Can you imagine if you had superpowers? I can. That's because I eat superfoods that deliver megawatt nutrition in bite-sized amounts. While I exaggerate here a little about the superpowers, I'm not leading you on about the amazing health benefits of making sure your snacks are packed with nutrition and are satisfying to your taste buds.
The health benefits of snacking are many, but here's why you need to ensure you eat the right kinds of snacks:
Promotes blood sugar balance: If you go too long without eating, your blood sugar can dip too low and you'll experience dizziness, sugar or refined carb cravings, mood swings, low energy and headaches. Eating healthy snacks keeps your blood sugar stable.
Keeps your metabolism fired: Similar to blood sugar balance, if you wait longer than three to four hours to eat, your metabolism may slow down to conserve energy. That means you won't be burning calories as efficiently as if you were fueling them.
Keeps cravings at bay: For both the reasons above, when you power snack it keeps your cravings for salty or sweet snacks in check.
Keeps your waistline trim: Snacking on the right foods at the right time prevents you from gorging on donuts, cookies and candies -- something that will keep your waist trim.
Health benefits of goji berries:
- Also known as wolfberries, goji berries pretty much define the superfood category. You may not find them in a regular store, but they can be found in health food sections or Asian markets in dried form. They look like small dried raisins and are just as sweet.
- Antioxidants: Move over carrots and squash -- goji berries contain a significant amount of carotenoids and phytonutrients, which have been shown to increase lifespan. There are five different carotenoids, including beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein (the latter two carotenoid antioxidants are critical for eyesight and prevent macular degeneration), lycopene (prevents prostate cancer) and cryptoxanthin.
- Complete vegetarian protein. Goji berries contain all eight essential amino acids to make a complete protein.
- Nutrient-dense. Goji berries contain calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and selenium. They're most notably touted for their extremely high levels of vitamin C (three to five times higher than one orange).
Goji Cacao Snack Recipe
1/2 cup organic greek yogurt
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp handful of goji berries
1 tbsp handful of raw cacao nibs
Dollop of raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix together in a bowl and enjoy as a healthy snack or dessert.
Joy McCarthy, registered holistic nutritionist and health coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well and live well. She also teaches an array of wellness workshops and co-creator of Eat Well Feel Well, a six-week nutrition and yoga course in Toronto. Joy welcomes your questions or comments.
Please note: All of these recipes are created in my joyous kitchen with the healthiest ingredients. I'm not a calorie counter or a professional chef -- I'm a nutritionist who loves to cook and bake, and I'm delighted to share my creations with you.
WATCH: Dr. Jonny Bowden Talks About 7 Superfoods That Can Change Your Life