We have heard many times that 'health is wealth' and there are many habits that affect one's health adversely. It is very important to select carefully what you eat and how you live. Other than smoking and drug usage there are so many other habits that effects health and one of those habits is snacking. Those who are involved in snacking and eat so many unhealthy snacks in between meals are the ones suffering from various lifestyle diseases. It is sometimes hard to quit snacking because your body is used to eat and you feel low if you don't eat in between meals. Nevertheless, this habit has to be changed in order to live healthy and disease free.
Are you always snacking and wondering how you are going to replace this bad habit with healthier options? Have you suffered the consequences of snacking and are now looking to improve on your eating habits? While snacking is not exactly the worst sin you will ever commit, it is the choices of the foods you snack on that will make you commit the worst indiscretion against your own body. While most people snack, not all people are overweight or struggling with lifestyle diseases. Most snacks are laden with processed sugars and with time, they add the sugar levels in your bloodstream and may cause diabetes. Depending on the snacks you are used to, you are more predisposed to getting cancer and hypertension. Some of the healthy substitutes to snacks are listed in this article.
Fruits: Imagine taking an apple, orange or a banana for your snack instead of a burger. This may not be as tasty but the results for your body are tremendous. Fruits are sweet and have a lot of water. They add vitamins to your system and one of them is vitamin C, known to increase the immunity levels in your system. They also have a lot of fibers which help in digestion. In other words, one fruit a day will give you all these benefits, as opposed to the burger which won't. Packaging of snacks can be experimented and you will find yourself looking forward to those snacking moments. You can experiment with the high sugar levels in dry fruits like dates and have the best of both worlds. Make a fruit salad and enjoy the different flavors of fruits as you relax at your desk. Top your salad with some vegetables here and there for the perfect snack.
Healthy Sandwiches: If you want something you can work up with ease, make a sandwich using whole meal bread and instead of using margarine, use some freshly cut fruits or honey. Considering you are a normal office worker spending tens of hours seated, you will not be adding starch to your body as much as the burger-lover does. The main ingredient in your snack should be natural and whole grain. Leave anything that is not whole grains or you will again end up having unhealthy option.
For Kids - Veggie or fruit snacks or whole meal pastries and cakes and cookies: There is no doubt that kids will always love sweet snacks but you can ensure that you do not have them developing bad habits by supplying natural sweets like honey and dates for them to eat as snacks. Kids will always love the candy bars over the whole meal pastries you offer them. They may not love veggie snacks and may think of fruit snacks as boring but find a way of incorporating healthy choices in their lives. You can make cookies and cakes for them using whole meal flour. Artificial sweeteners can be used to make these sweet. One way of making sure they make the right choices regarding foods and snacks is educating them on the importance of the maintenance of good health by making good choices regarding foods. As a parent or guardian, ensure that you lead by example.
Remember health is not associated with the fact that you eat, what matters is what you eat. Eating healthy guarantees good health and good health leads to healthy and happy life. So choose food wisely and make sure you are not indulging in eating that is not good for your body.
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