snack on this

For many people making the switch to a wholefoods way of eating giving up highly processed snacks leaves them wondering if not biscuits and chips then what? Or perhaps you are bit further along in your wholefood ways and are tiring of hoummus and carrot sticks so today I thought I'd make it easy for you and give you 20 snack suggestions that will hopefully inspire you to snack well. On that note, 'snacking well' refers to morning and/or afternoon tea taking into account how active you and your family have been and whether you are actually hungry. Endless, mindless snacking means meals are often not eaten with gusto and you are in a constant state of being full rather than being in touch with hunger.

I think one of the first steps in changing the foods you eat is to shift your thinking to 'how is this nourishing me/my family?' compared to just filling tummies. The new aim is for the food you eat to be nutrient dense. And for the eating to be mindful.

Even when choosing a snack, consider the season. Here in Oz we are edging towards winter so fruits and raw foods are not the best choices as they are cooling to the body and require strong digestion. Cooked and warmer foods are better options in the cooler months. Todays list is a mix to give you ideas, take into account the season you are in and go from there.

And for any readers thinking my children will never eat that! Involve your children in the preparation and remember to be patient. Change takes time, you may have to present and re-present the same food and then one day your child will surprise you and enjoy eating it.

1. a bowl of homemade soup or miso
2. almond spread on corn thins, rice cakes or a slice of good bread toasted
3. mashed avocado on corn thins, rice cakes or a slice of good bread toasted with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of grated carrot or alfalfa sprout.
4. buckwheat pancakes or pikelets with cinnamon and natural yoghurt
5. a small handful of trail mix - nuts, seeds, dried fruits
6. a hard boiled egg
7. seaweed sheets cut into strips (best for children 5 and over as they are a choking hazard if not chewed well)
8. homemade sushi
9. homemade rice paper rolls
10. air popped popcorn
11. homemade dips and a colourful array of veggie sticks
12. fruit smoothie
13. fruit lassi
14. seasonal fruit stewed with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and or cloves served warm with a dollop of natural yoghurt
15. natural yoghurt with a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and a sprinkling of seeds
16. caffeine free chai
17. fresh fruit (the laws of food combining recommend it is best to eat fruit on its own. so if you choose fruit as your snack don't then eat a slice of toast after it)
18. fresh dates
19. homemade cake, biscuit, rice pudding - if it is homemade you can control the sugar content and the quality of ingredients
20. antipasto - cheese, olives, roasted vegetables, good bread - (skip the traditional processed meats)

I'd love to hear your snack suggestions - so would my family!

While I'm here, I'd also like to share that the very lovely Zoe Saint-Paul who writes the Slow Mama blog interviewed me for her Living Slow series you can read it here.

Thanks for visiting.