What Are The Benefits of Healthy Snacks & What Are The Best Foods To Eat?

The truth about healthy snacks for weight loss is that they
are vital to eat during the day. Research has discovered
that people who do not snack consume more food at mealtimes.
People who do not snack end up consuming more fat and
calories than those people who do snack between mealtimes.
People still wonder though what the benefits are to healthy
snacking and what kinds of foods are actually considered
'healthy.'

The most beneficial thing to healthy snack eating is that
you do not binge later on foods that are unhealthy to curb
your hunger. If you are suffering from a growling stomach or
hunger pangs, then you should snack now versus waiting for
the next mealtime. Hunger management through the day is
important not only for proper eating but also for
maintenance of blood sugar levels. So, how and when should
you consume your snacks?

So what types of foods are included in the healthy snacks
category? Whole grain foods are a good choice because of the
fiber content in them that gives you that needed energy to
last until a full meal. Some great options for this are
whole grain crackers and whole grain pretzels. These and
other healthy selections can be found in the organic snacks
section in your local grocer.

Other obvious choices of healthy snacks for weight loss are
fruits and vegetables. They are low in calorie, fat free,
and are loaded with all the vitamins and minerals that the
body needs. A word of warning, though; if you decide to have
some salad for snacks, go easy on the salad dressing.

Another great snack are nuts and seeds. They are full of
protein but are high in calories, so do not consume too many
of them in one sitting.

You can also snack on foods which are rich in calcium but
low in fat while waiting for dinner. These include light
yogurt and cheese which was processed with skim milk.

What times are the best times for these snacks? On the
average, most people have breakfast at around 8 am and in
this case, a 10:30 am snack should keep you going until a
1:00 pm lunchtime. Afternoon snacks are usually eaten around
3:30 pm, and then it's dinner time at 6:00 or 6:30 pm. This
sample schedule shows that the ideal healthy snack is eaten
within 2-3 hours before and after a meal. This would allow
you to eat smaller and healthier, while keeping you full
enough to go about your daily activities.

Healthy snacks are important in your goal of losing weight.
People who do not snack end up hungry and frustrated when
meal time comes around and then they forget about all
intention of losing weight, eating fatty foods that do
nothing for their health. This habit does not also bode
well for the blood sugar and could complicate even further
when symptoms of emotional and physical stress manifest
themselves. It may not sound correct when you say that
snacking is good for losing weight, but this is the truth.
Not only will you end up consuming less calories, it will
also help you concentrate on what you have to do instead of
warding off the hunger pangs.

By keeping yourself focused on the end goal, you'll end up
thinner and healthier. Healthy snacks for weight loss are
the way to go.

10 Real World Diet Tips That You Can Use

Are you tired of diet tips handed out by someone with apparently unlimited income and time? For some of us, it may just not be practical to spend half of our Sunday preparing carefully portioned meals for the rest of the week, or financially feasible to buy all our meals prepackaged in just the right portions. And there are those of us who cringe at the thought of weighing food to achieve 'optimal portion sizes'. Here are ten real life diet tips for the rest of us.

1. Eating out? Restaurant portions tend to be enormous, and if it's on the plate, we tend to eat it. If it's possible, order from the kid’s menu, where portions are more reasonably sized.

2. Keep healthy snacks around and easily accessible. A bowl of fruit on the kitchen table, a container of celery or carrot sticks in the refrigerator, or a couple of pop-open cans of fruit salad in your desk at work will help you grab for something healthy when those first hunger pains begin. In other words, you'll be more likely to grab something low-calorie and good for you if it's easy to eat.

3. Substitute frozen vegetables for canned. Canned veggies tend to be high in sodium, which you don't need, and low in real nutrition, which you do. Buy economy size bags with zip closures to make it easy to pour out a single serving for a meal.

4. Buy a vegetable steamer. Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables. The food retains nearly all of its natural nutrients instead of leaching it out into the cooking water. Even better, it makes your veggies taste great - which means you'll be more likely to eat them instead of filling up on fatty foods that pack on weight.

5. Never eat standing up. One of the easiest ways to sabotage your diet is to 'eat without thinking'. Treat eating with the respect that it deserves. Fix yourself a plate. Sit down and eat properly. You'll be less likely to just pop food into your mouth without paying attention.

6. Spread your meals out. When you eat three meals a day, your body tends to store whatever it doesn't need right that moment. By adopting a 'grazing' habit, you'll keep your metabolism working throughout the day. Have a small breakfast, a piece of fruit with crackers or toast at mid-morning, a light lunch and an 'after school snack' mid-afternoon. Just remember that you're breaking up the same amount of food into smaller meals, not ADDING more food into your daily diet.

7. Grab a fruit juice or flavored water instead of soda. Soda is nothing but empty calories. No nutrients, lots of sugar. Instead, grab a bottle of 100% fruit juice, or water flavored with a spritz of fruit.

8. Drink water. Even the FDA recommends at least 8 full 8 ounce glasses of water a day to keep your body working right. When you're dieting, you should drink even more. It's not just that full feeling - water helps your body digest foods properly and cleans out your system.

9. Can't afford a gym membership? Make a pact with friends to exercise together. Make a date at least three times a week to play volleyball, take a walk or spend half an hour doing something active.

10. Skip the potato chips. Fatty snacks fried in hydrogenated oil like potato chips contribute fat and calories and not much else. Instead, grab a handful of dried fruit or a cup of yogurt for the same amount of calories and a lot more nutritional benefits.

Stay Healthy Oat Protein Cookies...YUMMMMM

Why Buy Them When You Can Bake Them!!!!

In today's economy where health bars/cookies can be anywhere from .88 cents to over $3.00, it is so worth a little bit of time to save sooooo much money. Even at .88 cents, your investment in the health bar/cookie is almost $20.00 per month if consumed daily. Also, being creative in the kitchen is so much fun, a fabulous stress relief, and you can involve your family and friends in the adventure. There is nothing better than a sample of a fresh cookie right from the oven...I think we can all agree on that. A fabulous note...you are in control of what you are consuming and even understand what you are eating. No lengthy food labels where words that seem to not exist in Websters ever venture into self baked healthy goods. The fats and sugars have been greatly reduced in this recipe, as well as any empty calorie white product ingredients. Guilt free enjoyment awaits the first batch out of the oven:) and the perfect power snack that you can carry with you on the go, giving no excuse to not fuel that body!!! Now let's get started.....

Stay Healthy Oat Protein Cookies

Created by Darla Benfield

6 Tbsp "Real" butter @ room temp (no margarine...fake chemicals)

2/3 cup vanilla fat free yogurt

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 cups ground old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (I have not tried this with a soy product)

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 large handfuls of Craisins (dried cranberries)

1 large handful flaked coconut

1 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (you may choose to use 1/2 bag)

Preset oven temperature to 300 degrees. Have ready a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper. If no paper, then spray the cookie sheet with PAM. I personally like easy clean up by tossing the paper when I am done.

Dry Ingredients:

Place oats in your blender, and grind until flour consistency and until you reach 2 1/2 cups in a separate mixing bowl. Add the 1 cup of vanilla protein powder, and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda.

Wet Ingredients:

Place soft butter in your mixer bowl, along with vanilla yogurt and cream together. Add the brown sugar and continue to blend until creamy. Add the egg, and continue to mix thoroughly. Add the pure vanilla extract, and continue to cream together.

Together:
Time to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Slow the mixer down, and slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Now, add 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, mix; add the coconut and mix; add the Craisins and mix; and lastly add the chocolate chips and mix slowly. You should have a wonderful cookie dough ready for baking at this point.

I use a large tablespoon to make large cookies. This recipe will create 20 large cookies or approx 80 tsp size.

Scoop a large tablespoon of the dough onto your prepared cookies sheet and continue this process until the sheet is full. Place in your pre-heated oven and bake between 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overcook these, as they will be dry. There should be a slight give to touch the top of the cookie in the oven and only very little browning. They will continue to cook on the sheet when you remove them from the oven. Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat the baking process until all the dough is used. Don't forget to lick the bowl:)

Enjoy and Stay Healthy!!!
Darla Benfield, LCPT, LCMT

AND YET ANOTHER 8 WAYS TO GET YOUR 5 A DAY

1. Start your day with a healthier sundae, by layering your
muesli or high-fiber cereal with plain low-fat yogurt,
slices of fresh fruit, and a sprinkling of nuts drizzled
with honey - delicious!

2. Thread strawberries, grapes, and cubes of Kiwi fruit,
watermelon, and paw-paw onto skewers, and serve as tropical
poolside kebabs.

3. Banana wheels on top of wholewheat toast? Try it. Its too
good a treat to be enjoyed by five-year-olds alone.

4. Broaden your horizons. Try a fruit or vegetable you have
never tried before, or try an old favorite prepared in a new
and interesting way. For instance, if you are fond of
steamed asparagus, why not try asparagus raw, with just a
little balsamic vinegar and lemon zest on hand?

5. Turn an ordinary sandwich into a culinary masterpiece by
adding layers of fresh or grilled veggies to your chosen
filling.

6. Peel and slice a paw-paw into petals, and serve with a
zesty squeeze of lemon for a breakfast treat.

7. Pop some seedless grapes into the freezer overnight.
Serve as little bites of chilled dessert, or plop into a
tall glass of water for an icy touch of flavor.

8. For a Protein-packed anytime snack, spread a little
peanut butter along the inside of a celery stick. Paste a
line of raisins or dried cranberries on top, and crunch to
your heart's content.

There you have it. Now you have no excuse for not getting
your 5 a day! Replace any fruit or veg not available or not
to your liking with any alternative of your choice. Enjoy!

ANOTHER 8 WAYS TO GET YOUR 5 A DAY

1. Spread low-fat chunky cottage cheese onto granary bread,
and top up with cherry tomato, thinly sliced cucumber,
grated carrot and sprouts for a filling snack.

2. Take the top off a leathery looking granadilla (that's
how you will know its ripe) and spoon out the seeds with a
slurp.If you don't mind waiting a little longer for your
fix, sprinkle the seeds over plain low-fat yogurt instead.

3. Introduce a few leaves of fresh mint to a bowl of
watermelon cubes, for an irresistible appetizer or summary
salad.

4. Make a well stocked fruit bowl the welcoming centerpiece
of your home. Top it up with the colorful bounty of the
season, and encourage family and friends to treat it as a
help-yourself snack bar, rather than an ornamental
arrangement.

5. Half-moon slices of Granny Smith apple, served on a bed
of celery stalks and leaves, with a topping of chopped
walnuts. Yes, its a Waldorf salad, but something's missing:
the mayonnaise. That's because all you need is a dash of
lemon juice or olive oil to enjoy this crispier, crunchier,
healthier version of the famous dish.

6. Spicy rice tastes even nicer when you mix it up with
choppings of cold pineapple and cuts of mango.

7. Haul out the cookie cutters, call in the tikes,and spend
some quality time crafting pretty vegetable carvings.

8. Toast a pita bread, fill it up with veggies - grated
cabbage, red onion rings, peppers, cherry tomatoes,
cucumbers - and voila, you've got a quick and healthy salad
in your pocket.