seeking enjoyment. It is being confident that you're getting in everything you need (and not too much), and at the same time allowing yourself pleasure from eating.
Learning to eat well, is a process, it takes time. Most of it is actually unlearning what we've been told repeatedly for so many years, and believed, deeply, and defended, stubbornly. Admitting that we've been fooled, can be painful, but it's necessary in order to go on and have a happier life.2 -
You could add more protein to the snacks (greek yogurt and cottage cheese are easy options there), but if the current snacks are working for you, why not increase protein at meals? I find it easy to get plenty of protein in just three meals (since as noted I don't like snacking), and find often when people struggle they are largely skipping protein in breakfast, lunch, or both, or having very small portions of the protein part of their meal.
That said, depending on where you got your macros, you may be fine on protein (some sources push more protein than needed, not IMO MFP's default when on reduced calories, though), and there's nothing wrong with carbs (although of course fruit and veg are mostly carbs).1 -
Thanks for the input so far, I like X and peanut butter just seems to be high in fat for the amount and if I'm trying to manage that macro then it makes the rest of my meals tough. When I look at the diet portion of my goals carbs and fat are easy to hit but it's tougher to get the protein in balance. Any ideas that are more balanced if there are any other than a straight up protein bar or shake or chicken breasts...
String cheese, lowcarb yogurt, turkey breast, smoked salmon, beef jerky, nuts
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I love the Gala apple, it tastes like apple pie. Kind of cinnamon taste. But it's not pie, it's just an apple.0
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