Healthy Snacks

       Welcome back to my blog! If you're like me then you love food, but you also want to take care of your body. This can be challenging sometimes though so I've put together a list with some ideas for snacks that are on the healthier side of the spectrum. They taste great and are great for you!

Fruit

     Fruit is obviously good for you and there is a huge variety. Many fruits are very sweet since they contain natural sugar and so they can help to satisfy your sweet tooth and cut your cravings for unhealthy things. Berries are great for snacking, my personal favorites are blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Strawberries are good too. Melons are great especially in the summer as well. Some popular kinds are watermelon (of course), honey dew melon, and cantaloupe. There are tons of other fruits including; bananas, mangos, pineapples, oranges, peaches, plums, apples (amazing with some peanut butter), pears, you get the idea!
I suggest checking out your local farmers market or just exploring the produce section in your grocery store to be adventurous and try some new fruit.

We can't forget about cherries!

 

Vegetables

I know not many people think of them as snack but slices of celery or cucumber do just fine. I love eating raw baby carrots. Any of these are great plain or dipped in something like ranch dressing.

Nuts

My favorite are peanuts, I also love almonds. Cashews, walnuts, and pecans are other well known varieties.

Dried Fruit

So many fruits come dried but raisins are obviously the most well known, many people don't like them though. I was the opposite for a while, I loved raisins but hated grapes (I know, I was weird). Even if you don't like raisins I think you should still try Craisins, dried cranberries. I actually prefer them to plain old raisins.

Trail Mix

A great way to have dried fruit is in trail mix, you can make your own or just buy it. Many come with seeds and granola or oats and definitely nuts, most likely peanuts and/or almonds and some have chocolate chips of m&ms. The varieties are endless, some are very, very healthy, and others not so much. Nonetheless, they are all still pretty good for you!

Miscellaneous

As for crackers, crackers like Ritz aren't the best for you but they aren't too bad either, especially if you get the whole grain ones. Wheat Thins are a great option, they are my favorite crackers. And I love Stacy's Pita Crisps, the sea salt ones are so good, they are pretty healthy and taste great. Newtons are another great snack. There are actually different types of Newtons including Triple Berry (my favorite) and Apple Cinnamon. If you don't like Fig Newtons I recommend checking out the other "flavors". They are super yummy and are healthy too.

Yogurt/Smoothies/Smoothie bowls

These "treats" allow you to be so creative! Yogurt is an amazing snack. You can add so many things to it. What I do most often is add some granola to my yogurt. For a while I would only eat regular vanilla Yoplait because it is my all time favorite yogurt! Now I do eat other flavors though! Fruit smoothies using natural ingredients are great and like I said smoothies give you a lot of freedom so just throw you favorite fruits together and make up some combos or go on Google or Pinterest to find great recipes. (Another fun thing about the bowls is decorating them!)

Thanks for reading, I hope you found these suggestions helpful!
Do you have any favorite healthy(-ish) snacks to recommend?

-Emily

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Five Simple Things You Can Do To Be Healthier

        Hello! Today I thought I would share some tips with you about being healthier. I am not including obvious ones like exercise, these are more like small changes you can make in your life to be healthier overall. I firmly believe that healthier = happier!

TIP #1.

Lilly Pulitzer
Tumbler

        Drink water! Water is one of the best things you can consume. As humans, our bodies are made up of a large amount of water and therefore we need a lot of it. Most people, including myself though do not always drink enough. There are so many benefits of drinking more water including helping with weight loss and clearing skin.
       One way you can encourage yourself to drink more water is to get a cute water bottle or tumbler. That way you can carry it around with you and when you see it you'll be reminded to take a drink. I always have a water bottle with me, I even take it wherever I am  in my house. I have mine next to me even now as I am typing this post! If I don't have it with me I definitely wouldn't be drinking as much. One of my problems is that I never realize I am thirsty until I start drinking something. When my water bottle is right there though it's easy to remember to have some. (You could also set a reminder on your phone telling you to drink water every so often if you really wanted to.)

     

 

 

TIP #2.

Camelbak Water Bottle

       Playing off of tip #1, try to drink less soda. Replace it with water. But maybe you're saying "Emily, plain water, ugh". If regular water isn't you thing that's ok. Nothing can trump regular water but there are many options better than soda. For instance, flavored water or sparkling water. Lemonade is another. Or you could have fruit juice instead. Keep in mind though that you want something that doesn't have too much sugar because we still want it to be better for you than soda is.
       

 

TIP #3.

       Take the stairs. Most places, such as office buildings, malls, train stations, etc. have stair cases right next to escalators (and if not next to usually they are very close by). Taking the stairs instead of using an escalator or the elevator is such an easy way to get more exercise and it's not hard to do since there are plenty of opportunities. Even if it's only one or two flights of stairs the calories you burn from them will add up. It will also help you get in better shape in general and will definitely help you be healthier. I always take the stairs whenever I have the chance.

 

TIP #4.

      Try to have at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable with every "meal". I always like to have some fruit with my breakfast and either  a fruit or vegetable with my lunch. Sometimes I have an afternoon snack and I do like to incorporate a fruit. At dinner I always have some sort of vegetable and a side salad so that makes up a variety of veggies at that meal.  And finally I usually like having some fruit a little while after dinner. Apples are my favorite for this  and I love slicing them and putting a bit of peanut butter on, it makes them seem more decadent and like a dessert.
      I am not saying that I always follow this "plan" but I try to as often as possible. I am also not saying that I never eat junk food, I do and I have a huge sweet tooth, and that's ok. Everything  is fine in moderation and if you watch your portion size.

I love eating blueberries, especially in the summertime right after I take them out of the fridge, they're so refreshing!

 

TIP #5.

       If you are trying to eat less junk food, less of a certain thing, or trying to change you diet....... don't buy what you want to avoid! It is much easier to not be tempted and to not eat something if it is not easily accessible. What I mean by this is that if it is not in your house I don't know how many people would actually go to the store to get one thing they are craving. If you are in a similar situation as me though you will know that can be hard when your parents or other people you live with buy what you are trying to avoid. I just have to work on my will power and pretend that those foods do not exist and are not right there in the pantry tempting and torturing me with their deliciousness!

I hope you found these tips helpful on your journey to a healthier you, as they have been helping me. Thanks for reading, have a great day/afternoon/night!
-Emily

Other Places You Can Find Me:

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