Nutrition - Healthy Snacks for Performance

Accelerating Growth – Phase I
Healthy Snacks for Performance
Paulette Lambert, RD, CDE
Snacks can be a good thing if they are used to give you boost of energy when it’s been
too long between meals. Adults need to eat every five hours so for most of us to
maintain energy, 1-2 snacks per day is advisable. Snacks can be dangerous in terms of
calories; they are often made up of highly processed, high sugar, highly unhealthy foods
so the goal is approximately a 200 calorie snack of real, less processed foods. Snacks
should be just enough to ward off hunger, boost energy, but not enough to cause
increase in weight. The optimal time for snacks is mid morning for those that rise early
and mid afternoon if dinner is after 6:00 pm. It is best to not snack after dinner since
new research shows a 12 hour fast after dinner to the next morning helps increase the
metabolism and alleviate unwanted pounds.
Great choices:
• 100 calorie nut pack ( approx. 12 nuts) plus 1 piece of fruit
•
Organic non fat Greek yogurt under 130 calories plus 1 piece of fruit
•
1 apple plus 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
•
1 oz. hummus (individually packaged) plus 6 crackers, such as low fat Triscuits
•
1 piece of whole grain bread plus 1 Tbsp. natural almond butter
•
Non fat latte plus 1 Fiber One or Kashi TLC bar (under 120 calories)
•
1 Kind bar, Balance bar, Cliff bar or Luna bar (180 Calories, less than 2 grams
saturated fat)
•
Mini lite popcorn bag (100 snack size, Pop Secret or Orville Redenbacher) plus 1
string cheese
•
4 oz. lite fruit cup, juice packed, plus 4 oz. low fat cottage cheese
•
1 Skinny Cow or Healthy Choice fudge bar plus 100 calorie nut pack
•
Individual trail mix bag, 200 calories or less
•
1 Greek yogurt under 130 calories, plus 1/3 cup bran buds or other high fiber
cereal
•
½ cup Kashi Island Vanilla cereal plus 12 almonds in zip-lock baggie
•
6 low fat crackers or toasted high fiber English muffin plus 2 reduced fat
Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges
•
1 package of dried seaweed snacks (available at Trader Joes or Whole Foods)
plus 1 fruit
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Accelerating Growth – Phase I
•
4 oz. (mini) frozen non fat yogurt with nuts or fresh fruit
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