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Keeping Up Your Metabolism With Healthy Snack Foods

18th April, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

To choose healthy snack foods, think about variety, balance and moderation. Each day you’ll want some dairy foods, a little bit of carbs, protein, omega oils, raw foods, fruits and vegetables. Try to choose food snacks that are between 100 to 200 calories and aim for 4-5 mini-wheels every couple of hours or so.

This will help prevent those out-of-control cravings and will ensure your body doesn’t store an “emergency fund” of fat as a reserve. Nutrition Counselor Barbara Whedon recommends, “Try thinking of snacks as foods eaten between meals rather than as treats or rewards.”

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Healthy foods don’t always have to taste like Styrofoam. For a snack, bagels and bran muffins taste pretty darn good! A 200-calorie bagel will give you 11% of your daily recommended iron, which is particularly good for women who don’t always retain iron so well.

Additionally, you’ll get solid doses of B vitamins, like niacin, riboflavin and thiamin. You may be tempted to load on the cream cheese, but there are delicious flavored skim ricottas that come in blueberry and strawberry that might be a healthier choice. A bran muffin delivers three grams of fiber and 1.8 mg of iron (10% of your daily value).

Sometimes you’re super hungry and a snack food like granola bars or apples just won’t do. Lunch healthy diet snacks, like Mexican-style beans and tuna fish will fill you right up and give you the energy you need to make it through the day. Just a half cup of Mexican beans will give you 26% of your daily fiber.

weight loss
A good way to eat them may be to mash them up or heat them into a creamy dip or wrap them up into a burrito. Bean soup or teriyaki bean dishes are other delicious alternatives. Three ounces of tuna canned in water is a great way to get B12 (32% of the daily dose) and a great serving of protein.

Of course choosing the right snack food like best foods alone won’t help you with your weight loss goals. You’ll also need to drink a glass of water each time you snack to help regulate your body and help you to feel satisfied. Exercising 3-5 times each week is also essential in keeping the body machine working optimally.

Lastly, try to vary the textures and tastes for your snack food choices to keep your senses intrigued.