For the past few nights I have been experiencing chocolate cravings—Cadbury is my brand of choice—which is a no-no since I am preparing for a show in two weeks.
So I thought to myself what are some guilt free late night snacks that I can I substitute for chocolate that will keep me shredded and stage ready?
I did some research and decided to share it with you readers.
Whether you are a competitor trying to stay ripped or just trying to lose weight, food is a very important part of your success. Eating the right foods at the right time can multiply your results. By contrast, eating too much of the wrong foods can impede your progress massively.
Your main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) should be the foundation of your healthy eating plan but snacks are important too.
Well-chosen snacks will:
– Provide your body with energy between meals – before or after workouts for example
– Help stabilize blood glucose levels leading to less hunger
– Break up the time between meals to stop you from feeling deprived
– Provide a valuable additional source of both calories and nutrients
– Provide your body with the materials it needs to grow and repair during sleep
Snacks should be good for you and supplement rather than detract from a healthy eating plan. However, many of the snacks that are commonly available are really unhealthy, fattening, and packed full of sugar, fat, or artificial additives.
With that in mind, here are some ideas for healthy snacks that will do you good without weighing you down with unwanted calories.
Cottage cheese and chopped walnuts
Cottage cheese is an excellent source of both protein and calcium – two essential ingredients for muscle growth and repair. The protein in cottage cheese, calcium caseinate, is renowned for being a slow releasing protein which makes it ideal for night-time consumption. Walnuts are high in omega three fatty acids and an excellent anti-inflammatory that should enhance recovery from exercise. In addition, the presence of omega three fats will slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels.
One cup of cottage cheese and one tablespoon of chopped walnuts equates to around 300 calories.
Apples and natural peanut butter
Filling, high in fibre, but low in calories, apples are a great snack. An apple a day keeps the doctor away or so the saying goes and judging by the nutritional profile of an apple, this is not too far from the truth.
Peanut butter (or almond butter if you prefer) contains both protein and healthy fats. Choose an organic, natural, no-added-sugar product.
Take one apple and chop it into slices and then spread each slice with a thin layer of peanut or almond butter. Tasty and weighing in at 150 calories, this is a light snack that won’t break the calorie bank.
Beef jerky
Beef jerky is air-dried beef that was once a staple in the Wild West. It’s almost entirely carb free and high in protein. It can take a fair bit of chewing which makes it an ideal long-lasting snack; it’s very hard to overeat on beef jerky.
Seek out organic jerky – buffalo jerky has the most favourable nutrient content but any jerky will do providing it has no added sugar. A 28-gramme/one ounce serving contains around 120 calories and 10 grammes of protein.
Others
With almonds and pistachios topping the list, just about any nut would make a good, healthy snack as long as you avoid the highly salted and fried packages that are widely sold and stick to just a handful of either raw or dry roasted nuts, which would be about 100 calories.
Dried fruits like raisins and prunes, though packing more calories, have beneficial dietary fibre. One handful of raisins equals 130 calories. Meanwhile, just five prunes will give you 101 calories, so don’t exceed this amount.
Most fruits are also good for snacking. For example, a half-ripe mango equals about 110 – 135 calories because mangoes vary in size, while a ripe one could run to between 165 to 200 calories.
And if you must have chocolate, go for a square or two of the dark variety. At 55 calories a square of 60% to 85% dark chocolate you can responsibly fulfil that craving.
Note: Eating healthy does not mean avoiding snacks completely although you’ll probably want to steer clear of common snacks like candy, chips and cookies. Healthy snacks will aid recovery and stave off hunger and should definitely be part of your nutrition plan.
Stay tuned, friends.
If you need help on building muscle or losing fat, shoot me an email: emmersoncampbell@gmail.com
