• Dark chocolate

In our culture as Ghanaians, snacking is not a big deal even though we have traditional or local snacks. Most of us don’t plan to eat snacks yet we have a number of them that are very nutritious. In recent years, our “Ghanaian snacks” have become more influenced by western ones; chips, sweets, ice cream –these are unhealthy. However, in answering the above question, can a snack be a guilty pleasure or a nutritional additive? It all depends on which of the snacks you choose! As is often said, snacking in itself is not bad BUT it’s what we snack on that makes all the difference.

By definition, snacks are a small amount of food eaten between meals; as such, they should be convenient, transportable, and ready-to-eat.

Healthy Snacking Benefits

• It boosts energy if blood glucose levels decline after several hours without eating.
• It reduces one’s appetite, which helps prevent overeating at their next meal.
• Some healthy snacks can provide extra nutritional benefits. Snacks such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts.
• It can be helpful for someone who suffers from a poor appetite and can’t eat full meals due to illness.

Dangers of Snacking

• Indulging in snacks that are high in fat and sugar can lead to weight gain.
• Over-snacking can reduce hunger and make people skip main meals, thereby making them miss out on the important nutrients they can get from main meals.
• Snacks that have high salt and sugar content, but poor nutrition tend to be addictive as people who indulge in these snacks end up with food addictions and a change from healthy to unhealthy lifestyles.

Healthy Snack Components

Here are a few tips to get you started. First, eat a snack between breakfast and lunch and one between lunch and dinner. Keep your snacks small. To stay energised and satisfied, a healthy snack must contain a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Healthy Snack Ideas

If you want to incorporate snacks into your daily routine, try out some of these foods:

Daytime

• Smoothies
• Avocado slices with a slice of whole grain bread
• Carrot or cucumber sticks with groundnut spread
• Roasted ripe plantain with groundnuts
• Whole grain cookies
• Dark chocolate
• Hard-boiled eggs with pepper (kosua ne moko)
• Roasted corn and groundnuts (ebro ne nkatie)
• Nuts (roasted cashew nuts, groundnuts, almonds)
• Seeds (chia seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds)
• Tuna and whole-grain bread
• Greek or plain yoghurt
• Whole grain cookies
• Plantain or cassava chips with groundnuts

At Night

• Popcorn
• Greek or plain yoghurt
• Slices of fruits and Vegetables
• Smoothies

Try any of the smoothy combos below, put together by our Nutritional Specialist.

Here are 5 common fruits and their best flavour pairings. A simple guide for you when making a tasty but healthy jar of smoothie- we have a surprise for watermelon lovers at the end!  A simple guide for you when making a tasty but healthy jar of smoothie- we have a surprise for watermelon lovers at the end! 

1. Apple

Fruit: Beets, Cranberry, Mango, Lemon

Herb/Spice: Cinnamon, Ginger, Rosemary, Clove, Nutmeg, ginger

Nuts/Seeds: Walnut, Hazelnut, almonds,

Others: Millet, Oats Caramel, Honey, Vanilla

2. Banana

Fruit: Avocado, Berries, Carambola (Starfruit), Mango, Pawpaw.

Herb/Spice: Cinnamon, Ginger,

Nuts/Seeds: Groundnut, Cashew

Others: Caramel, Cocoa, Coffee, Honey, Yoghurt

3. Coconut

Fruit: Banana, Lemon, Guava, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Tomato, Soursop (Aluguntugui)

Herb/Spice: Allspice, Curry, Cumin, Ginger, Lemongrass, Turmeric

Nuts/Seeds: Almonds, Cashew, Brazil nuts.

Others: Caramel, Cocoa, Vanilla

4. Mango

Fruit: Apple, Banana, Berries, Lemon, Coconut, Melon, Pineapples, Tomatoes

Herb/Spice: Cinnamon, Ginger

Others: Caramel, Vanilla.

5. Orange

Fruit: Berries, Cranberry, Grape, Pineapple, carambola (Starfruit), Passionfruit

Herb/Spice: Basil, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemongrass, Mint, Nutmeg.

Nuts/Seeds: Almonds, Hazelnut.

Others: Vanilla.

Bonus! Watermelon

Fruits: Tomato, Coconut, cucumber, Berries, Pineapple, lemon, Orange

Herbs/Spices: Allspice, Bayleaf, Basil, Cilantro, Mint, Ginger

Nuts/seeds: Sesame seeds, Chia seeds

Others:  Yoghurt, Cheese

Get in touch with our nutritionist and let us help you improve your diet and reap the benefits of snacking now.

Contact Health Essentials Ghana on +233 (0) 20-195-5791 / +233 (0) 24-450-2785 today!

References:

hsph.harvard.edu

healthessentialsgh.com

Put together by

Maureen Masopeh and Augustina Amarh

Content Creators

Health Essentials Ltd