Healthy snack recipes that actually fill you up
Three in the afternoon, your stomach is rumbling, and you reach for the chocolate bar from the vending machine. Does that sound familiar? According to the FOPH's Swiss Nutrition Report, the population in Switzerland consumes too much sugar, salt and saturated fat – and processed snacks such as bars, crisps and sweetened drinks contribute substantially to that. The good news: it takes neither much time nor exotic ingredients to build healthy snack recipes into everyday life. Often five minutes and a handful of simple ingredients are enough.
What many people underestimate: the snack between meals often decides whether you eat in moderation in the evening or push a frozen pizza into the oven completely starving.
Why snacks should be planned more cleverly
The Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE) recommends in its food pyramid planning in one small snack between each of the three main meals if needed – ideally from fruit, vegetables, nuts or dairy products. The emphasis is on «if needed» and «small»: according to the SGE, snacks should come to a maximum of 200 kcal so as not to blow your total energy needs.
At the same time the WHO recommends at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day. Anyone who plans snacks deliberately can achieve two goals at once: curbing cravings and filling up their daily portion of vegetables and fruit.
The real problem is not the snack as such – but that most people leave their snacks to chance. And chance usually stands ready in the form of a sweet shelf at the station kiosk.
Five quick, healthy snack recipes for every day
The following recipe ideas are workable, need barely any preparation and can easily be taken to the office, to university or to the playground.
1. Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
A small bowl (150 g) of Greek yoghurt, a handful of blueberries and 20 g of walnuts – done. This recipe provides protein, healthy fats and fibre at the same time. A meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that about 30 g of nuts a day is associated with an improved lipid profile. So nuts are among the best snack components there are.
2. Vegetable sticks with hummus
Carrots, cucumber, peppers – cut into sticks and served with three tablespoons of hummus. It sounds simple, but it keeps you full surprisingly long. Anyone who prepares the hummus on Sunday evening for the whole week saves time every day. The combination of chickpea protein and vegetable fibre keeps blood sugar stable.
3. High-protein energy balls (no baking)
Mix 100 g of porridge oats with 2 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp of honey and 30 g of dark chocolate (chopped). Shape into small balls, chill for 30 minutes – that makes about 10. Two balls as an afternoon snack provide energy without the typical sugar slump afterwards. According to the EFSA, the reference value for protein is 0.83 g per kilogram of body weight a day – high-protein snacks like these contribute to your daily protein intake and can reduce cravings.
4. Apple slices with almond butter
An apple, cut into slices, thinly spread with almond butter. It could hardly be quicker. And yet this snack provides fibre, unsaturated fatty acids and natural sweetness – with no added sugar at all. The WHO recommends limiting added sugar to a maximum of 10 % of daily energy intake, and ideally even under 5 % (source: WHO – Guideline on Sugars Intake, 2015). Recipes like this make it easier to stay under that limit.
5. A cottage cheese wrap with herbs
Spread a wholegrain wrap with 80 g of cottage cheese, spread fresh herbs (chives, basil) over it, roll it up and halve it. Compact, high in protein and ideal to prepare in advance. If you like, add a few cherry tomatoes.
When things really have to be quick: practical alternatives
Let us be honest: you do not feel like chopping vegetable sticks every day. For exactly such days it is worth having a few ready but nonetheless sensible options to hand. The Herbalife Formula 1 Bar Dark Chocolate is a practical protein-containing alternative for on the move, for instance, that stows away well in a bag or desk drawer.
For everyone who prefers something savoury, the Herbalife Protein Chips Barbecue offer an interesting alternative to conventional crisps – with considerably more protein and less fat. Anyone who would like to change their diet in the long term can plan in such products as complementary building blocks.
Building snacking cleverly into everyday life
The biggest mistake with healthy snacks? Thinking too complicatedly. You need no Pinterest-worthy arrangement. What counts is preparation. Three tips that have proved their worth:
- Put snack boxes together for the week on Sunday evening – nuts, cut vegetables and fruit portioned into individual containers.
- Keep a high-protein emergency snack at work, so the vending machine stands no chance.
- Plan the snack into your timetable – between 10 and 11 o'clock or at 3 p.m., for instance – instead of eating impulsively.
- Drink a glass of water before the snack. We often confuse thirst with hunger.
If you already plan a balanced breakfast in the morning, the desire for unhealthy snacks during the morning usually reduces by itself. And anyone who wants to work specifically on their Weight management benefits particularly from shaping snacks consciously instead of leaving them out.
Healthy snack recipes as part of a mindful lifestyle
A single snack does not change everything. But the sum of small, daily decisions does. Anyone who gets into the habit of reaching for apple slices instead of biscuits and keeping nuts instead of crisps to hand changes their habits in the long term – without deprivation, without stress. The best healthy snack recipes are the ones you actually put into practice. Start with a single recipe from this list and try it for a week.
Discover our products at myherbal.ch – from high-protein bars to practical shake solutions, you will find there everything that makes a mindful everyday life simpler.