Snacks.
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Ok guys, out with the healthy snacking ideas!
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I like to snack with a single Finn Crisp smeared with a little almond butter. The flavours of this quick snack (strong rye + toasted almond) are very pronounced and I find I can savour it rather than just gobble the snack down. Simply exquisite! I can buy Finn Crisps & almond butter at my local grocery store. The Finn Crisps are found near the melba toasts & packed bread sticks in the cracker aisle. Almond butter is found near the peanut butter. If you read that link above for almond butter, you'll see that almonds can have a very beneficial effects.
I also snack occasionally on one of those small cups of no-fat yogurt. I buy the ones with a natural sweetener because I want to avoid all the artificial sweeteners. The naturally sweetened ones do have more calories but I feel they are better for me.
Regards, Ross
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I guess when you say a little almond butter you mean a little. It seems to be high in fat. I found some at lunch when I was getting my chicken salad. I did not find your Finn Crisp but I did find something similar.
Wasa
I look forward to my afternoon snack!
Thanks Ross. -
Yes Almond butter is relatively high in fat. As per the link above about Almond butter, the fat is still good for you in moderation. In general I'm on a low-fat diet. I'm quite happy to be have almonds as on of the sources of the limited amounts of total fat I'm eating. You do need some fats in your diet. If you can't find almond butter at the grocery store you likely will find it at a health food store.
I buy those Wasa crisp breads too. They are actually quite different from the Finn Crisps. The Finn ones are much thinner and a little bit crispier. My problem with Wasa (and rusks too) is I used to eat them before dieting. A wasa smeared with a bunch of cream cheese & a pile of smoked salmon is very yummy! So it is when I eat one now I miss the non-diet toppings of my former lifestyle. Still a wasa crisp with a slice of turkey is pretty good. The hearty taste & texture can be quite satisfying -- just don't think about cream cheese & smoked salmon.
Another topping for a wasa I like is hummus. I make my own but in many grocery deli's you can buy it premade.
Regards, Ross
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Ross, thank you for the Almond Butter tip. That is good stuff. Plus I get a workout just stirring it
I will pick up some hummus soon and try that.I have to thank you for your inspiration. I stepped on the scale this morning and I am 10 pounds down now. That is 5 a week.
I have tried dieting in the past and I would get so incredibly hungry I would gorge myself. The trick this time is the caffeine! I never gave up Diet Mt. Dew. I always thought that it gave me alift without the sugar. Well it just aggrevated my blood sugar and made me more hungry. I have always had blood sugar problems... or I guess I can say that it may have been a caffeine problem.Thanks again and I look forward to more great tips.
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Eric -- Ten pounds is great news! I'm now at about 33 pounds lost and my jeans are getting baggy. The belt buckle has moved up three notches to keep the pants on.
I'm glad you are liking almond butter. Don't eat too much! Have a small amount and treat it like a luxury item to be savoured. I'll sometimes just have a small spoonful by itself, eat it slow, and really concentrate on its texture & flavour. It is a simple pleasure. Ummmm...
I've recently started adding some bread back into my diet. My wife picked up some frozen 'Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Bread' by 'Food For Life Bakery' at a health food store. It is amazingly good. It is organic and made without flour. Instead it uses sprouted grains. What I like is it has a delicious hearty taste & texture and I find it more satisfying than the regular whole-wheat bread I used to eat. This sprouted grain bread certainly has something special about it. I think it's a great 'snack'.
Regards, Ross
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What about popcorn? Not the salt and butter kind but just plain ol popcorn.
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Popcorn may be a good snack or it may not. With regards to calories, taste, and general enjoyment it is a great snack. Its downside is that it has a relatively high glycemic load. If you think in terms of good carbs vs. bad carbs then popcorn is one of the 'bad' ones. Eat a handful of popcorn and your blood sugar levels will shoot up. If your typical pre-diet snack was a bag of potato chips & dip then having popcorn is a very good alternative.
I've seen it recommended that if you are eating popcorn you should increase your water consumption & drink the water as you eat the popcorn. The popcorn is like little sponges and proper digestion requires lots of water.
Regards, Ross
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Wow I did not know it affected blood sugar that way. Any others to watch out for? I guess good and bad snacks could be discussed here.
Half of a cheesecake, good snack?
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Any of the corn products have a high glycemic index - their starch turns to virtually instant sugar.
You actually can make a good cheesecake. I had an Atkins recipe that used ground almonds for the crust and just a touch of Splenda for the sweetening and berries for the surprises in the middle. It was so nice that non Atkins family liked it as much as I did. You only get 1/16 size slice, but that is rich enough that it satisfied. Kept you from feeling deprived too.
Kelly
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That cheesecake sounds yummy!
Eric -- I've started a new thread about the glycemic index here in the SketchUp Fit Club.
Kelly - does the Atkins Diet have any good snack ideas? My understanding of it is it is relatively pro-protein. I know when I have a Finn Crisp (or Wasa crisp) with a piece of chicken, lean ham, or turkey meat I'm very satisfied. Now that I'm paying more attention to it, I'm really surprised how low in calories many meats are.
Regards, Ross
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I did the Atkins diet many years back and I have to say it is brutal. At least it was for me. I lost weight yes but I did not enjoy it past a couple of weeks. Meat and cheese, meat and cheese... it just did not seem right. Scientifically it made sense and again I lost weight but there was something about it...
So, got any more good snack ideas?
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I've switched from biscuits/cookies to veggies. If I'm feeling a little peckish towards late morning, I'll just gobble a few cherry tomatoes with maybe a lemon tea. I also try to keep some celery sticks or pre-sliced carrot in the fridge, with a choice of dips. For the weight-watchers, Tzatziki is one of the best, at only 20 cals per tablespoon. Hummus is twice that and Taramasalata is 3 times. Salsa is virtually nothing.
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