Snacking might sound as if it’s something that should be avoided in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Actually healthy snacking is an important element to maintaining or losing weight, and living a more active life.

By snacking healthily it allows the body to get a continual source of energy that keeps the body going throughout the day.

Snacking also prevents the body from going into “starvation” mode and cause over eating at meals or eating unhealthy foods.

With the economy the way it is, everyone is looking for a chance to save money when they can. Just going down the grocery aisles it can appear that the healthiest foods are all marked up higher then the other less healthy foods.  This is where healthy snacking on a budget comes in. Many of the healthy snacks are marked up because they are marketed as “healthy”.

Is there any way to avoid the marked up food?

The answer is yes.
There are many ways to snack on a budget that is both healthy and cost effective.

• Buy fruits and veggies on sale. Many of the same fruits and vegetables that come pre-packaged can be brought at a cheaper price through the produce department. This will save a bit of money and get those healthy snacks. All that needs to be done is cutting up the fruits and veggies like they would appear in the packages. Some stores even offer this type of service for free or at a small cost, either way the savings are amazing. If you aren’t into eating raw vegetables, try them sauteed or with a low fat dipping such as ranch or Italian dressing, this gives it a flavor without putting the snack in the non-healthy category.
• Create your own 100 calories bags. Container and plastic bag manufacturers have jumped on the 100 calorie snack bandwagon. There are many small containers that when filled with cereal, cookies, or other foods equals 100 calorie foods. The pre-packaged 100 calorie foods can be costly. This cuts down on costs and allows you to pick what you want as a 100 calorie snack. Always pay attention to labels as some of the snacks you pick might be over 100. Besides calorie intake these packages help in making sure that there is no over-snacking.
• Create your own granola. Granola is another very healthy and travel efficient snack. Just like the above examples the granola in the store can be expensive. There are many great recipes online for creating trail mixes and granola snack packs. These can be customized with nuts, almonds, craisins, raisins and other types of snacks of your choosing. Creating your own granola does require that every item be purchased individually but get a lot more for for your dollar.

There are many healthy snacks that are budget friendly. Many of the snacks can be created to fit the types of food you like and enjoy the best. The best thing about creating your own snacks is that you have control over what’s in it and you can customize it to your taste.

Enjoy mixing and matching many of the different options available for snacking!

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