10 Super Healthy Energy Giving Snacks
Healthy Energy Giving Snacks
Achieving your fat burning diet and weight loss goals isn’t about starving yourself. If you’re looking to improve your sporting performance, drop a few pounds of excess weight, or just ensure that you have enough energy to power through a busy day, it’s about more than what you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Healthy go-to snacks are just as essential as those three meals a day. If you’re not quite sure what to nibble in between meals, then our guide today has you covered. We’re taking a look at the top 10 super healthy energy-giving snacks.
It’s All About Smart Snacking
Smart snacking is essential to help you reach those fitness, diet, and nutritional goals. Whether you’re topping up your energy levels ahead of a grueling training session or looking to replenish those reserves post-workout, knowing what to snack to perform at your best is essential.
If you’re currently not sure which are the best high-energy snacks to grab to boost your performance, then read on as we discover the benefits of smart snacking, especially when you’re training hard. It’s super important to ensure that your body is adequately fuelled and get all the nutrients it requires to recover. Snacking can be an excellent way of ensuring that your body receives the carbohydrates it needs to help you bounce back more efficiently and support muscle recovery while replenishing your energy reserves. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an amateur athlete or a professional sportsperson, for that matter, just a regular Joe, so to speak! Getting the right kind of sustenance is essential.
Ingredients To Look Out For
Before we go on to reveal our top 10 super healthy energy-giving snacks, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the ingredients you should be looking for in an energy-giving snack.
Carbs are the body’s primary source of energy and particularly important if you’re undertaking any vigorous exercise. Simple and complex carbs are required. Complex carbs are found in food sources, including brown bread, rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, and oats. They take much longer to break down than simple carbs and can provide the body with sustainable energy released over a prolonged period. It’s one of the reasons why a bowl of porridge in the morning is such a popular breakfast choice.
Sugar might well be public enemy number one if you read any health and nutrition column today, but it is crucial to topping up depleted energy levels, especially after an intense exercise session. It’s quick to absorb into the body and can provide that instant boost of energy that stops you from hitting a wall of fatigue. The trick is to go for the natural stuff found in fruit and bars that are made from fruit rather than synthetic sources of sugar.
Protein is another essential ingredient to be on the lookout for, especially if you want to rebuild and repair muscles after a tough workout. If you train regularly, then you need significantly more protein in your diet than someone with a more sedentary lifestyle. Look for smart protein-packed snacks or go for a supplement shake.
Electrolytes are essential if you’ve been sweating profusely, losing sodium and potassium. The sudden loss of salts can leave you feeling dehydrated and lead to muscle cramps. So hydration powder and sports drinks that contain electrolytes are also handy to have available post-workout.
10 Super Healthy Energy Giving Snacks
So with that information in mind, let’s dive in and run you through our top 10 recommendations of the snacks you need to have on stand by.
Bananas
A go-to option for many top athletes, the humble banana proves that you don’t need to over complicate things. A banana naturally contains around 30g of carbs, approximately half of which comes from sugars. It’s also high in magnesium and potassium and is easily digestible and kind on the stomach. Better still, it comes in its own peelable packaging, so it couldn’t be easier to store in a gym bag or backpack and eat whenever hunger or fatigue strikes.
Caffeine
Not a food but a huge performance aid during and before exercise and known to promote enacted concentration as well as boosting overall effort.
Watermelon
Such a refreshing and highly hydrating snack. It’s over 90% water and also contains electrolytes, so it provides a reliable energy boost. Its melt in the mouth texture is also easy to digest and kind on delicate tummy’s.
Nuts
Nuts are a great source of protein and also contain high levels of unsaturated “good” fats, which are known to lower bad cholesterol. They’re also very filling too, and just a small handful can provide your daily quote of fat and protein, keeping you fuller for longer. Different varieties of nuts also have other beneficial properties. Almonds are high in vitamin E, Brazil nuts in Selenium, and Walnuts in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit benefits from being easier to transport in your pocket than regular fruit, but it does also contain more sugar than it’s fresh counterparts. For endurance athletes, this makes it an obvious choice. Despite being dried, it still also contains essential vitamins and minerals, so just one mixed handful will contribute to your 5 a day. It’s also high in fiber, providing a natural source of sugar that will power you through whatever the day throws your way.
Berries
Super delicious, highly nutritious, and renowned for being rich in antioxidants which help to reduce inflammation, berries are a natural source of sugar as well as being high in fiber.
Dates
Dates are another excellent healthy energy-giving snack, packed with fiber, potassium as well as magnesium, proving a natural energy hit and a mental as well as physical boost.
Natural Energy Bars
Energy bars are designed to be easy to grab and are a super convenient way of giving your body what it needs, especially if you’re working out over an extended period. Make sure that you opt for a natural rather than artificial bar so that it’s much easier to digest and gentler on your stomach. Look for ingredients such as fruit and nuts that will naturally boost your energy levels.
Nut Butters
A spoonful of sugar might have helped the medicine go down for Mary Poppins, but these days, it’s a spoonful of nut butter that hits the mark. Whether you prefer peanut, almond, or cashew, it’s high in protein and these days, also conveniently available in single-serving rip-top pouches and not just jars. This makes it the ideal healthy energy-giving snack for cyclists and runners. Combine it with a banana and some dried fruit, and you’ve ticked off all your nutrition boxes.
Seeds
Just like nuts, super healthy seeds are packed with protein, unsaturated fats as well as being a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. Popular seeds include flax and chia, which are both high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to keep your cholesterol level on point. They are an excellent addition to that daily porridge bowl and bring an energy punch to a salad or bowl of soup.
