It’s been a long time since you’ve had one of those well-deserved lazy days. You’re sitting on your couch surfing through different channels when it happens. The image of a delicious cheesy pizza takes up the screen. You ogle at the gooey cheese, the flaky crust being held by the show’s host, the SAUCE!! Your pupils have dilated at the gorgeous site. Your mouth is watering. Your stomach is beckoning for it. Your hand is reaching for your phone to call the nearest pizza place because it is about to go down in your stomach. *R Kelly voice* Your mind is telling you noooo, but your moooooouuuuth is telling you yessssss. You don’t see nothing wrong with a little cheesy pieeee.
Or does it? All of a sudden the screen cuts to black and you spot your reflection on the screen. Guilt and shame consume your mind. How could you be so weak? Where is your willpower? You were about to inhale an entire pizza because of one glimpse at a TV show host gorging it down his mouth. You wanted to experience the joy and temporary fulfillment that he was experiencing. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been in a situation where temptation strikes and we’re stuck between giving in or standing strong. Well today is the day that you stand strong.
Here are four healthy snacks to eat when the food cravings hit:
Chocolate covered strawberries.
Chocolate contains between 130 calories and 160 calories per ounce. Strawberries are a low calorie fruit that is high in antioxidants. Chocolate contains flavonoids, similar to those in wine, including catechins, epicatechins, and procyanidins. These antioxidants are beneficial to reducing a person’s risk of stroke and heart attack. Chocolate is also rich in calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin A and B vitamins. On a side note, it’s chocolate and strawberries. Who wouldn’t want to eat that as a healthy snack? I mean c’mon. CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRIES!!
Yogurt is a well known food that contains probiotics. As a dairy product it provides nutrients like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium and magnesium. And if you’re really hungry it proves to be a filling snack.
Oh delicious fruit. Nature’s candy. Fruit offers so many health benefits for your life, that lower your risk of diseases, nourish the body and build up immunity. It has natural sugars and essential nutrients like potassium, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Many fruits are known to maintain a person’s blood pressure reduce constipation and reduce blood cholesterol. An overall diet rich in fresh fruits can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The fruity and pulpy goodness isn’t the only good thing about a smoothies. Smoothies are high in fiber depending on what fruits and veggies you choose. Smoothies contain Vitamin C, potassium, beta carotene( helps with vision and immune system) and folate( beneficial to cardiovascular health and reproductive health). Certain fruits used in them contain antioxidants that are used in fighting diseases, such as cancer.
In all honesty, these snacks will never compete to the greasy, heart-attack inducing foods that we consume on a daily basis. But we can all agree that when we drink a smoothie or eat a fruit there’s an overall feeling of being healthy. It makes us want to create an instagram account about healthy living and flaunt how “healthy” we are.