Healthful snacking...
Paraman
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Children do a lot of outdoor sports and games, which generally take up a lot of their energy and this is when snacks should be made nutritious so that they provide both the urge to eat and at the same time give the body the essential nutrients; a kind of a refuel. Snacking on nutritious food can keep energy levels high and the mind alert. Serve snacks with fun plates, napkins, cups or straws and make it a pleasurable event!!
Snacking on nutritious food can keep energy levels high and the mind alert.
Snacking can help ignite your energy by giving your body a fuel boost. Eating healthy snacks, in snack-size portions, can help you avoid feeling over-hungry – overeating syndrome that often leads to overweight and can leave you feeling lethargic.
Unfortunately, a typical snack turns out to be one of the following and none of these are healthy options:
- Savoury and salted snacks that are deep-fried, for example, Upma, Pav bhaji.
- Savoury and salted items that are deep-fried and also have a lot of fat content, for example,Samosa, Pakoras, Murruku.
- Savoury and salted items that contain a combination of deep-fried and raw ingredient, for example,Bhel Puri, Dahi Vada, Pani Puri and other Chaats.
- Sweet snacks prepared and preserved in sugar medium, for example, Rasagolla.
- Sweet snacks deep-fried also have a lot of fat content and preserved in sugar syrup, for example,Jilebi.
Tips for choosing healthful snack
· For daily living, plan your snack menu ahead; take snacks along with you to work; select whole grains when feasible. When you are dinning out, select baked or steamed snacks, rather than fried snacks; include fresh fruits than fruit juice for increased fibre; pick appetisers that are not fried. Of course, in social situations learn to say ‘no, thanks’ to second serving.
· Instead of bhel puri, fried maida item, or fried whole-wheat puri, you can choose plain puffed rice, mudi, whole wheat phulka or chapatti.
· Instead of corn pakora, fried chips, samosa, fritters, potato vada, you can choose boiled potato chaat, tikkia, baked vegetable chips, roasted corn. A cup of air popped, plain popcorn has only about 30 calories making it an ideal high fibre snack (excellent source of fibre, good for memory).
· Instead of gram flour vada or dal vada you can choose green gram or chik pea sundal, fresh sprouted moong dal, dokla.
· Bananas may not seem like the ideal snack food, but they are rich in food value. You can make the taste more interesting by slicing a banana, adding a little lemon. If you like chaatmasala, keep it handy and sprinkle it over your banana snack for extra flavour.
· Prunes, figs, raisins, dates, and apricots are rich in natural sugars, contain no fats, and are a good source of antioxidants. Hence, dry fruits prevent premature aging, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. They are also rich in fibre and thus prevent constipation.
· Khakras, being whole grains, contain fibre and vitamin B, and are an excellent source of carbohydrate and dietary fibres. They are low in fat, and when eaten in combination with beans and legumes, they are a good source of complete protein. You get a variety ofkhakras – bajri, jowar, and wheat.
· Fruits are rich in antioxidants, high in fibre, contains natural sugar and high content of water.
· Freshly chopped vegetables with yogurt dip contain fibre, roughage, antioxidants and vitamins. Seeds of pumpkin, sunflower contain essential fat, and are high in vitamins, minerals, and calcium.
· Wholegrain bread as vegetable sandwiches with chutney is an excellent source of dietary fibre, vitamins B and E, and they reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
· Poha or upma with vegetables and baked potato are low in calories, high in carbohydrates, a good source of energy.
· Uttappa stuffed with onion, capsicum, tomatoes (anti-oxidants) is also a good snack.
Children do a lot of outdoor sports and games, which generally take up a lot of their energy and this is when snacks should be made nutritious so that they provide both the urge to eat and at the same time give the body the essential nutrients; a kind of a refuel. Snacking on nutritious food can keep energy levels high and the mind alert. Serve snacks with fun plates, napkins, cups or straws and make it a pleasurable event!!
Snacking on nutritious food can keep energy levels high and the mind alert.
: From “ HEALTH GLANCE” column of FROZEN THOUGHTS
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