The holidays are filled with tempting treats, making it easy to stray from healthy habits. But staying on track doesn’t mean giving up festive indulgence. With a little planning, you can enjoy both delicious and nutritious snacks.
It is the time of the year again when we look forward to spending time with our loved ones. Perhaps if we’re lucky we will go on holiday and enjoy amazing sea and sunshine. Exciting stuff! However, continuing to eat healthy remains a challenge over the holiday season.
Feeding our families healthy foods is likely more difficult when eating out, spending time out of the house or whatever the change of scenery. Unhealthy snacking seems to be the culprit, unknowingly causing our increasing calorie intake.
“Plan your snacks in advance. A week is ideal but three to four days is perhaps more realistic.”
Here are six key ways to have those nutritious snacks at hand in order to curb the unhealthy ones:
- Planning: Planning is key. Plan your snacks in advance. A week is ideal but three to four days is perhaps more realistic. Shop accordingly and prepare them the night before or early morning before you head out.
- Times: Try to continue to stick to specific snack times, e.g. one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. This way you will avoid grazing. Sit down to eat that snack together, whether on a picnic blanket, around a small table or just on the grass.
- Availability: If you don’t want your family snacking on unhealthy snacks, don’t have them around. They will eat what is available. Keep the less healthy treats for an outing, e.g. an ice cream on a Sunday afternoon drive. This way you will also create special memories.
- Food groups: Have a variety of food groups in mind when planning your snacks. Choose low GI, high-fibre options when having starchy foods.
- Water: Remember to hydrate with lots of water. Aim for six to eight glasses a day or more if very active. If your child asks for a snack before snack time, let them have water to keep them going until snack time. Hunger signals could indicate thirst, so correcting this first usually helps.
- Nutrient labels: If you have no other choice but to buy ready-made snacks, compare the nutrient labels of the products to make an informed choice.
Image: Lindsay Moe/Unsplash
Day healthy snack plan
Chrisna Brand: Registered Dietitian with special interest in Paediatrics. Dietitian at Kath Megaw & Ass. and consultant to Nutripaeds and LEAP Momsandkidz.
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