By Dr. Joseph Mercola | mercola.com
Americans love to snack.
Study Finds reported that Moonstruck Chocolate conducted a survey of 2,000 Americans and estimated that their lifetime cost of snacks alone was an average of nearly $30,000. That cost is based on an average weekly snack cost of $9.22.
Of those surveyed, 37% said they preferred a sweet snack, 34% prefer a salty snack and the rest could go either way. However, the majority of both the sweet and salty groups listed potato chips as a favorite snack, while 83% of sweet snackers listed milk chocolate as their go-to-snack.
Even when people are consuming what they consider a healthy snack, many times, they are misinformed.
For instance, the protein or snack bars you use to stave off hunger in the midafternoon often contain more protein than you need and more sugar than a doughnut!
Sure, your body needs protein to build lean muscle mass, but did you know that most Americans eat at least double the recommended daily allowance for protein without the additional protein from a processed protein bar?
Gardening can provide you with many healthy snacks and you don’t have to have a large yard to plant vegetables or grow berries or even have a couple of dwarf fruit trees. Many veggies and herbs can be grown in containers, so you don’t need a large plot of land.
A double bonus of growing your own produce is that gardening counts as moderate- to high-intensity exercise for both children and adults, with activities such as digging being classified as high-intensity.
Getting your children involved can introduce them to a healthy lifestyle at a young age that will continue into adulthood.
Overweight children who took part in a program called The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (FVRx) received prescriptions to eat more vegetables and fruits, and the success of the program was phenomenal.
Ninety-seven percent of children reported eating more fruits and vegetables, as did 96% of their families. In addition, 40% of the children in the program lost weight after just four months.
In addition to improved health, exercise, weight loss, and better nutrition, gardening also provides stress relief, decreases depression and improves brain health.
Adopting a ketogenic diet and method of snacking will vastly improve your health and is as easy as eating foods that are high in healthy fats, moderate in proteins and low in net carbs. Here are 10 great keto-friendly snacks to munch on instead of junk food:
- Fresh, organic veggies — cooked, raw or fermented
- Avocados
- Dark Chocolate
- Organic, pastured eggs or meat
- Fatty fish such as salmon, anchovies, and sardines
- Raw nuts and seeds (macadamia nuts, pecans, and chia or pumpkin seeds)
- Bone broth
- Dehydrated veggie chips you make at home
- Yogurt, kefir or cheese made from raw organic grass-fed milk
- Fruits in moderation, such as strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes
