Many of you may try to avoid mid-afternoon meals, believing that they are unhealthy and burdensome for your weight.
In fact, snacks are an important part of our daily diet, as they contribute both to meeting our nutritional needs and to weight control, as long as the total energy intake does not exceed the daily energy consumption.
Research has shown that snacking between meals not only increases metabolism but also helps to lose more body fat.
By eating small meals, insulin is balanced, and we control our hunger, thus helping our metabolism and brain to work better.
The truth is that almost none of us plan the snacks we will eat during the day. It just happens, we get hungry, we take the easy way out, eating whatever we can find in front of us at the time, which is usually not healthy. Even when we know what's good for us, we can get carried away and overdo it, making even the healthiest snack fattening.
We choose snacks
Πολλά snacks είναι πλούσια σε λιπαρά, ζάχαρη και φτωχά σε φυτικές ίνες, vitamins και άλλα στοιχεία- τα οποία μπορούν να μας οδηγήσουν σε μία μη ισορροπημένη διατροφή γι’αυτό είναι πολύ σημαντικό να διαλέγουμε προσεκτικά τα snacks που καταναλώνουμε
Below, I present ideas for healthy and satisfying snacks and small meals, for all hours. These are low in calories but rich in nutrients!
* Crispy crackers with turkey and cheese
Portions: 1
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Ingredients: 2 slices of turkey breast (approx. 60g), 1 slice of low-fat cheese (approx. 30g), 2 rye crackers
Preparation: Place turkey and cheese on crackers, serve and enjoy!
Apple and cheese of your choice!
Portions: 1
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Ingredients: 1 portion-sized apple, 1 portion of low-fat cheese (approx. 30g)
Preparation: Place the apple and cheese on a plate (or not), serve and enjoy!
Taste tip: Apples are very rich in nutrients and are nature's "fast food". Red, green...even golden, they're all healthy and delicious! Just make sure you pick one in your own portion size.
* Tasty and smooth dip with tortilla chips and fresh vegetables
Portions: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: 1 cup cottage cheese, ½ cup Mexican sauce, ½ cup 0% low-fat yogurt, 1 hot pepper, seedless, chopped, 2 (20 cm) tortillas, 2 cups fresh vegetables of your choice
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a blender, beat the cottage cheese, Mexican sauce, yogurt, and hot pepper until smooth, about 30 seconds. Cut each tortilla into 12 triangles and place them on non-stick baking paper. Bake for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Divide the dip into 2 small bowls. Place the baked tortilla strips and the fresh vegetables around. Serve and enjoy!
Taste Tip: This tasty recipe is an alternative to high-fat 'chips and dip'. You will really like it!
* Protein-rich cottage cheese and blueberry yogurt
Portions: 1
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Ingredients: ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 low-fat yogurt with blueberries
Preparation: In a bowl, mix cottage cheese and blueberry yogurt. Serve and enjoy!
Helpful tip: The combination of yogurt and cottage cheese creates a nutritious snack complete with high-quality protein and carbohydrates. It's also very quick and easy!
* Cottage with raisins
Portions: 1
Ingredients: ½ cup of cottage cheese, ¼ cup of raisins, 1 sachet of sugar substitute
Preparation: Mix all the ingredients. It is delicious for breakfast, as a snack or as a dessert. High in protein.
Tropical treat! Tangerine, pineapple, vanilla yogurt and cottage cheese in papaya
Portions: 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Ingredients: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 fat-free vanilla yogurt, ½ cup pineapple, thawed, drained, 2 tangerines, 1 papaya, seedless, halved
Preparation: In a medium bowl, mix the cottage cheese and yogurt. Then add the pineapple and tangerines. Stir gently until well combined. Divide the filling between the 2 pieces of papaya. Serve and enjoy!
* Sandwich with spinach, feta cheese, red pepper and hummus
Portions: 1
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: 1 bun of your choice, spinach leaves, 2 tablespoons of grated light feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of hummus
Preparation: Cut the bun in half. In a small bowl, mix the spinach, chopped red pepper and feta cheese. Put the mixture on one half of the bread. Spread the other half with hummus. Toast the sandwich in the toaster for 2-3 minutes.
Bagel with smoked salmon and light cream cheese
Portions: 1
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: 1 bagel (plain, with sesame or poppy seeds), 2 tablespoons of light cream cheese, 2 slices of smoked salmon, 2-3 slices of onion (white or red), 1 tablespoon of capers, ½ slice of lemon, a little olive oil
Preparation:
Cut the bagel in half. Spread half of the cream cheese on the bottom bun and add the slices of fresh smoked salmon and the onion.
Squeeze a few drops of lemon over the salmon and add a few drops of olive oil.
Spread the remaining amount of Philadelphia on the top bun and add the capers. Close the bagel and serve on a plate.
Thessaloniki bun with leek and cheese
Portions: 2
Preparation Time 10 minutes
Ingredients: 2 Thessaloniki pretzels, 2 small leeks, 1 tablespoon butter or light margarine, 100g grated light cheese, 2 chopped green onions, some chopped parsley or dill, salt, freshly ground pepper
Preparation: Keep the white part of the leeks, clean them and chop them very small. Heat the butter over low heat. Sauté the leek for 5'-6', until it turns slightly golden, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Add the green onions and mix. Finally, throw in the parsley or dill and the grated cheese. Cut the pretzels horizontally. Spread the leek mixture evenly over them with a spoon and place them under a hot grill for a few minutes.
* Other ideas for healthy snacks:
In a bowl add 1 low-fat yogurt, 4 tablespoons of cereal, a few pieces of fresh fruit, 6 almonds and you have a very healthy combination of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Just make sure the cereals you use have a low sugar content.
You can take 1 Arabic pita or tortilla, spread it with a thin layer of light cream cheese, add a slice of turkey or ham, some grated carrot and two slices of tomato. Alternatively, you can put hummus, instead of mayonnaise and you will have a healthy breakfast or snack.
1 bagel with a thin layer of peanut butter, banana slices and cinnamon
Banana-chocolate milkshake: 1 glass of milk 1.5% fat, 1 small banana, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 sachet of saccharin or stevia powder, 8 ice cubes. First mix the milk with the cocoa in the blender and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
Tortilla with omelette (1 whole egg + 2 egg whites), 1 cup of vegetables of your choice + 2 tablespoons of grated light cheese. Accompany with ½ glass of sugar-free juice
1 small handful of mixed nuts (unsalted), ½ cup dried fruit and a few drops of dark chocolate
1 small bowl of homemade popcorn, 2 tablespoons unsalted nuts, ½ cup dried fruit (no added sugar) of your choice. For the popcorn: 3 tablespoons of popcorn (unhusked corn), a little oil, a little salt. Put the popcorn in a mug and add some salt. Put a little oil in a large pot, enough to cover the bottom, and let it burn at a high temperature. When it burns, put the popcorn in and close the lid. While the popcorn is popping, shake the pot in circles over the eye. After the last one pops, they are ready.
Vegetable sticks with hummus
Oats (20g) cooked with 1/2 glass of water, ½ sliced apple, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix it with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and top with the remaining diced apple, 1 tablespoon of raisins, 4 walnuts, crushed and cinnamon
1 ρυζογκοφρέτα με 1 κουταλάκι του γλυκού ταχίνι, 1 κουταλάκι του γλυκού honey + κανέλα
Mix 1 0-2% fat yogurt with 2 tablespoons of oats, 2 teaspoons of light cream cheese (eg Philadelphia), 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate tears. Serve in a glass and top with a drizzle of sugar-free chocolate syrup and 1 more teaspoon of dark chocolate tears
1 small apple, sliced, spread with 1 tablespoon peanut butter and cinnamon
1 slice toasted brown bread with ¼ sliced or melted avocado, 1 sliced egg, ½ tomato, salt/pepper to taste
Orange-Vanilla Cream (½ cup cottage cheese mixed with ½ cup vanilla-flavored yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange zest) and 1 small apple, sliced
1 small banana, spread with a little peanut butter, slivered almonds and cinnamon
2 sugar-free digestives, thin layer of peanut butter and banana slices or a little strawberry jam
½ apple chopped, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup cottage cheese. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Spread the mixture on a slice of toasted brown bread and serve with ½ glass of fresh juice
In conclusion, eating small meals can be a particularly healthy and balanced eating habit, which gives us energy and is not burdensome for health and weight control, as long as we make the right choices! As long as the right choice of snacks is made, their consumption contributes to better control of body weight and to the continuous supply of our body with energy and valuable nutrients.
Ευχαριστούμε την κυρία Alexandra Damvouneli
Clinical Dietitian-Nutritionist, graduate of Harokopio University of Athens, PGCert Athlete Nutrition
Contact numbers: 2108019097, 6937 260311, E-mail: alexandra.damvouneli@gmail.com & Healthy Eating with Alexandra
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