Category: Healthy Lifestyle

 

5 Great Healthy Snack Ideas

Check out these ideas for healthy snacks that you create and enjoy!

 

As a vegetarian, I’ve often faced the battle when grabbing healthy snacks, as most of the options were unhealthy (think of chocolate and crisps) or nutritionally imbalanced (yes, the cheese and onion pasty is a favourite EVERYWHERE). It is just no fun and super challenging when you are sticking to a balanced nutritional plan.

I found myself saying, “I can’t eat that” more often than, “That sounds tasty”. 

Basically, I was no longer friends with food when I was out unless it was pasta, bread, or baked goods.

You don’t have to be vegetarian to get fed up with the same healthy snack options. Well, I think everyone I know has had a Tesco meal deal and had the bag of apples or grapes as their meal snack.

But it is not all lost. Healthy snacks are not:

  • limited to what you make at home
  • only a selection of pre-prepared fruit
  • tasteless

Simply, you can eat great food even when you are on the go. Here are 5 great healthy snack ideas you can easily create.

  • Option 1: Protein Box
  • Option 2: Cheese and Olives
  • Option 3: Stuffed Cherry Peppers
  • Option 4: Trail mix (home-mix)
  • Option 5: Celery sticks, filled or with a dip

1) Protein box

In simple terms, this is just a box of your favourite protein snack. In reality, this is an incredible way to have great food all day long.

Not only do you get to pick the food you WANT to eat, but it’s also all great for you too.

Here are some suggestions as to what you could add to your protein box:

  • jerky
  • boiled eggs
  • cheese pieces
  • roasted chickpeas
  • handful of almonds
  • pumpkin seeds
  • beef/turkey/chicken slices

You don’t have to pile it high as this is not a meal. But one box well prepared could be your snacks over the day. Like if you feel a bit hungry mid-morning, grab a couple of nuts and a boiled egg, then later have the rest of the nuts and some cheese. Fabulous!

2) Cheese and Olives

This sounds like the entrée for a fancy meal, so you could call it your fancy snack option. Who doesn’t like the idea of fine dining when on the go?!

Not only is this super easy to prepare, but can be carried easily in a small tub or bag. You could even pick some up from the store and enjoy – just be careful not to eat a large block of cheese!

Cheese and Olives is a total winner for a high-protein, low-carb veggie-friendly option – just make sure the olives are pitted, or watch out for those stones.

3) Stuffed Cherry Peppers

I simply love making these and they are another fabulous fancy snack option.

The small size of the cherry peppers means you can make a couple and easily carry them around with you in a small tub. Plus, you can fill them to taste. Whether you opt for goat’s cheese, small balls of mozzarella, or choose to make a tuna and sweetcorn mix, you can really create to taste.

What’s even better is they would fit into your protein box or alongside some olives perfectly too! So stand-alone or part of a package, stuffed peppers can easily fit in.

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4) Trail mix (home-mix)

There are so many options for a trail mix that you can buy and create; really the world is your oyster here. But, as the saying goes, ‘Homemade is always best’.

If you can make your mix at home and then take it with you, not only will you be able to be more able to monitor your nutritional intake more as many of the snack packs can have salt, etc. added, but you will also find it cheaper overall as bigger bags are cheaper per kg or 100g.

Great things to include are almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds with some dried fruit.

Ladies, if you ever suffer from cystitis, UTIs, or thrush, you can support your body here by adding some dried cranberries. They are rich in antioxidants and also support heart health, but not too many as they are also higher in carbs, calories, and sugar.

5) Celery sticks, filled or with a dip

Celery on its own can be pretty grim to eat. It is full of health benefits including being rich in fibre and high vitamin content, but the actual values are really low with one stick having only 10 calories.

But that just makes it a brilliant part of one of your healthy snacks. You can easily fill it with something or have it with a dip.

Peanut butter-filled celery sticks are a fantastic way to add protein to your snack without loading up on carbs. But do bear in mind that if these are in your bag all day, they can get a bit yucky (especially on a hot day). My best advice is to make them, tub them, and then store them in the fridge.

Don’t worry, you are not limited to using peanut butter only. You could use goat’s cheese or other soft cheese, like the stuffed peppers. Or alongside a hummus dip. Really, they are yours for creating.

To wrap it up…

Whether you are making snacks for yourself, your partner, or your children, you can create tasty and healthy snacks easily. 

Also, remember that being vegetarian or having other dietary requirements doesn’t mean you have to just ‘eat what is available’. You can create your snacks to fit you.

 

How to stay healthy while working

Tips and tricks for working parents

 

Working parents are expected to do it all. From being the primary caretaker of your child to working a full-time job, you have no time for yourself. But what happens when you’re constantly exhausted and unhealthy from neglecting your personal needs? Working with limited time for yourself can be detrimental to both your health and your family. Fortunately, there are ways to stay healthy while working and maintain a balanced lifestyle as a parent. Read on to know more!

Eat well and exercise regularly

Even though you have little time to cook or prepare meals, eating well while working can be simple. Make sure you have healthy proteins and carbohydrates at every meal. This will ensure you have the energy you need to get through the day, as well as stay healthy. Furthermore, drink water every day to stay hydrated and avoid water retention.

Exercising regularly is also essential for maintaining good health. It’s a good idea to include a cardiovascular routine (e.g., walking, jogging, or swimming) and resistance training (e.g., lifting weights, using resistance bands, or using an exercise ball) to increase lean muscle mass and improve bone strength. But to make this manageable, you could do this in short 20-minute blocks, walking the extra bus stop on your commute, or even fewer longer sessions to maximise the time you do have to exercise.

Additionally, it’s important to get enough sleep – 8 hours is recommended – as it can help to keep your hormone levels balanced and prevent fatigue. However, if you are finding this tough, focus on quality of sleep. A quality 6 hours is much better than a broken 8 hours, and slowly work up to the ideal.

Have a work-life balance

Too much of anything is bad. However, too much of nothing is nothing. This is especially true when you are juggling work and parenting. It’s easy to get caught up in the “have to” aspects of working and parenting that you forget to take time for yourself.

It’s important to create a schedule in life that allows you to take time for yourself while still maintaining a regular schedule of the things you “have to” do. You don’t have to completely change your schedule or completely remove work from your life. Instead, simply find ways to incorporate some kind of “me” time into your schedule, like taking a bubble bath or relaxing with a good book. Find activities that allow you to be alone with your thoughts and allow you to recharge. This will help you to avoid burnout and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

To ensure you don’t forget about yourself and take too much time for yourself, create a “me” reminder on your phone. This way, you will always have something reminding you to take care of yourself.

Find a support system

No two parents are alike, and no two working people are identical either. This means that you will need to find a support system that works best for you and your family. You can find a support system in many different ways:

  • Join a parent’s group: These groups may be formal or informal, and they often meet once a week or every other week. It is helpful to find a group that meets regularly, so you know what to expect when you need to take a break from work.
  • Find a local health professional (coach, counselor, therapist): Having a support system can be beneficial as it allows you to talk to a professional about your feelings and emotions. A professional can provide you with guidance and help you to find solutions to problems.
  • Ask your family or friends for help: It’s important to have family and friends to rely on when you need help. You can ask your family or friends to babysit while you take care of a sick child or take on other responsibilities. Or even having a regular babysitter who is there is help – the right person will feel like extended family.

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Plan your day

Having a plan for your day can help you to stay organised and prioritise your tasks. It can also help to keep you on track when you’re trying to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. You can create a daily plan for yourself by breaking your day down into sections such as eating, sleeping, work, and so on. It can also help to write down any tasks that may have previously been forgotten about or that you may have delegated to your assistant, colleague, partner, or another family member.

Planning your day is especially helpful when you have a lot of responsibilities that can’t easily be delegated. For example, if you have a work-related trip that will take up a significant portion of your day, planning ahead can be extremely helpful. You can also use planning as a way to stay organised during a hectic day. For example, if you know that you’re going to be running from meeting to meeting without a lot of time to prepare, planning ahead can help you to stay on track as you can have lunch prepared or pre-ordered.

Take time for yourself

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is challenging when you have so much to do and so little time. However, taking time for yourself can help you to maintain your energy and avoid burnout. You can find time for yourself by taking a break from your work duties- whether you need to step away from work or just get out of the house- and engaging in a hobby or activity that allows you to be creative and spend time with your family.

Another way to take time for yourself is to use your lunch break or a scheduled break at work to take a walk, do some journaling, or just relax. Using your breaks to take care of yourself will allow you to stay healthy and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

Conclusion

Parenthood often comes with a great deal of stress and uncertainty. The best way to cope is to be physically and mentally healthy. This can be accomplished by eating well and exercising regularly, taking time for yourself, and having a support system. It is also important to plan your day, plan ahead to cover the little things (like charging your phone), and use your breaks wisely in order to stay on track with your work and social life.

Hope these tips and tricks for working parents have given you some thoughts on how to change your lifestyle. But also the confidence that what you are facing is nothing new. Many others out there feel the same and you are very much capable of being an amazing parent with a successful career and a healthy lifestyle. Start small and build up!