Nutrition on the go

Many find it difficult to keep their weight under control due to hectic lifestyles and unhealthy food being the more convenient option when out and about.

So we’re here to help. We’ve selected our top 3 healthy snacks, which can all be prepared in advance and will give you a boost when that mid-afternoon hunger hits.

Celery sticks & hummus  

Celery is well known for being an amazing diet food due to its extremely low calorie content, but high vitamin content. Team this with hummus and you have a tasty, filling snack. Celery not your thing? Substitute it for carrot or cucumber sticks.

Hummus is super quick and easy to make, with the majority of the time spent blending the chickpeas. Since it lasts for up to 7 days, it can be made in bulk on Sunday and then you have your snacks prepared for the rest of the week.

Alternatively, there’s usually a range of hummus, including classic chickpea, red pepper and beetroot in most supermarkets, so it’s really easy to pick up.

Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to make sure you’re getting your fruit and veg for the day. Once again, this healthy snack is really easy to prepare in bulk; just throw all of the ingredients into a blender, measure it out and freeze for the rest of the week.

You need to pay close attention to your portion sizes, since it’s easy to end up consuming 1/3 of your daily calorie allowance in just a smoothie. The NHS recommends that you drink no more than 150 ml of smoothie a day since a smoothie will only provide one portion of your 5 a day, regardless of whether you drink more.

Also, try to avoid using more than 1.5 cups of fruit, and use more vegetables, because fruit contains lots of sugar, and too much can cause a blood sugar spike and tooth decay. To avoid excess sugar, why not try a green superfood smoothie? Give kale and spinach a go (it doesn’t taste as bad as it sounds!).

Popcorn

Popcorn is another easy yet filling snack to reach for when hunger hits. At only 120-150 calories it’s also a low calorie, high fibre (6g) option. Popping your own is the healthiest way to eat popcorn. Simply put 1/3 cup of kernels in the microwave or in a pan until they’ve popped. If plain popcorn isn’t your thing, add a seasoning such as cinnamon, chilli flakes or rosemary to give it a bit of extra flavour.

If you need more support on your journey to a healthy diet and weight, why not give our free Lose Weight  programme a go?