The Best and Worst “Healthy” Snacks

Best (and worst) Snacks

You see the word “healthy” everywhere today and hear it a thousand times a day from people who are trying to make improvements to their life. Yet, what one person considers healthy is different from someone else’s standards. More importantly, what the best personal trainers consider healthy is often very different from what the average person believes is healthy.

The problem is that so many foods have a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy attributes. Most people start getting healthier by making substitutions to something healthier than what they typically eat. The problem is the healthier version is still not very healthy according to many of the personal trainers who are experts in healthy eating.

To help make sense of it all, let’s discuss some of the best and worst healthy snacks. Snacks are supposed to revive your energy and keep you feeling satisfied between meals so they have to increase satiety and energy without leading to a sugar crash or making you feel bloated and stuffed.

The Best Snacks

Here are five ideas for healthy snacks that even experienced personal trainers working at the most elite private personal training gyms in NYC would recommend:

1. Fresh fruit or veggies

2. An apple with all natural almond butter or raw almonds.

3. Hummus with celery sticks or baby carrots

4. Fresh berries with almonds

5. Whole grain turkey or chicken wrap

Notice that these healthy snacks do not include sugar or artificial sweeteners and coloring. The focus is on natural food selections such as fresh produce, natural almond butter and (wheat-free) whole grains. You can consume some processed foods while eating healthy snacks, but the less processing and packaging the healthier it is going to be.

Personal trainers like whole, fresh foods because they deliver more nutrients to the body which means more energy and better performance during workouts. It also means better progress toward weight loss and fitness goals.

The Worst Snacks

Walk into the best private personal training gyms in NYC and these are some things you will not see sitting around or being recommended by the personal trainers:

1. 100 calorie packs of cookies

2. Packaged kid meals like Lunchables

3. Breaded chicken

4. Lunch meat, cheese, and mayo on white bread

Cookies are loaded with sugar and offer absolutely no nutritional value to your body. They will crash your energy, rather than pumping you up! Even if you control your intake to 100 calories, they are bad for your body.

Lunchables and sandwiches on white bread are very high in fat and condiments can often add in tons more fat. Lunchables and similar prepackaged products are processed to the point very few nutrients actually remain in the food. Plus, those things will never keep you feeling full for very long!

Many people fall into the pattern of thinking chicken is good for you, but when it is breaded it can be extremely high in fat. When it is sandwiched on white refined bread, it is even worse.

When trying to select snacks that even the strictest personal trainers would approve, think of how natural your options are. You want to cut out the options that are more processed and focus on those that are offer more natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

When you choose the healthiest snacks possible you will feel better, look better, and perform better in the gym.

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