Whelehans pharmacys aisling murray discusses the importance of snacking right
Snacking throughout the day is always advisable as it helps regulate your metabolism and ward off hunger. However if you overdo it on snacks, you can end up gaining weight. Portion size needs to be taken into consideration when eating snacks; you can have too much of a good thing! So even though you may consider your snack choices to be healthy, over eating them can mean taking in an excess of 300 – 500 calories per day.
Avocados
Avocados are beneficial for the heart, digestion your skin and hair; however they can contain as much as 29g of fat and almost 350 calories. When eating avocado try to only have 1/3 as a serving size.
Coconut
A delicious snack; you can sprinkle it on your porridge and coconut oil can also be used for cooking or as a dressing. Coconut contains beneficial nutrients such as potassium, fibre and manganese. Over-eating coconut can lead to weight gain as it’s an extremely fattening food. 100g of coconut contains about 20 grams of saturated fat and 350 calories. A portion is a teaspoon whether it is flakes or oil.
Bananas
Bananas are a very beneficial fruit to eat as they are loaded with nutrients such as potassium, B6 and fibre. They should not be overeaten as they can be hard on the digestive tract. 2-3 bananas per week is recommended as you can take in too much potassium. It is rare but too many bananas can make some people susceptible to potassium toxicity (decreased blood pressure, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, irritability and fatigue). I recommend varying the fruit you eat so you are getting a range of different nutrients.
Too much fruit
Switching from chocolate cake to fruit salad can help shed the pounds, increase your vitamin and mineral intake and get more fibre into your diet. Sticking to your recommended daily allowance of 2-3 portions of fruit a day is advisable. However it should be borne in mind that too much fruit can contribute to weight gain. This may be a reason that despite constant healthy eating you are not losing any weight. Fruit has a lot more calories per serving than non-starchy vegetables, so it is easier to consume too many calories from fruit.
Nuts
Nuts are and excellent snack as they contain good fats, protein, they fill you up and are convenient when on the go. However like all other foods, do not over-eat them. Control the portion size by weighing them and putting them in a container so you know exactly how much you are eating. Eating them directly from the pack is not advisable as you have no control over your portion; a portion should be 100 calories.
The following shows that even a small weight of most nuts contain 100 calories so it is easy to pile on the calories when snaking on nuts:
-100cal Peanuts – 17g
-100cal cashews – 18g
-100cal pistachios – 18g (shelled) 40g (unshelled)
-100cal Pecans – 14g
-100Cal Almonds – 18g
-100cal walnuts – 13 halves of walnuts
-100cal mixed nuts – 16g
Hummus
Hummus is a very delicious healthy snack containing protein and beneficial fats. I recommended eating it as a dip with baby carrots, celery and peppers for added nutrients. It is very easy to overeat hummus by “nibbling away” and not paying much attention to how much you are eating. Two tablespoons of hummus is an ideal snack size at 25 calories per tablespoon.
Whelehans Nutrition Service
Whelehans nutritional service is a private one to one advice service with our nutritionist Aisling Murray Bsc Nutrition. Aisling’s areas of interest include weight loss management, nutrition education and food intolerance. Our nutrition service offers you the chance to change your life in a positive way by focusing on your overall wellbeing as well as the chance to follow up on your progress.
Aisling Murray has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and offers a one to one specialist nutrition service at Whelehans Pharmacy. Call Whelehans at 04493 34591 for an appointment
This article is shortened to fit within newspaper space limits. More detailed information and leaflets are available in Whelehans