This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowdoin chapter.
We all know the feeling – it’s between meals and your stomach starts to grumble. Instead of reaching for the nearest bag of chips, eat a snack that combines protein, good fat, and natural fiber and can keep you full until you can make it to the dining hall. Jacqui Justice M.S., C.N.S., recommends five healthy snacks to satiate your between-meal hunger:
- Raw vegetables and hummus: Grab a handful of carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, or broccoli from the salad bar and dip it into 1/3 cup of hummus. Hummus is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Manganese.
- An apple with almond butter or natural peanut butter: Both Thorne and Moulton have a natural peanut butter option and almond butter can be easily purchased at Hannaford’s.
- High-quality protein bar: When choosing the right protein bar, there are many components to look at. Make sure that there are at least six grams of protein, whole grains and dried fruit, eight grams of unsaturated fats, up to five grams of fiber, and calcium.
- Healthy trail mix: Despite the common misconception that GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts) is a healthy snack option, raisins actually have a very high sugar content and peanuts are very high in calories and have less nutritional value than other nuts. Include unsalted almonds, unsalted pecans, unsalted and unshelled sunflower seeds, dark chocolate chips, and dried cherries.
- A yogurt parfait: Combine 0% greek yogurt (the C-Store and Café sell portion sizes of Chobani), fruit, nuts, and seeds. Even though we all love the Bowdoin granola, granola contains a large amount of sugar and is extremely caloric.