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Personally, my favorite kinds of snacks are ones that are crispy and give you that strong crunch when you bite down. While I love snacks like Cheez-Its and potato chips, healthier alternatives reap so many more benefits. There is also a wide variety of crunchy snack options that are healthy out there, from vegetable options to different types of chips.
Popcorn is a snack option favored by so many. However, you should be mindful of what type of popcorn you are buying. Popcorn can oftentimes contain an unhealthy amount of butter, which has lots of saturated fat that can lead to bad cholesterol in our blood. Obesity, heart disease, and cancer are all health conditions that can arise from consuming too much of these fats.
Popcorn doesn’t need to have many seasonings and fats like butter to make it taste good! You can either air pop the popcorn kernels for some homemade kernels, or find a prepackaged popcorn option that has light seasonings and butter. Popcorn is whole grain and high in fiber, making it a delicious healthy snack which gives you that crunch you’re looking for.
If you love your leafy greens like kale and want to incorporate it into a crunchy snack, you can do so in a couple simple and quick steps. Unlike many types of chips such as potato chips, Kale chips contain lots of nutritional value. Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins A & B, as well as potassium. The only other ingredients you need to bake the kale chips are olive oil and salt.
If you are really craving a crunchy snack option that tastes as similar to a chip as possible, try making some pita chips on your own! All you need to do is purchase some pita bread from the store to start off. From there, you can cut the bread into however many triangles of your choosing and add in some olive oil. Preheat and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes, and you have your very own homemade pita chips.
To be quite frank, pita chips are not always the most HEALTHIEST option you can choose. They can be on the higher end in terms of calories and carbohydrates. However, pita chips provide some important micronutrients including folate, vitamin E, and niacin. All of these micronutrients can aid in healthy growth and development, disease prevention, and wellbeing. Because micronutrients are not produced from anywhere in our bodies, it’s important that we get them in some of the foods and snacks we eat like pita chips!
Have you ever heard of ants on a log, the snack? Ants on a log is a popular snack recipe including a stick of celery with some peanut butter spread and a couple raisins on top. This snack fits its name perfectly, it looks just like a log with a couple ants on top! Celery is rich in vitamins such as vitamins A, K, and C. Celery is also very low in sodium and has a slow but steady effect on your blood sugar overall.
Peanut butter contains omega-6 which helps to lower bad cholesterol and increase protective cholesterol. Peanuts are also a source of arginine which can prevent heart and vascular disease by increasing blood vessel function. The finishing touch of this recipe, raisins, are also a great source of fiber which helps in our digestion. Raisins can also help control the amount of bacteria present in your gut.
Similar to popcorn, you get the most out of rice cakes when you watch out for all of those added flavors along with high amounts of sugar and sodium. If you can, try and choose a rice cake option that uses brown rice instead. Brown rice does count as a whole grain!
What are some of the primary health benefits of rice cakes?:
If you have a sweet tooth, and love a little bit of crunch in what you eat, this next recipe is just for you! A peanut butter cookie that you don’t even need to bake and is comprised of natural and healthy ingredients. The ingredients of this entire recipe include rolled oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, creamy peanut butter, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
To make the cookies:
Hopefully you find some of these snack options will help satisfy those cravings you’ve been having of a more crispiness within your snacks. Healthy, simple, yet delicious!
