Best Healthy Snacks

Best Healthy Snacks

When that afternoon hunger pang sets in, what do you reach for? For years I would just grab the nearest thing I could find to eat, and often it wasn’t the healthiest choice. I work a desk job during the week and inevitably always get hungry between lunch and dinner.

Best Healthy Snacks

Over the past few years, I’ve cleaned up my eating habits a lot, but I still have a tendency to indulge in sweets (I have a serious, serious sweet tooth). I’ve made it a point to try and choose snacks that are as fresh and unprocessed as possible. Also, low sugar is key. Some of the best healthy snacks I always keep on hand are:

If I’m craving something sweet…

Tropical Fruit Salad

A little trick I learned from street fruit carts abroad and in LA – I love taking tropical fruits such as pineapple, watermelon, and mango, and adding fresh lime juice and chili powder. I love using Tajín, if you are able to find that at your local grocery store!

Fruit is my go-to snack when I’m craving sweet. Bananas, apples, berries are all great choices. Sometimes I’ll whip up a quick fruit smoothie as well. Natural sugar > added sugars. A square of dark chocolate or too doesn’t hurt either ; ).

If I’m craving something salty…

Seaweed

These seaweed chips from Trader Joe’s are SO addictive. Whole Foods has them as well. Kind of like potato chips, but so much better for you! They are just the right amount of salty and crunchy to satisfy any salty craving.

If I’m craving something fatty…

Avocado

Healthy fats FTW! Avocados are full of heart healthy fats that keep you full longer. I like to make avocado toast using toasted ezekiel bread (+ lime juice, pink sea salt, and chili flakes). I’ll even eat them on their own sometimes – SO GOOD. I cannot get enough of avocado.

Protein

Eggs, nuts, turkey slices, Greek yogurt. Protein is essential if you are working out for building muscle and also keeps you full longer. Not to sound like a bodybuilder, but it is so important to make sure you are eating enough protein!! When I upped my protein intake, I found it so much easier to see the benefits of my workouts.

If I’m craving soda…

Sparkling water

Technically not a snack, but hear me out. First things first, I make sure I’m not confusing hunger with thirst. I have a tendency to mindlessly graze (especially if I’m working!) so I always drink tons of water throughout the day. I cut out drinking soda daily years ago  but sometimes I miss the carbonation. Sparkling water with a squeeze of lime is refreshing and more interesting than water.

Kombucha

I love, love, love kombucha. I could write an entire post on kombucha. I brewed my own kombucha at home for a while but it got to be too time consuming. Thankfully kombucha has gotten to be so popular, most stores carry it now. Note: many varieties of kombucha contain TONS of sugar, so make sure to look for bottles with <2g of sugar per serving. GT Kombucha flavors I like that fit this requirement are: original, multi-green, trilogy, and gingerade (this is the most common brand you’ll find at supermarkets).

Snacks I try to avoid

Protein bars (full of crap and contain more sugar than a candy bar), cereal/granola bars (tons of sugar and very processed), processed “healthy” food (anything “sugar-free” or “fat-free” tends to have additives that are actually terrible for you).

I’m not a nutritionist by any means… but I think we can all agree that whole, unprocessed foods are some of the best foods you can eat! And clearly I’m not much of a cook… hence why all of these snacks are quick and easy, in addition to being healthy. What are some of your favorite snacks?

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xx, Amy

19 Discussion to this post

  1. Polly says:

    I love kombucha too! My favorite flavors are gingerade and ginger berry!

    Polly
    http://gemsandjoy.com

  2. Yvonne says:

    I love this post! I love avocados and never eat protein bars!
    xo Yvonne
    http://www.aproposh.com

  3. sepatuholig says:

    Loooove kambucha! and avocado.. and seaweed… and fruit salad… ahhhh… everything!
    http://sepatuholig.blogspot.com
    Instagram @grace_njio

  4. Kyla says:

    Great post! Thanks for the reminder I should be eating healthier! ❤️❤️❤️
    Kyla
    Wanderlustkyla.com

  5. Such great choices! Thanks for sharing! xx, Erin – http://www.stylebythepeople.com

  6. Lauren Nakagawa says:

    I’m a boochhead for sure 😀 GTS is up there with my local favorites, I’m drinking some right now hehe.

    xx
    Lauren
    http://www.shoesandsashimi.com

  7. that matching pants set is a dream!

  8. Jennsemble says:

    Thank you for sharing these awesome snacks! I’ve been trying to get myself to eat more healthy but it’s so hard LOL but this is a great place to start. I’ve recently been snacking on cucumbers grown from my mom’s garden. Super fresh and definitely organic so I love that. I’ve never heard of kombucha but sounds like it’s something I need to check out!

    XO Jenn
    http://www.jennsemble.com

    • Amy Zhang says:

      Totally agree Jenn! Eating healthy really makes a difference in how I feel and how much energy I have! My parents grew cucumbers at home as well – so funny! Lmk what you think of kombucha!! It might be an acquired taste, but I love it! It’s full of gut-boosting probiotics and the carbonation reminds me of soda (but it’s much better for you)! xx

  9. […] is definitely one of the most talked about health benefits of lecithin. How I understand it is, in the bloodstream, there is good cholesterol and bad. The […]

  10. Arthur says:

    These healthy snacks looks yummy! I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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