Snacking can be a healthy way to keep energy levels up between meals. Many people like to eat vegetables as a snack, but some people do not like the taste. Many healthy alternatives to vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. Choose a snack high in nutritional value.
String Cheese
Try eating one stick of string cheese if you are not fond of carrot sticks or raw cauliflower. A 1-oz. string cheese contains 80 calories, which accounts for 4 percent of the calories you may consume daily if you follow a 2,000 calorie diet. You also take in 5 g of fat; 3 g of this fat is saturated. String cheese is a good choice for boosting your protein intake -- each stick contains 7 g of the 46 to 56 g of protein you should consume daily. It is also a good source of calcium, with 20 percent of the daily recommended intake. An ounce of this cheese provides 4 percent of the vitamin A you need as well.
Fruit
Substituting fruit for vegetables as a snack helps you meet the two to four servings of fruit suggested for consumption in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Pyramid. Fruit provides a wealth of nutritional value to keep you healthy. Blueberries, for instance, have 84 calories, 1.1 g of protein, 21.4 g of carbohydrates and 3.6 g of fiber per cup and serve as a good source of vitamin K, manganese and vitamin C. The same size cup of sliced banana has 134 calories, slightly more carbs and contains vitamin B6, vitamin C and manganese.
Nuts
You don't have to give up crunch in your snacks if you don't like raw vegetables; nuts provide the same satisfying texture. They are much higher in fat, though: an ounce of nuts has 18.4 g of fat and an ounce of peanuts has 14 g of fat. Most of this fat is not saturated, so the fat is not the unhealthy variety. In addition, nuts provide omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to heart health. These nuts have 166 to 185 calories, and you take in protein as well as fiber. Walnuts are a good source of manganese, copper and magnesium, and peanuts serve up manganese, niacin and magnesium.
Tuna
When you want a big dose of protein, try eating tuna as a substitute for vegetables for a nutritious snack. A 3-oz. serving of tuna canned in water contains 21.6 g of high quality, complete protein and is low in fat and calories, with 0.7 g of fat and 99 calories. It also meets a significant portion of the selenium you need each day, contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and serves as a source of niacin, phosphorus and vitamin B-12.
Member Comments