As soon as you jump on the fitness bandwagon, it’s easy to get carried away with buying all of the ‘healthy’ snacks that supermarkets have to offer. Although a lot of these snacks can be really good for your body, others contain a lot of ingredients that you might want to avoid – especially if you’re trying to lose weight.
Fruit Yogurt
Although fruity yogurt can seem more exciting than natural yogurt, it contains a lot more sugar. It’s much better to mix fresh fruit with natural yogurt yourself, so then you can see what’s going into it. If a supermarket brought yogurt with compote has a casual 15g of sugar (which many of them do) and your daily allowance of sugar is 25g, then it’s easy to hit half your daily intake with one snack!
Moreover, don’t be fooled by the fat free flavoured yogurts. Containing no fat doesn’t mean necessarily meant that they’re good for you.
Energy Bars
Energy bars are a mixed bag: some are good but a lot of them won’t do you any favours. You should always make sure to check the nutritional information on a bar before deciding if it’s right for you.
A bar might be marketed as high in protein, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. The bar could also be high in calories, fat and sugar. Instead of searching your supermarket for the right energy bar, look up some healthy recipes online and make them yourself. It’s much better to snack on something you’ve prepared yourself so you know exactly what’s gone into it.
Granola
On the outside, shop bought granola can seem super healthy. Although rolled oats, nuts and dried fruits won’t do you any harm, a lot of granola come with a really high sugar content and are also high in calories. Factor in the accompanying milk or yogurt and it can turn into a really calorific breakfast. Either check the packet for a low sugar granola alternatives or try to make your own homemade granola instead.
Flavoured Soya Milk
It’s not a secret that switching to soya milk has its health benefits with it being high in protein and potassium whilst being low in cholesterol. However, that doesn’t mean that the chocolate and sweetened soya milks are going to be just has good for you. The flavoured milks contain so much more sugar and calories than ordinary soya milk. Try and avoid using flavoured soya milk in your porridge or in your coffee and save it for the occasional treat instead.
Roasted Nuts
Nuts can be a great little snack for between meals and there’s so many varieties so it’s hard to get bored of them. When eaten in moderation, they provide a good amount of protein and can keep you fuller for longer.
Although it’s tempting to try the tasty array of flavoured nuts, it’s best to stick to plain raw nuts. If you’re used to snacking on the salted or roasted varieties, try roasting your own nuts in the oven and adding spices – it’s a lot better than buying the packet ones.
Also remember to monitor how many nuts you’re eating in one sitting. With 100 calories in only 3 Brazil nuts, it’s easy to munch your way through 1000 calories in one snacking session.
