Sick of rice cakes, veg sticks and ultra processed chalky protein bars? We’ve all been there and got in a rut of boring and bland snacking. This nutrition and dietician approved list will bring some much needed flavour and goodness to your mid morning and afternoon snack-attack.
Snacking is often deemed as dangerous territory and something to be avoided. However, making smart snack choices throughout the day can help keep your blood glucose levels even. Thus leading to maintained concentration and energy levels.
The snack ideas below are to help give you a little pick me up energy wise and offer further health benefits such as protein for repair, fibre for gut health, fats for brain function, and micronutrients for overall health.
So what makes a snack ‘healthy’? Aiming to stay away from labelling foods as ‘good’ and ‘bad’; there are just foods that you should eat everyday and others which should be consumed in smaller portions and less frequently. This list is full of whole foods which are easy to source and/or prepare, to help keep your brain, body and gut feeling good.
Knowing how much of a snack to eat can also be a challenging decision. We have added a suggestion range for each of the snacks. If you are petite and not very active you will be at the lower end, if you are tall/muscular and active you will be at the higher end.
Veloforte Wellness Bar
Oatcakes, cream cheese, jam
‘Ants on logs’
Nuts & dried fruit
Yoghurt with granola
Cottage cheese with mixed berries
Smoothie
Chia & oat pudding
Bagel thin with topping
Cheese and crackers
Banana muffins
Delicious and super convenient to throw in your backpack or work bag, a Veloforte bar will give you the energy boost you need, with a host of benefits you won’t get from a chocolate bar or supermarket ‘breakfast bar’.
The completely natural recipes are packed with digestion-supporting fibre, as well as masses of health-boosting minerals and vitamins from real fruits. One bar will provide up to 25% of your daily fibre needs and slow-release energy will keep you thriving for longer.
Our range has three delicious flavours:
Fig & Oats
Mango & Coconut
Orange & Cacao
Take a stick of celery and spread about 1tbsp of peanut butter into the groove, top with 5-10 raisins. You could easily substitute for other nut butters, they are a great way to get some healthy fats into your diet. Plus nut butter is energy dense, so it's an easy way to get some energy in without having to eat a large volume of food. The celery is mainly there to offer up some satisfying crunch but is also a good source of fibre. Portion sizes vary with this snack as it depends on the size of the groove as to how much nut butter you can fit, but one to three 15cm sticks of celery is about right.
This does seem like a boring basic but you can make some different pairings to mix things up i.e. almonds and cranberries, cashews and apricots, brazil nuts and sultanas, pecans and mango etc. Dried fruit gets a bad rep for being high in sugar, but as long as you are not consuming vast quantities it is an excellent source of fibre and micronutrients such as iron and vitamin C. Aim for about a cupped palmful of both nuts and dried fruit.
This doesn’t have to be a dairy yoghurt, it can be plant based. Either a single serve tub or around 120-200g. Top with a handful of granola that can be homemade or shop bought. Yoghurt is a good source of both protein, carbohydrates and calcium. If you are opting for a plant based yoghurt look for one that has been fortified with calcium. Calcium is obviously well known for its role in bone health. However, it is also very important for muscle contraction and heart health.
Again, this might be one that you do not feel too sure on but I promise is delicious. We use frozen berries for this as they are cheaper and lead to less waste. Simply defrost a handful in the microwave (about 20-30seconds) and mix with a little honey, then top with a few dollops of cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is naturally low in fat and high in protein. This is a go to snack for after training, but can be enjoyed whenever. Berries are jam packed with antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta carotene. A diet rich in these is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
For the ease of on the go snacking you can simply just grab an off the shelf option or whip up one at home in a blender. If you are opting for the homemade option I would suggest slicing up your over ripe bananas and storing them in the freezer. Not only does this help to reduce your food waste, but frozen banana adds an excellent fluffy texture to your smoothie. Add in berries, veggies, spices and blend up with water, juice or a milk of your choice. This is an easy way to pack in lots of micronutrients and to help keep you hydrated.
If you are active and/or struggle to get enough protein in our diet we suggest adding our Cappo Protein Super Shake powder (coffee and cocoa flavoured) to add 20g of complete protein to your smoothie. Don’t worry you can have this at any point in the day as it contains zero caffeine.
Maybe you are really pressed for time or don’t have a blender. You could just mix one of our Recovery Protein Shakes powders - Nova (banana & cocoa) with 300ml of water or a milk of your choice for a speedy and delicious snack packed with 13g complete protein for recovery and carbohydrates for effective energy replacement.
It's simple to make these in little pots or old jam jars so you can easily take them with you. Equally you can make a bowl at the start of the week and just take out a few spoonfuls when you wish. As a base you want a 1:1 ratio of oats and chia seeds and to cover with a milk of choice and a squeeze of honey. Leave to sit for at least 1 hour so the chia seeds swell and become slightly gelatinous.
The flavour options are endless in regards to the fruit and spices you can add. Chia seeds are a great source of plant based protein and also omega 3 fats. In regards to portion sizes around 2 tbsp oats and 2 tbsp chia as a starting point and up to 5tbsp of each for the more active.
Bagel thins are a great size to help you fuel between meals. However, if you are active in your job, exercise regularly or have a large gap between your meals then obviously you can opt for a normal sized bagel. Your options are truly endless here but some favourites would be peanut butter, mashed banana, marmite, cream cheese, jam, marmalade or pesto.
This one is very easy to transport if you are looking for snacks to take to work. Cheese is often a demonised food due to it being calorie dense. However, it is an excellent snack option as it contains carbohydrate, protein and fat. Another reason to include cheese in your snack list is probiotics!
Probiotics are very important live bacteria and yeasts which help to maintain a healthy gut. Portion wise about 30g of cheese with 3-5 crackers.
This option does require a little bit of prep but they are very easy to make and help you use up any bananas that are starting to look a little sad! In a bowl mix together two mashed ripe bananas, 150g oats, ½ baking powder and a squeeze of honey. Spoon this mixture into greased muffin tins (makes about 4 small muffins). Bake at 180ºc for about 15mins. Pre baking you could add chopped nuts, chocolate chips or berries if you wanted to jazz them up a little. These muffins are a great source of carbohydrate and fibre.
If you are looking to get more protein in your diet or have these muffins post training then you could add some of our Veloforte shake powders. Flavour wise for this recipe we would suggest our Nova recovery shake (banana and cocoa flavoured). Add 2 scoops to the above recipe alongside ~150ml of water or a milk of your choice to create a muffin batter like texture
Written by:
Emily Kier
ANutr, MSc, BSc
Nutritionist for Veloforte Ambassador - Renee McGregor
