How to reconcile healthy eating and busy schedule? While lunch is not usually a problem – healthy and inexpensive lunches are now offered by every other restaurant – snacks are not so easy.
Cakes, cookies, chocolates with coffee – all these not only add unwanted kilograms, but also harm your health. Snacks should feed the grey cells and give energy, so it is better to plan them in advance, for example, on weekends. What to take with you to work as a snack and what to avoid?
Don’t have the time or energy to stand over the stove? A snack in the form of fruit and nuts is ideal. But be sure to keep it in moderation. Both will be beneficial for your health only in reasonable quantities. If you are planning to eat a portion of nuts, soak them in water overnight and dry them in the morning. This simple step removes enzyme inhibitors that reduce the absorption of the nutrients they contain.
A small bottle of kefir and two slices of wholemeal bread won’t take up much space in your bag, but they can come to the rescue when your stomach is clamouring for food before your planned break at work. Wholemeal flour rich in fibre in duo with kefir will help you prolong the feeling of satiety for at least two hours. On the other hand, avoid rice wafers and crisp bread, which are so fashionable nowadays – they are highly processed products and their snacking results in quick feeling of hunger.
Finely grate carrots and mix them with cottage cheese. Add natural yoghurt, some salt, put into a container – and a healthy snack is ready! Cottage cheese can also be used for dessert. Add to it a few apple pieces, a handful of raisins and 2 eggs, then put in the oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 30 minutes.
If you have a slow juicer at home, put three washed tomatoes in it. Season with salt, pepper and basil and pour into a bottle. Tomato juice effectively satisfies hunger and thirst. If you do not have time or desire to squeeze juice at home, you can always buy a ready-made product in the store. However, make sure that there is no sugar and salt in it.
If you have a microwave at work, you can prepare a fresh snack on the spot. All you have to do is hollow out the center of the apple from the stalk side with a knife, pour a teaspoon of honey inside and put it in the microwave. After a few minutes, you have a tasty dessert. If you are opposed to the microwave, you can always prepare baked apples at home – cold from the oven they also taste delicious.
Grind dried apricots, prunes, dates, raisins, nuts and oatmeal with a blender. Add honey to the whole mixture. Put the mixture onto the greaseproof paper and beat with your fingers. Put the energy mixture in the fridge overnight and in the morning cut into portions. Ready! When you get to work, store this tasty snack in the fridge.
The best are kaki and oranges, but you know; the season for these fruits is autumn and winter. So choose the fruits you like: apples, pears, bananas, strawberries. Once you have decided, cut the fruit into thin strips, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon. In a preheated 170 degree oven, hold the fruit for 10 minutes, then flip it over and hold for another 10 minutes. You can also prepare such chips from vegetables, for example carrots and beets.
Despite appearances, it is very easy to prepare yogurt at home. Just buy unpasteurized milk and a special starter. It can be purchased in health food stores or online. You do not need any special equipment to prepare homemade yogurt. Just heat the milk in a saucepan to no more than 85 degrees and then cool it in a bowl of cold water to 45 degrees. After adding the right amount of starter to it, you mix it thoroughly and pour the whole thing into a previously scalded and dried jar. You put it in a warm place for 8-12 hours and the yogurt is ready! Add finely chopped fruit, fresh or dried, to taste. If you add bran to the yogurt, your snack will be even more filling.
The guys next to you are eating sandwiches and you’re craving them too? From time to time you can make yourself a nutritious sandwich from wholemeal sourdough bread for a second breakfast. Put baked pieces of turkey breast, slices of pickled cucumber, tomato and lettuce in it. The idea is to keep sandwiches from becoming your “daily bread.”
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