The Ultimate Snacking Guide

Snacking for ...

To elaborate a little bit on that point about asking what you’ll get from a particular snack, we thought it might be handy to create a little list of healthy snacks that relate to specific outcomes.

Protein – Perhaps you’ve just finished a big session in the gym. Maybe you’re just getting into an active lifestyle and need a little bit more protein than you usually would. In fact, even if you’re not actively trying to build muscle you’ll still need protein. Protein doesn’t just provide the amino acids that help build and maintain our bodies, it actually provides us with energy too. Nuts and seeds are a great snack in this respect. Especially sunflower seeds, chia seeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios and so on. If you have time and want to jazz up a handful of plain nuts, simply roast them in a frying pan with some spices of your choosing (turmeric almonds are delicious), or even just add in some dried fruit for a little extra sweetness and chewy texture.

Peanut butter lovers might like to whip out a pack of our protein-rich Organic Super Seeded Oatcakes to enjoy with a slather of their favourite brand. Or you could even bake a batch of our peanut butter shortbread energy bars? Voilà, a quick, easy, instant protein hit. If you simply don’t have time to get baking you could always pick up a packet of our Mixed Seeds and Protein Oat Bars. They even make for a suitable protein source for our vegan customers too.

Fibre – Did you know that your fibre intake should be around 30g of fibre per day? Just to give you an idea of how that breaks down, a 40g serving of our Porridge Oats contains about 4g of fibre. Fibre’s not only great for making sure your digestive system is healthy, it can even help lower cholesterol too (in turn helping to keep your heart healthy). What fits the bill for a high fibre snack though? Well, we always start with wholegrains. Whether that’s a slice of wholegrain bread for some mid morning toast or the wholegrain oats that go into our various snackable products… wholegrains give you a great start for reaching that daily 30g mark. Fruit is also full of fibre. That toast we mentioned? Why not top it with some smashed avocado with some salt and pepper for a tasty high-fibre snack? Apples, pears, bananas and raspberries are all good choices too and carry a whole host of vitamins and minerals.

A side note on protein and fibre-rich snacks. One potentially handy side effect they often come with is that they help you feel fuller for longer. Ever finish a bag of crisps and find you could easily go for another bag? That’s a sign of low fibre, low protein and high carbohydrate content. Snacks with a good amount of protein and fibre will help curb those urges and keep your appetite in check.

Energy – Snacking in order to try and boost your energy levels? The suggestions in the protein section above will definitely do the trick if it’s a sustained burst of energy you need. Other things that might help you avoid those caffeine cravings might be things like; hummus (enjoy it with a few sticks of carrot, celery or dip one or two of our Cheese and Smokey Chipotle Oatcakes into the tub). We’ve got a great recipe for edamame hummus for those who know just how incredible a fresh batch tastes. If you really can’t fight the urge for something sweeter, a square of dark chocolate is a great shout given that it’s also a source of antioxidants.

Gut health – We covered off the fact that getting your daily 30g of fibre will work wonders for your digestive system, but what else can you do to help your gut health? You might have heard the term ‘probiotics’ before. If you don’t know what that means, it's a term used to describe ‘good’ bacteria that naturally occur in your gut and certain foods. As you might have guessed, snacking on probiotics promotes good gut health! One of our favourites is kimchi, the spicy Korean staple of fermented vegetables. You’ll find tubs of the stuff in most health food shops and in terms of snacking we’d highly recommend it as an oatcake topping. Other options might be to keep a probiotic yoghurt or two in the fridge, a pot of cottage cheese… or even hunt down some authentic skyr (a delicious fermented Icelandic yoghurt).

Brain boosts – If you find yourself having trouble focussing on the task at hand, snacks that are a good source of slow release energy can be great for improving concentration. As we mentioned, high fibre foods give a steady slow release of energy (as opposed to a sudden spike that quickly drops, making you feel sluggish and even more tired than before). Fibre can be found in most foods but is especially present in fruits, vegetables, seeds, oats (Oat Bar anyone?) and other wholegrains.

Healthy snacking for kids

Whether it’s about gut health, slow release energy or a boost in concentration – the same benefits of healthy snacking apply to kids. That said, it’s not always easy to get them to settle for a handful of nuts when they know there’s a whole tinful of sugary biscuits handy! One key tip is to make snacking fun. It sounds obvious but it’s a great distraction that allows you to sneak in some healthy goodness. A few ideas might be...

Chopped fruit and veg – Simple, handy and easy to arrange into an Instagram-worthy presentation… this one’s a go-to in terms of quick, healthy between-meal wins.

Pop Oats - Our Pop Oats are so full of flavour that they won’t even know they’ve secretly been fed a source of fibre made with air popped wholegrain oats.

Cheese - A firm favourite with hungry kids (and adults too) cheese is a well known source of calcium and, depending on the type, protein too. Why not keep those hangry tantrums at bay with a couple of these pizza oatcakes? The tomatoes will give you some bonus gut health points too.