20 Healthy Snack Ideas to Fuel Your Performance

Healthy Recipes

Dec 6

I love snacks. I proudly consider it a favorite pastime, but since the pandemic I’ve noticed a big change in the types of snacks I’m reaching for and how often I’m reaching for them - let’s just say it hasn’t been balanced - and with that, I’ve noticed changes with my sleep, mood and ability to focus.

So, if you’ve had similar feels, noticed yourself munching more in the last few months (ahem, year), reaching for the not-so-healthy stuff, or had those more-frequent-than-you’d-like-to-admit moments when you realize you’re halfway through your bag of chips, and say “wait, why am I still eating these?” - go easy on yourself.

And also, recognize there’s an opportunity to make a shift for the sake of your health and well-being. Because whether it’s out of boredom, anxiety or any other emotion, when you’re fueling your body with sugary treats and highly processed, unnatural snacks - I’m looking at you cheesy crackers - it can impact sleep, mood, and how you feel about yourself!

Not to mention, processed snacks - including packaged protein bars which are typically loaded with sugar - can drain your energy and impact your athletic performance.

So, rather than set yourself up for sugary crashes and waves of low energy, look for healthier alternatives that are going to fuel your training and performance. And, good news, I’ve got a guide to support you.

Download 20 healthy snack ideas here!

You always have a choice, and now that we’re in a new decade, I encourage you to recognize where you’re at thus far in the year, and think of today as an opportunity to reset.

In short, the more whole foods (unprocessed or minimally processed) you eat, the better. You don’t have to eliminate snacking, heck no, but you can make smarter choices.

To help, ask yourself the following when you pick up a food item:

How many ingredients does this have?

Does this have added sugar?

Can I pronounce all of the ingredients?

Can I find an alternative that is made up of less than 5 ingredients?

Start by restocking your pantry and fridge with the right kinds of snacks, the healthy unprocessed kind that are going to energize you instead of sending you on a sugar crashin’ roller coaster or, a state of lethargy and heaviness.

Try different snacks this week to keep things interesting and notice how your body feels after just a few small habit tweaks and food adjustments. You’ll feel the difference, I promise.