Sometimes you need a quick pick-me-up, a snack or a small meal that will give you energy and leave you feeling full and satisfied. Ideally, your quick bite should also be healthy. If you're on a diet, choosing something to eat becomes even more complicated because so many fast, convenience foods are unhealthy and loaded with fat, calories and sugar. Dig a little deeper if you're in a hurry and choose a food that's better for you.
Chips and Dip
This isn't a good option if you always reach for fatty potato chips and French onion dip, but variations on the theme can be healthy and satisfying. A handful of baked whole-grain tortilla chips, topped with fresh tomato, vegetable or fruit salsa, provides a mixture of simple and complex carbs, giving you an energy boost that should sustain you for several hours. Caring Medical & Rehabilitation Services in Oak Park, Illinois, suggests dipping chips in hummus. Peanut butter and honey is another healthy option. Another choice is dipping veggie chips or sliced fresh vegetables in hummus, yogurt or low-fat ranch dressing.
Nuts
Dr. Melina Jampolis, a physician and nutrition specialist for CNN Health, recommends eating protein with quick snacks and meals so that you can stave off hunger for longer periods of time. Nuts are an especially rich source of protein that also provide a balance of monounsaturated fats. An ounce or two of almonds, walnuts, pecans or cashews or a couple of tablespoons of nut butter provide the body with a healthy balance of nutrients and a boost in energy that lasts.
Oats
Oats, on their own, don't make a great snack, but baking them into healthy cookies and muffins or making up a batch of granola or oatmeal puts them in a tasty package. Oats are rich in soluble fiber, which the body digests more slowly than other nutrients, so foods with soluble fiber tend to make you feel full in smaller amounts than some other foods. Try eating a small oat-bran muffin with an apple or pairing 1/4 cup granola with a small container of yogurt and fresh fruit.
Eggs
Spark Recipes suggests eating an egg sandwich on whole-grain bread or a whole-wheat pita for a healthy, quick breakfast or lunch option. Most snack foods and the bases of many quick meals are high in carbs, providing a quick spike in energy and then a lull after that. Eggs have the protein necessary to sustain that energy for longer. Prepare a few hard-boiled eggs and pair them with paprika, as Eating Well magazine recommends, or use them for snacks throughout the week, along with whole-grain English muffins or pieces of toast. For a healthy egg-based meal, make a crustless quiche, a vegetable omelet or a frittata.
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