The healthy foods you choose as snacks are equally important as the choices you make for meals. Fruit can make an excellent snack that provides your body with important nutrients while avoiding unnecessary calories. Eating fruit as a snack can eliminate cravings for sweets while providing you with boosts of energy throughout the day.
Orange Slices
Oranges are one of the most perfect healthy snacks, according to "The Ultimate Healthy Snacks List" author C. Elias. Oranges come in numerous varieties, many of which are seasonal, and feature varying degrees of sweetness. Oranges offer dietary fiber and are rich in vitamin C. They also are loaded with B vitamins, such as folate and vitamin B-1, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, magnesium and calcium. You should not only eat the orange, but also the white skin underneath the peel as it contains bioflavonoids. A large navel or Valencia orange contains approximately 80 calories and has nearly 2 g of protein.
Sliced Apples
Apples come in a variety of types and colors, making it easy to find at least one you enjoy. Common apple varieties include Red Delicious, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Jonathan and Granny Smith. Regardless of the type of apple, you will enjoy the benefits of fructose, flavonoids and fiber, all of which help keep your body healthy and functioning correctly. Eat apples with the skin on, as the majority of the fiber is in the skin. Because of this, try to buy organic apples, as the skin is also the most likely to have pesticide residue. A large apple contains about 110 calories.
Bananas
A medium banana contains around 100 calories and nearly 400 mg of potassium. Potassium is vital to the muscle function of your body and reduces your risk of stroke and elevated blood pressure, according to Roger C. Rinn in his book, "Harnessing the Healing Power of Fruit." Bananas are naturally sweet and you can use them to sweeten cereal, oatmeal or yogurt. Bananas are also a good source of fiber, which helps promote regular bowel functions.
Berries
Berries are packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants. Berries are healthy and nutritious, but they also provide many health benefits, such as the prevention of brain damage that leads to Alzheimer's disease and the reduction of high blood pressure risks, according to author Jonny Bowden in "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth." A 1-cup serving of strawberries contains 5 g of fiber and only 50 calories; blueberries have 4 g of fiber and 80 calories; raspberries have 60 calories and 8 g of fiber; and blackberries have 10 g of fiber and 70 calories.
References
- "The Ultimate Healthy Snacks List"; C. Elias; 2011
- "Harnessing the Healing Power of Fruit"; Roger C. Rinn; 2009
- "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why"; Jonny Bowden; 2007
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