Snacking Profiles: Which One Are You?
As the nature and pace of our lives evolve, so do our eating habits. One kind of eating—snacking—is now more commonplace than ever before. IFIC’s 2024 Food and Health Survey found that 73% of Americans snack at least once a day. Despite snacking’s prevalence, it can be hard to know how to build a healthy snack—one that is appropriate for your budget, schedule and flavor preferences. Below we’ve created a few snacker profiles with relevant snacking suggestions. See which one/s you identify with! The Outdoor Enthusiast Snacks for the outdoor enthusiast should provide adequate nutrients to help you power through and recover from a long outdoor workout. Specific macronutrient ratios will differ depending on the type of exercises and level of intensity you’re seeking. Typically, for a pre-workout snack, foods with carbohydrates and protein are your best friends. When we eat carbohydrates, they break down into glucose and enter our muscles to give us fuel for our workouts. Additionally, protein helps repair the small tears in our muscle fibers that occur as we exert intense energy. It’s helpful to give yourself between 30 minutes and a few hours to digest your snack before you jump into exercising in order to avoid any GI discomfort. A few pre-workout snacks to consider include hard-boiled eggs and an apple; beef jerky and berries; or cottage cheese, almonds, and grapes. Likewise, don’t forget to refuel with carbs, protein and electrolytes after your workout is done. The Busy Parent Parenting is challenging enough on its own, and a busy schedule only complicates matters. Snacks for the busy parent should be healthy, portable and easy to eat with small hands (in case a little one gets hungry too!). Sliced fruits and veggies, cheese cubes, whole-grain crackers and dips such as nut butters or hummus are great options. On a related note, IFIC’s 2019 Food […]
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