PP snack recipes are sweet, nutritious and very tasty

Basic principles of proper nutrition

The basis of a balanced diet is the correct distribution of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the diet and compliance with calorie standards. The ratio of nutrients and calorie content are selected individually for each person, based on their gender, age, lifestyle, metabolism and goal. On average, the distribution of BZHU is as follows:

• when losing weight, you must adhere to a diet with a calorie deficit of approximately 10-15%, where 30-35% of the daily calorie intake is protein, 30% is fat, 40% is carbohydrates.
• to gain muscle mass, the calorie surplus in the diet is 10-20% of the daily value, 30-35% of which is proteins, 25-30% fats, 45-55% carbohydrates.

A proper diet consists of 5-6 meals, where in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, 2-3 more snacks are included. In addition to compliance with the KBJU, it is worth paying attention to the quality of the products consumed. These should be predominantly complex carbohydrates, high-quality protein, and polyunsaturated fats of plant origin.

The benefits of snacking for weight loss

It is known that uncontrolled consumption of food harms the body.
Eating large meals three times a day slows down your metabolism. It is much easier for our body to digest food that comes gradually. Therefore, split meals, 5-6 times a day, speed up metabolism and promote weight loss.

The peculiarities of this regime are that the volume of incoming food does not decrease, but the stomach does not stretch.

Snacking while losing weight allows you to avoid strong feelings of hunger. As a result, a smooth fat burning process is ensured without causing stress to the body. Initially, it is difficult to get used to such a diet, but after a week you can feel significant improvements in health and a decrease in body volume. This is explained by the fact that a light snack prevents you from eating too much. With 5-6 meals a day, a person consumes less food than eating 2-3 meals a day.

Why is snacking important?

Small meals help curb hunger and avoid overeating during the main meal. In addition, this way you support the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, improve metabolism and stimulate weight loss. A snack makes it clear to the body that it is not in danger of starvation, the blood sugar level does not drop to a critical level, so you can calm down and relax.

Typically, snacks are included in the meal plan between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, and before bed. But in different situations this scheme may change, for example, if you have a late lunch, then after breakfast you can allow yourself 2 snacks.

The first snack or second breakfast may include the following combinations: carbohydrates, carbohydrates and protein, carbohydrates and fats.

The second snack or snack should consist of protein, protein and fat, and also contain fiber.

For an evening snack, you need to choose protein foods with a minimum amount of fat.

The calorie content of each snack should be approximately 150-250 kcal.

When to have a snack

A light snack should follow the rules. This should be done between main meals, when you really want to eat. Lunch and afternoon snacks are considered snacks. People who forget to take extra meals can use a cell phone alarm or sticky notes to remind them. The most important thing is not to overeat and control the amount of food consumed.

Additional meals do not require much time, 50 minutes is enough. This is a time when you can get a little distracted, relax and replenish your body with useful substances. Approximate scheme of PP (proper nutrition):

• breakfast – from 6.00 to 9.00;
• second breakfast or lunch – 11.00;
• lunch – from 13.00 to 15.00;
• second snack or afternoon snack - from 16.00 to 17.00;
• dinner – 18.00 – 19.00;
• second dinner – 21.00.

In order for the snack to be correct, it is necessary to use protein and carbohydrate foods.

The peculiarity of this food is its easy digestibility. The basis of the diet should be food that contains animal protein. Sweet foods, honey, dark chocolate, fruits can be eaten in small quantities in the morning, but prohibited after lunch. Useful products include:

• kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese;
• citrus;
• berries;
• walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews;
• dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, raisins, dates, etc.);
• eggs;
• fresh fruits and vegetables.

Top 5 quick snacks at PP

For those who don’t have time to prepare snacks at home or simply don’t want to think about what to eat every day, we have prepared a rating of the healthiest products that are easy to find in the store:

• Nut mixture;
• Kefir or natural yogurt;
• Cottage cheese;
• Cereal/protein bar or protein cookie;
• Banana or apple or other fruit.

For those who constantly eat a balanced diet, this list may seem meager and uninteresting. Indeed, if you eat the same foods every day, then very soon you will be drawn to unhealthy sweets and fast food. To prevent this from happening, we have prepared a whole list of healthy snacks for different occasions.

Recipes for healthy snacks with proper nutrition

Option 1. Oatmeal with filling: curd, cheese, fruit or vegetable.

For two oatmeal pancakes you will need 2 eggs, 7 tbsp. spoons of crushed oatmeal, 7 tbsp. spoons of milk, salt to taste. Mix all ingredients until bubbles appear. Fry pancakes in a non-stick frying pan without oil or with a minimal amount of it.

As a filling you can use cheese with tomatoes and bell peppers; cottage cheese with herbs and a piece of lightly salted fish; a spoonful of nut butter and half a banana. You can come up with endless options for filling, the main thing is that they fit into the daily calorie intake. You can also fortify your oatmeal pancakes with protein by adding a few scoops of protein powder. In one of our articles we already talked about popular recipes with protein.

Option 2. Curd casserole

We offer a simple recipe for a tender casserole, which you can diversify with any additives to your taste: nuts, dried fruits, berries.

You will need 400 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, 2 eggs, PRIME SWEET calorie-free sweetener to taste, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of rice flour, several tablespoons of natural yogurt or low-fat sour cream (depending on consistency), 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. You should get a fairly thick mass that can be easily spread with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until done. If desired, you can add raisins, dried apricots, nuts to the casserole, or even make it salty rather than sweet.

Option 3. Chicken soufflé

This is a healthy, filling snack for those who are tired of their usual chicken dishes. The soufflé can be combined with oatmeal pancakes or made into sandwiches with whole grain bread and vegetables.

Take 400 grams of homemade minced chicken breast, 100 ml of natural yogurt, 2 eggs, salt and spices to taste. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix the yolks, minced meat and yogurt until smooth. Add salt and spices. Gently add the whites into the mixture and stir thoroughly. Bake in a silicone mold in the oven or in a slow cooker. You can diversify the dish with mushrooms, vegetables and herbs.

What to snack on while dieting

While following nutritional rules, it is important to pay attention to dietary snacks for weight loss. This approach to nutrition will benefit those who want to lose weight and stay in shape. Give preference to raspberries, apples, dried apricots, and vegetables. Fermented milk products are leaders among light snacks. You can eat low-fat types of cheese: they give strength and energy. These easy and healthy snacks for weight loss are rich in fiber, which allows you to satisfy your hunger for a long time.

Natural yogurt for an afternoon snack improves digestion, and to give it more flavor, add fresh berries or bran. Almonds will help replenish the supply of healthy fats, phosphorus, and magnesium. Some snacks for weight loss may even include dark chocolate, but with strict adherence to the dosage - no more than one piece per day. Remember to get a full night's sleep to speed up your weight loss process.

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Healthy snacks for the road or on the go

If you're going on a trip, going on a long walk, or just being on your feet all day, then you can't do without quick, healthy snacks. You should choose foods that are convenient to eat even on the go and that do not spoil in the heat. Options:

• Hearty: mixed nuts, drinking natural yogurt and whole grain bread, dried lean meat in vacuum packaging.
• Sweet: seasonal fruits, berries, a handful of dried fruits, healthy protein bars.
• Not sweet: seasonal vegetables, a small portion of cheese.

Why is it important to eat healthy?

Not all diets that can be found on the Internet are effective and healthy, and some of them are even dangerous to health.
Diets that call for eliminating all carbohydrates from the diet (like the Kremlin diet), drinking only liquids and eating only rice for a whole week can put the body’s digestive system into a stressful state, and the extra pounds will soon come even faster than they went. First of all, the diet should be beneficial for the body and be based on the principles of proper nutrition (PN), enriching the body with all the necessary substances, vitamins and minerals. Initially, it is worth understanding that for each person, depending on his height, weight and physical activity, there is a certain norm of proteins, fats and carbohydrates required for consumption, by adhering to which you can control your weight.

Important! Thanks to proper nutrition, it is quite possible to lose weight without harm to your health.

English scientists have conducted numerous experiments and studies related to proper nutrition, which have shown that by making small changes to your diet, you can feel better and live longer. What other motivation do you need to start eating healthy right now? More specifically, by improving the quality of their food by just 20%, people reduce their risk of death by 8–18% over the next 12 years. This can be done, for example, by replacing one serving of meat per week with healthier foods, such as nuts or legumes.

Healthy snacks are important when losing weight

Healthy eating also applies to snacking when losing weight. Eating a burger and fries during a snack, after which you have to continue doing sedentary work, a person risks not only gaining extra pounds, but also developing health problems.

Many nutritionists claim that following the rules of proper nutrition and eating healthy foods, you can reduce weight from 4 to 6 kilograms per month.

Snack while eating healthy at work

Eating healthy at work is much easier than on the road, since you can prepare food at home and then heat it in the microwave. Examples of the right healthy snacks at work, which are suitable for both those losing weight and those gaining weight:

• Hearty: cheesecakes, protein pancakes, protein soup, a portion of cottage cheese.
• Sweet: a cup of berries or fruits, homemade oatmeal cookies.
• Not sweet: vegetable sticks, healthy sandwiches, guacamole with whole grain bread.

Homemade snacks on healthy nutrition

If you snack at home, then you have the opportunity to diversify your menu as much as possible, because nothing prevents you from preparing a tasty and healthy dish. Here's what you can prepare for a snack if you eat right:

• Hearty: boiled eggs or omelette with vegetables, a roll of thin lavash with cottage cheese and vegetable filling, a sandwich made of whole grain bread with red fish.
• Sweet: baked apples with cinnamon and nuts, smoothies, a serving of protein shake.
• Not sweet: vegetable salad, homemade grain bread with seeds, cottage cheese.

First snack or second breakfast or lunch

If in the morning, in a hurry to get ready for work, you did not have time to have breakfast and your breakfast consisted only of a cup of coffee, then during your snack you should definitely eat something substantial. The ideal option in this case would be to eat oatmeal, cheesecakes or omelet. But if the breakfast was hearty, then you can snack on some fruit, fresh or in the form of dried fruit. They are good for snacking. For people working in an office, or in a crowded place, these products will be very appropriate, since they do not disturb others with unnecessary odors.

A good snack option is boiled corn. It is healthy and satisfying. During heat treatment, corn does not lose all its beneficial properties. People love to snack on a couple of apples. It is better not to do this, since apples cause the secretion of gastric juice, and you may feel hungry. If you have enough free time, you can prepare snacks for yourself in advance. Apple baked with cottage cheese and honey; cottage cheese balls with dried fruits and nuts; milkshakes with berries and cottage cheese and much more. Let your imagination fly and you will be surprised to see how many delicious and healthy snacks she will give you.

The right snack for weight loss

If you are actively losing weight, then the following types of healthy low-calorie snacks will be useful to you:

• Low-fat cottage cheese with the addition of fruits and berries. Choose foods with less sugar: green apples, pears, citrus fruits, apricots, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.
• Vegetable salad of non-starchy vegetables and herbs with natural yogurt dressing: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, spinach, sorrel.
• Omelette with vegetables or boiled eggs.
• Pumpkin sorbet without sugar.
• Zucchini casserole with mushrooms.
• Low-fat dairy products: kefir, natural yogurt, fermented baked milk.

In order to satisfy your hunger and not overdo it on calories, give preference to foods high in fiber but with minimal carbohydrates. These could be celery stalks, bran bread, smoothies made from vegetables and herbs.

What not to use as snacks

Sugars and other carbohydrates

Industrially processed food

Products prepared with harmful vegetable oils, even at home

According to these rules, a table of healthy snacks for weight loss may look something like this.

Eggs. Rich in healthy saturated animal fats and proteins. They saturate perfectly. Hard-boiled eggs are easy to take with you to work and are a good snack solution for those who don’t eat eggs for breakfast.

Sauerkraut is rich in probiotics, which are much higher in it than in yogurt. Of course, only in natural sauerkraut, and not in the quick way with vinegar. In addition, sauerkraut contains a lot of plant fiber.

Avocado. In general, one of the best types of snacks, as it saturates the body with very healthy monounsaturated fats and satisfies hunger remarkably.

Nuts. These are great snacks for those losing weight at work. You can eat any type of nuts, but it is especially worth highlighting almonds and pine nuts, whose benefits for weight loss have been proven in many scientific studies. All nuts provide the body with protein, healthy fats and fiber.

A cup of homemade bone broth. Natural bone broth has many beneficial properties

But when it comes to losing weight, it is especially important to highlight the ability of natural broth to normalize digestion, retaining much-needed moisture in the intestines, as well as the ability to fight chronic inflammation, which is often the cause of excess weight.

Natural fermented milk products without sweeteners, sugar or flavorings. All of these foods are rich in probiotics, which often play a leading role in the weight loss process.

Vegetables in any form (boiled, stewed, cheese), the main thing is that they are prepared without harmful vegetable oils

The main value of vegetables for weight loss is the presence of a large amount of fiber in them.

Fruits (in very moderate quantities). Don’t forget that fruits contain a lot of fructose, which is even more harmful than regular sugar, so as snacks we use only those fruits and berries that are suitable for weight loss.

Cheeses. Just not low fat. Natural, quality cheeses are rich in healthy fats and proteins and are one of the healthiest options for satisfying hunger between meals.

* Of course, all of the listed products contain a fair amount of vitamins and microelements, and this is also their benefit.

** In order for all the snack foods listed in the table to actually be beneficial on a healthy diet, they must be as organic as possible, which, unfortunately, is not always achievable.

*** All drinks that accompany these healthy snacks should not contain sugars or artificial sweeteners.