Geek living: 4 Healthy snacks to have in front of your screen (and a drink)
TV and computers aren’t the reason for obesity. It’s the lack of physical activity and nutrition that cause it.
Snacking is natural. You’ve got to eat a bit between meals. Eating 3 massive meals a day is far worse than smaller meals and smart snacking.
Here are my 4 healthy snacks that I have in front of my screen(s).
Go Nuts
Nuts are a great source of energy. You can snack them during the day, they don’t get your hands dirty and they taste lovely.
Pros of nuts:
- boost energy and immune system
- work against heart diseases (as much as 35% improvement)
- puts your brain in a more relaxed state
- thus, work against depression
Cons of nuts:
- only have a handful a day. You don’t need to swallow them by the dozen, take your time and enjoy their taste.
- avoid peanuts. They’re the fattest nuts and they really are not worth it. I usually have cashew nuts. Toasted, unsalted, that’s the way I love them. Also walnuts, pecans…
Too many nuts will convert to fat. They are however, an excellent source of protein and good fat.
Yes, nuts are high in fat but they contain high levels of healthy fats that are known to have heart-protective benefits.
Rice crackers
Rice crackers are healthy (assuming you pick the right ones),
Pros of rice crackers:
- 10% or more dietary fibre.
- they are really light, yet they cut hunger
- they taste delicious?
They’re those slices of inflated corn or rice, like a galette of popcorn. You find them stacked in a cylinder bag.
Always watch the ingredients when buying them, and as everything, don’t be afraid of comparing with similar products. I usually get the multigrain ones and the light ones, which are yummy.
You can put low-fat slices of cheese on them. Personally, I prefer them naked. It’s instant to eat that way.
Make sure you get them gluten free (GMO free), with the minimum of ingredients. Stay away from taste improvers or such…
Tea to replace coffee
Coffee addiction has been for me a real issue. I had about 4-5 a day, sometimes more if I had tight deadlines. It helps you focus and gets you going, there is also something about the taste right? Yum… need coffee… need moo…re.
Note that coffee is great for you. If you have it strong, black, with no sugar. The caffein will not only boost your brain, but as most people don’t know, it also boosts all the organs in the body. What do you think that fat burners are made of? (= incredible amounts of caffein).
As I know it’s not all that good, I wanted to switch for something like green tea. Green tea has its advantages such as antioxidants and protects against cancers such as lung cancer. My first approach to green tea was disgusting, it was like hot water with sour taste. That won’t work!
Anyway, over time I learnt to cut the addiction by having one coffee in the morning, as it’s the best of the day right? In the afternoon, I’d have 2 teas.
I tried many different types of teas, and really the ones that have worked for me are the non-english ones. Aka. Camomile tea imported from India, green tea from Japan, and Oolong Tea from China. Getting the import ones is vital. That’s when you really get to taste different tea.
Camomile tea in the afternoon/evening is a bliss, it really relaxes me and helps me focus.
Fruits
I think fruits reputation is not to be rewritten. We all know they are a great source of vitamins, reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and cholesterol. It also helps slow down the aging process!
Avoid grape fruits as it’s more sugary than all the others. Stuff like banana is just great, you can keep it next to your screen, you look healthier already. Also it’s a great fruit because it doesn’t get your hands dirty. Your keyboard will thank you.
To pick great fruits, go to the nearby market. Supermarket fruits are always too old, too modified. I usually rock up at the market at the last hour, that way you get all the clearance and get bananas at 50 cents a kilo. They often unroll their last boxes as well so you definitely get the freshest!
Also get orange juice that is 100% natural: ie. ‘ingredients’ says: 100% orange juice. That’s great for breakfast on the go.
Olives
Olives is the reason why I live. I am totally addict of great olives, like some would be of great wines. I have about 500g a week. Seriously.
Anyway, I worked out over time that olives are the perfect replacements for biscuits or chips, even in front of the screen. Olive oil is one of the healthiest fat, also one of the best source of monounsaturated fat, antioxidants and helps against the heart diseases.. Stomach loves it. Spanish research also shown that it helps against certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer.
That’s it for now.
Oh, and if you really crave for your nasty snack, just make sure you have it, but have only ONE. One cookie, one chips, one anything. Research show that it’s the taste and the smell that drives us to bad food. So just satisfy your needs, and move on!
Preventing yourself from anything you like will eventually fail you. At some point, you are going to dive backwards into what-you-miss-so-much. This tip is a million dollar tip: just have one, and put the bag away before you eat it!
Shoot what you think are healthy snacks as comments! (And please, don’t say dried fruits, or sultanas!)
August 12th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Diet Peach Snapple Ice Tea is a great drink to have durings snack. I did some research on the net concerning whether its as healthy as the company says it is (Nutrition Facts state its 0 Calories and a 16 fl oz contains only 20mg of sodium and 2g of carbs.)
Also, I like to get a cucumber or carrots, cut them up into little pieces, and put them in a bowl. Makes for a very convenient and healthy snack to have next to you when your at the desk.
August 13th, 2007 at 4:35 am
I would encourage you to try green tea again. Thing is, you need to get it at a specialty shop. My favourite is jasmine pearl tea. The fragrance is intoxicating, and the flavour, delicate and smooth.
Find a reputable tea shop (here in Montreal, I go to My Cup of Tea: http://www.my-cup-of-tea.com/) and smell the various teas until you find one you like.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Good advice. Chinese green tea is a healthy replacement for coffee. For something different, try a local Chinese store and find various flower tea mixes…the dried flower kind…and not in a tea bag. They can be quite pleasant and healthy too.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Peanuts aren’t the “fattest” nuts: for example, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and even some species of walnuts have *loads* more fat in them.
And what on earth happened to recommending vegetables? :O
August 29th, 2007 at 4:30 am
K, this is a good article and i appreciate that you’re trying to inform, but GMO does not mean gluten-free. Gluten is the primary protein in wheat products. It is also present in many other foods. Some people cannot digest gluten, for example those with Celiac Disease. Rice contains no gluten, so it is a healthy alternative to standard crackers for those people.
GMO refers to Genetically Modified Organism. For example, Bryer’s ice cream is now splicing and arctic fish’s DNA into its ice cream to prevent crystallization in the freezing process. Many produce items have spliced DNA from other organisms that makes them more cold-weather tolerant, resistant to pests, or larger in size. As the splicing occurs outside of nature and in very unnatural ways (i.e. Fish DNA in a dairy product, bacterial DNA in a tomato, etc..) there is a great deal of concern as to the safety of “playing God” in this way.