Great Snacks for Runners!

 

 Well-designed or healthy snacks can prevent severe hunger pains and consequent binges, snacks can fuel you for a run when you haven't had the time or the stomach for a full meal, and finally, snacks can add energy and otherwise missing nutrients to your diet. The trick is knowing what to choose. To help, here's a list of nutritious, satisfying snacks with reasons to choose them and nutritional highlights. Consider one of these the next time you find yourself reaching for those chips...

 

Snack Choice: Trail mix containing 3/4 cup bran flakes tossed with 1/4 cup each dried berries, apricots, and mixed nuts.

Nutritional Highlights: This snack includes essential nutrients and filling fiber while satisfying all types of snackers with both sweet and salty good-for-you calories.

Health Benefits: Dried fruit is packed with potassium and inadequate amounts of this vital electrolyte can raise your blood pressure, increase your risk of developing kidney stones and possibly lead to bone loss.

 

 

Snack Choice: 1 whole wheat pita sprinkled with 1/4 cup feta cheese and broiled. Cut into triangles and dip in 3 Tbsp. hummus.

Nutritional Highlights: Packed with 42 grams of carbohydrates and 15 grams of protein, this snack will help you recover from your afternoon run.

Health Benefits: The whole grains in the pita provide a satisfying crunch and according to research compiled by The Whole Grains Council, studies show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and may also reduce the risk of stroke.

 

 

Snack Choice: 6 oz. fat free Greek yogurt topped with 1/2 cup sliced peaches.

Nutritional Highlights: This snack contains less than 200 calories, yet is packed with protein and other essential nutrients.

Health Benefits: The calcium and protein in this snack will keep your muscles primed and, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, intake of products containing calcium are associated with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 1 diabetes.

 

Source: Runner's World (http://www.runnersworld.com/)