It’s a new month and a new year! Many of us set resolutions to achieve special goals for the upcoming year. One common New Year’s resolution is to get in shape and eat better. This can involve going to the gym more frequently, eating healthier foods, or taking up physical activity as a new hobby. Making simple changes to your daily eating habits can significantly impact your ability to stick to your resolutions.
A particular area to focus on is snack foods. While munching on crackers, chips, and cookies may be convenient, they don’t contribute positively to your waistline. By making small swaps in your snack choices for healthier options, you can take a meaningful step toward eating better and maintaining your New Year’s resolution.
Popcorn
Skip the chips and dip, and choose the wholesome goodness of popcorn! A serving size of unpopped kernels is 1 ounce. Once popped, they yield nearly 3.5 cups of fluffy popcorn. One serving (when air-popped and without toppings) is around 100 calories. You can easily pop popcorn at home using an air popper or in the microwave. Simply place the kernels in a brown paper bag, roll the top down to seal it tightly, and pop it just like a store-bought bag. Alternatively, you can buy plain popcorn to keep on hand. Separate it into individual servings and store in plastic zip-sealed bags for a healthy "grab-and-go" snack.
Fresh Fruit
Do you have a sweet tooth? Instead of reaching for the cookie jar, why not consider fruit? Apples and bananas are among the most popular fruits, particularly because they're naturally sweet. Freshly cut apple slices make for a healthy snack option. You can even pair them with a small dollop of peanut butter or vanilla yogurt for dipping. Bananas, especially when very ripe, are wonderfully sweet on their own. If you’re craving ice cream, here's a delightful alternative: freeze a few very ripe bananas, then blend them in a food processor until smooth. The result is a cold, creamy dessert reminiscent of soft-serve ice cream, but without the fat and calories. If that doesn't sound appealing, add a few strawberries, a cup of nonfat milk, and plain yogurt to create a delicious smoothie. For an even healthier option, blend one of your favorite apple varieties with a celery stick, a few cherry tomatoes, and a handful of spinach to whip up an energizing green smoothie!
Celery
While celery isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the benefit of eating celery is that you burn pretty much the same amount of calories as a stalk of celery simply by chewing it. In essence, celery has “zero” calories as the act of eating the celery cancels out its caloric content. If you can’t do celery by itself, feel free to add a dab of cream cheese or peanut butter (which will add a small number of calories).
Looking for healthy New Year's recipes? Read our Healthy Recipes for the New Year blog post.