Healthy Snack Alternatives to Get You Through the Day

When hunger hits, it’s easy to grab a candy bar or bag of chips to get you through to the next meal. Processed foods are readily available everywhere you turn, and they satisfy the sweet or salty cravings that often come up. But this seemingly simple decision could be taking a toll on your health.

Even if you are consistent about preparing healthy meals, unhealthy snacks can lead to weight gain and have an impact on blood pressure, blood sugar, energy levels, and more. These health issues can be avoided easily with a little bit of preparation to ensure that you always have healthy snacks on hand.

Here are a few snack ideas that will satisfy your cravings and support your health at the same time:

Sweet Snacks to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

If you have a sweet tooth, it seems as though the cravings never seem to go away! Here are a few healthy sweet snacks that can help when the hunger hits:

• Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, mangos, berries, watermelon, and anything else in season
• Diced peaches and cottage cheese
• Acai bowl
• Fruit smoothie
• Roasted squash topped with cinnamon and maple syrup
• Apple slices and peanut butter
• Dates
• Frozen grapes
• Fruit popsicles, no sugar added
• Dark chocolate
• Baked apples, topped with slivered almonds and cinnamon
• Greek yogurt sweetened with fruit and honey
• Larabars made with dates and nuts
• Chocolate chia pudding

Savory Snacks for Salt Cravings

Instead of reaching for greasy pizza or high-calorie potato chips, try these healthy savory snacks:

• Tomato slices topped with salt and pepper
• Hummus and carrot sticks
• Guacamole and cucumber slices
• Canned tuna, mixed with dill and avocado
• Kale chips
• Whole grain bread topped with avocado and salsa
• Celery sticks and peanut butter
• Harvest Snaps plant-based snacks
• Pickles
• Sauerkraut
• Air-popped popcorn, lightly salted
• Sliced deli meat with 1 oz cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Roasted mixed nuts
• Green or black pitted olives
• Edamame
• Homemade French fries, baked in the oven
• Hard-boiled eggs, sprinkled with lemon pepper

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be hard! Make sure to have these delicious options in the fridge so that you have delicious, easy options when the cravings happen.