YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Summer 2017 | Page 4

CHRISTINA GLITSOS, APD
Christina is a Sydney-based dietitian and nutritionist working in workplace health and wellbeing.
Her approach to healthy living and good nutrition is simple – wholesome food, basic cooking
skills and a little forward planning. Find out more about Christina go to
www.squashnutritionblog.com or www.n4foodandhealth.com

THE SECRETS TO
HEALTHY SNACKING
Nutrition expert Christina Glitsos shares her tips for healthy snacking.
nacking is a topic I frequently
get asked about – is it better to
eat three large main meals, or
smaller portioned meals with two to
three snacks spread throughout the
day? Well, when do you feel hungry? Are
you ravenous by lunchtime? Or, do you
have a cup of tea and a few biscuits
because the clock reads 3pm? Eating to
your appetite is an important practice,
so what is your stomach telling you?

S

Provided you make sensible choices,
snacking between main meals can help
stabilise blood glucose (sugar) levels,
which can reduce hunger pangs and
improve your mental and physical
performance. Snacks are also a great
opportunity to boost your intake of core
foods (for example, fruit, vegetables,
dairy) and nutrients (for example,
calcium, fibre), helping you work
towards the recommended daily targets.

What makes a snack healthy?
Basing your snacks around the five
food groups is a guaranteed way to
ensure your choice is healthy. When it
comes to supermarket products, a
good starting point is to check the ‘per
serve’ nutrition information on the
product label for the following:
• less than 600kJ
• less than 3g saturated fat
• less than 450mg sodium

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Here are some healthy snacking ideas
to get you started.
• 200g low-fat yoghurt with a sprinkle
of LSA (ground linseed, sunflower
seed and almond)
• 1 slice of wholegrain toast with a
tablespoon of nut butter
• 150g frozen grapes
• 2 wholegrain rice cakes topped with
a tablespoon of cottage cheese and
sliced tomato
• 250ml smoothie, made from banana,
milk, yoghurt, oats and honey
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 1 wholegrain English muffin with
vegemite
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable-based
dips (for example, hummus, baba
ganoush, salsa)
• 1 slice of fruit and seed toast,
topped with sliced banana

• 1 handful of trail mix
• 75g tin of salt-reduced baked beans
• 1 handful of chicknuts (roasted
chickpeas)
• 1 small tin (90g) of tuna
• 5-7 fresh dates
• 2 cups air-popped popcorn
• 250ml can of vegetable soup

How can I make healthy
snacking easier?
Preparation is key
Healthy snacks need to be convenient
to replace ‘convenience foods’, so take
time on the weekend or night before to
prepare. You might like to chop a
selection of fruit or vegetables to keep
in the fridge, pack a handful of nuts in a
container to take to work, or whip up a
dip (for example, hummus) or muffins.

Keep a supply

And for when you need your snack to
be a little more transportable (for
example, school or uni lunches,
working on the road, travel), try packing
some of the following:

Use your pantry and fridge to keep a
supply of healthy snack options, such as
frozen berries, yoghurt, nuts, wholegrain
crackers, tuna and canned soup.

• 2 fruit and nut bites (see recipe on
page 10)
• 1 piece of fruit (for example, apple,
orange, pear)
• 1 handful (30g) of dry roasted
almonds or walnuts
• 3 to 4 wholegrain crackers
• 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin
seeds) or sunflower seeds
• A selection of vegetable sticks (for
example, carrot, cucumber,
capsicum, radish, fennel)

Take the convenience out of
‘convenience foods’ and remove the
temptation to snack on chips, lollies, soft
drinks and chocolate bars by keeping
them out of sight or off the shopping list.

YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2017

Out of sight

Serve your portion first
It can be easy to overconsume when you
eat straight from the packet, as you tend
not to notice how much you’ve eaten.
Instead, serve the food into a bowl or
container, then put the packet away to
help keep your portion sizes in check.