Swap junk food for these healthier snacks

We all know how easy it can be to grab that bar of chocolate or bag of crisps in between meals. While these foods might give you a quick sugar rush, this sugar spike will only last a short time. However, the impact of their saturated fat and high salt content might last a lot longer and can lead to health problems.

One way to avoid these snacks is to make sure that you plan your weekly grocery shop and keep these foods off the list. And remember, shopping on an empty stomach can end up being a very a bad idea.

Also try a glass of water if you feel a hunger pang hitting, more often than not, you could just be thirsty.

Healthy snack alternatives to junk food

Dried fruit

A handful of foods like dried mango, cranberries or raisins are an easy option for a tasty but healthy snack.

Yogurt

Yogurt is an easy and nutritious snack that comes in lots of flavours, and vegan varieties as well. Learn how to make your own crunchy blueberry yogurt here.

Popcorn

Swap the salted or buttered stuff for plain popcorn.

Hummus

This is a nice dip to try with carrot or celery sticks or even some wholegrain crackers. Try our homemade hummus recipe.

Chocolate

Dark chocolate is high in fibre and full of antioxidants. This is the healthier alternative to milk chocolate, so go for dark instead.

Tea

If you are someone who likes to add sugar to their tea to make it sweet, you could instead try some herbal tea. There are lots of flavours to try including berry and liqourice.

Sweet potato fries 

If you are trying to cut down on chips, try sweet potato fries instead. Full of Vitamin A and easy to bake. Just cut half a potato into strips and bake on a lightly oiled (olive/coconut) sheet at 160 degrees for 10 minutes.

You can also make sweet potato crisps!

Mozzarella sticks  

Available in a lot of shops, this is good for some protein and Vitamin A, and come in at around 100 calories.