We all enjoying the beautiful weather in Europe and there is nothing better during the work day to go outside. Sadly, is way too easy to make a stop at the convenient store and buy just a “little” something. Let’s have a closer look at our quick snack options. Hopefully, after reading my blog, it will be easier for you to make a smarter choice while purchasing.
Potato Chips (Crisp)
Potatoes are loaded with valuable nutrients. A medium potato provides 5 grams of fibre, 26% of your daily potassium and 70% of your daily vitamin C and all for 165 calories! Potato chips, on the other hand, are stripped of their nutrition. For the same amount of calories, potato chips provide just 10% of your potassium and vitamin C and only 1 gram of fibre. Not to mention the fact that this snack has around 10g of fat per small serving package and adds unnecessary sodium. Chips are a highly processed food with very little nutritional value. They have carbohydrates (15g per small packet), which give us energy, but there is nothing else to boast about. Instead try potato chips alternatives like Roasted Red Pepper, Bean Chips, Zucchini, Soy, Beetroot -market is blooming nowadays with such products, but don’t forget to read the label.
Sugary Coffee Drinks
By itself, coffee contains virtually no calories and provides helpful antioxidants. So what’s the harm in choosing a creamy, sweetened version? More harm than most folks realize. The medium size of Frappuccino with whipped cream has 400-500 kcal with 14-15g of fat (big spoon!) and 65-75g of carbohydrates (could be as much as 13-15 spoons of plain sugar!). All this could be equal to McDonald’s Big Mac calorie wise. To save calories and cut down on saturated fat and sugar, try black coffee with milk or a milk alternative. Another option is green tea with a touch of honey and a side of fresh fruit.
Ice cream
Ice cream is made by churning and chilling a mixture containing high-fat milk or cream, fructose- or glucose-based sweeteners, usually in the form of corn syrup, and flavourings such as vanilla or chocolate. When the mixture freezes, it develops the rich, creamy consistency of ice cream. Ice cream is rich in carbohydrate, with about 15 grams in a one-half-cup serving. A serving also contains about 7 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein, making it an energy-dense food. Average one-half cup of vanilla ice cream provides 137 kilocalories of energy, about twice the amount in a one-half cup of whole milk. Ice cream is a high-fat food since it must contain greater than 10% milk fat to be designated ice cream, with some products having as much as 16%.
Candy Bars
We all been the victim of impulse shopping by the counter. It's so easy to grab some of the “quick” counter options. Now let’s have closer look from the nutrition point of view on average candy bar option using well-known Snickers as an example. Such bar (52.7g; 250kcal) has 33g of carbs including 27g of sugar (Yes! Smashing 50% + of the content). That’s not the end of bad news. 40% of whole calories come from fat (12g total). On the top of all these many candy bar options comes “supersized or buy one get one free” making such snack one of the worst choices we can make.
Breakfast Pastries
One buttery Croissant delivers around 250kcal with 27g of carbs and 15g of fat. The real problem, though, is that it replaces more nutritious breakfast fare and often is pair up with Coffee Drinks mentioned above. Try eating a balanced breakfast like oatmeal made with milk and topped with fresh fruit - and ditch the sugary pastries. This healthier alternative will keep your blood sugar and appetite in check while providing essential nutrients.
Sugary Drinks
Sugary drink portion sizes have risen dramatically over the past years, and children and adults are drinking more soft drinks than ever. The biggest dietary sugar source in Western Courtiers is beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose or fruit-juice concentrates -- a category that includes soft drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks. The trouble is, there’s a close connection between the rise in sugar intake and the world’s obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemics. The average can of cola (330ml) comes with astonishing 39g of sugar (almost 8 spoons). Instead, try drinking more water: It’s sugar-free and calorie-free, and most people don’t get enough of it.
Gummy Candies
Gummy candy is another item that is processed and typically made up of straight sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Small 55g package of Haribo Bears comes with 180kcal. To simply put it, half of the package is plain sugar! It’s a bag of “empty” calories that contain no nutrients. Eating this type of sweet stuff leaves less room for food that’s good for you and makes it more likely that you’ll gain weight.
I do realize resisting temptation to purchase is hard.
After all, right there and they taste good, but you need to remember “price” you going to pay is much higher than what it says on the price tag. You are also going to pay for with own health. Not to worry, you have me in your corner! All you need to do is contact me through contact section and we can start helping you making healthier nutrition choices right away.