I saw my doctor recently and while talking about what a lazy fat-ass I am, he mentioned something about replacing the crap I usually snack on with healthier snacks like seasoned air-fried cauliflower or something like that. So what are your favorite healthy-ish snacks that can be made relatively quickly when I feel like shoving food in my face for no reason other than boredom and force of habit?

  • HakunaHafada@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 hour ago

    Hummus. There is some degree of effort involved, where you have to put 5 or so ingredients in a blender and blend them. Use crackers, pita, tortilla, veggies, etc. to deliver hummus to your mouth.

    • treadful@lemmy.zip
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      10 minutes ago

      That’s a pretty calorie dense snack, though. After a couple of bites you’re basically having a meal.

  • TheoWasHere@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    Apples can work real wonders. But if you are more into a crisps/popcorn type of mood (something small to eat over the duration of a movie), grapes are a good alternative.

  • Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    Im right here with you, I’ve recently been replacing all the candy snacks I have with various rustic snacks. I’ll have like, 6 cheese curds and salami slices, 3 dates instead of my peanut butter cups, I 've been really into Japanese style peanuts, peacans just on their own.

    When it comes to quick and not unhealthy meals, I found out I can make cheese rice in my rice cooker. Follow the usual rice cooker instructions, just add a cup of shredded cheddar, a tbsp of butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and if you want it extra rich replace 1/3 of the water with milk.

    If you’re air frying any veg, I highly suggest mixing your seasoning in a little oil and vinegar, then tossing the veg in it. That half assed vinegarette feels really fancy and if helps get an even coating of seasoning. Balsamic brings sweetness, all the others bring sour. You can even make it in bulk, put it in the fridge, and if keeps basically forever.

    If you do ramen a lot, toss some frozen veg mix in with it while it’s boiling, then replace half the packet with a splash of soy sauce, and some garlic. It’s less and somehow so much more.

    Recently I’ve gotten into “soy meat” it’s dried, crumbled, tofu that’s a really popular meat substitute in Mexico. Pound of beef equivalent for 97¢ at the local Hispanic grocery. Since it’s dried and functionally flavorless, you can mix you up a slurry of spices and the stuff will sponge it all up. Toss it in a pan and it comes out the exact same texture as ground beef, but you can make it taste like everything from plain beef to Italian sausage, maple cured bacon, even smoked pepperoni. I’ve taken to adding it to chilli, sloppy joes, pasta, not only because it halves the cost of meat, but because it can add such an amazing depth of flavor and it seems to naturally correct acidity.

    Hope some of this helps. I personally fell for the idea that eating right had to be miserable for so long and now it’s like, why is this not the standard? This is so fucking good!

  • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 hours ago

    I’ve been dabbing into intermittent fasting for the last couple months.

    It’s not really a snack, but my doctor recommended that before I break my fast, to drink warm lemon water. So I do,

    I run my tap until it’s hot as it gets, and squeeze half a lemon of juice in a cup, and fill it with that warm water. The first one was rough, I didn’t like it. But after a short time, I really like them now and just drink one or two, or sometimes three times a day. The warm water helps my tummy feel full and the lemon nearly tastes sweet at this point. My doctor said it makes thw fat cells “move”. So move it!

    For meals,I stopped buying butter, and cook everything from scratch. Sometimes I’ll just roast a sweet potato or squash and eat that. Roasted veggies are under rated. The take like 20-45 mins depending, but I like I can do it in the air fryer or toaster oven. Olive oil and spices its a win.

    Years ago, I lost 100 pounds in a year. I ate, whole prepared foods, but didn’t really cut anything out. I used a smaller plate. I just ate less. I still would have bread and butter, just less. And, it still worked for me. Take whole or real food meals you like, and just have a smaller plate. This is easier if you use an actual, small plate.

    I also made everything spicy as hell, by the end of the year I was chopping raw habeneros and putting them on like, a ham sandwhich. I don’t eat deli meats anymore, but making any food spicy will intuitively help you to slow down. Eating slower makes a huge difference. I also often would eat meals with chopsticks, that will also slow your eating habits.

    Edit, to add, homemade popcorn in avocado oil, with a little salt, black pepper, nooch and cayenne pepper is amazing. You can eat a whole bowl and its only like 300 calories. I make mine on the stove in a dutch oven, but you can put a 1/4 cup of kernals in a lunch sack paper bag, fold it up and microwave it too! Its guilt free snacking.

  • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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    9 hours ago

    It’s also important to change how you eat.

    Do you tear open a box/bag of something and gun it down in front of a screen?

    Try making yourself actual meals. Use napkins and silverware and non-paper plates. Make a protein, a carb, and some greens. Sit at the dinner table, not in front of the TV.

    Even if it’s just a snack you can present it nicely. Cut the apple up and lay it out with bits of cheese.

    Make the meal seem special.

      • cRazi_man@europe.pub
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        5 hours ago

        This works for peas and you don’t need a recipe. Put boiled peas in an air-fryer to crisp them up a bit. Then sprinkle on whatever spices you like. Can add lemon, or sauces or whatever you like. Experiment as you like. Just be careful not to make it unhealthy by drowning it in sauce.

        You could do the same with cutting aubergine into thin slices and making them crisp in an airfryer or oven and making “chips” out of them.

        • KristellA
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          6 hours ago

          I’d imagine some of the popcorn seasonings you can get would work well, too… Might try making them at home, I’ve gotten a bag of them pre-made before and liked them. Don’t have an air fryer, but I’d imagine a toaster oven would probably work well

    • bacon_saber@fedia.io
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      10 hours ago

      Bats eat those? As for healthy, probably depends mainly on how much salt they end up containing

      • TabbsTheBat (they/them)@pawb.social
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        10 hours ago

        Salt content can always be adjusted if you’re making it yourself :3

        (And as far as im aware bats don’t generally eat chickpeas :3… most are insectivores, or frugivores (some vampire bats too) lol. For someone with a bat fursona I should really know more bat facts tho)

  • quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    10 hours ago

    Mandarins

    They are easy to peel and unlike banana peels, its peels are relatively dry and smell nice, you can keep them comfortably in your pocket until you find a trash bin.

    Many people is mentioning nuts. Yes, they are healthy but they are very calorie dense.

  • Mothra@mander.xyz
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    7 hours ago

    Fruit, I guess that’s my favorite healthy snacks.

    In winter, bananas. In summer, watermelon. If I’m craving something sorbet like I snack on frozen berries.

    Nuts are also another good one but they’re not low calorie.

  • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe
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    7 hours ago

    “Healthy snacks” are an edge concern - I snack on whatever the fuck I want, because that’s not the prime driver.

    Every meal is the prime mover. Balance that for you, and you’ll be closer to where you want to be, and less interested in bad snacks.

    When I’m eating right I’m not interested in the bad-for-me stuff nearly as much.

    • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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      7 hours ago

      Many fruit contain a lot of sugar and not all of them have such a strong laxative effect as apples. It’s harder to overeat on them than with cheese or bags of chips and they certainly contain a lot of healthy stuff like vitamins and fiber that many people are a bit short on, but it doesn’t take that much additional sugar in your diet to become overweight. It’s especially dangerous when you start processing them, e.g. smoothies or juices.

      • starlinguk@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        Fruit is the healthiest snack you can eat. The sugar thing is bullshit unless you eat a pound of grapes every day.

      • baggachipz@sh.itjust.works
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        6 hours ago

        OP is asking about snacks. Eating a banana or pear or whatever as a snack will not cause the issues you warn against. Fruit is filling and contains moisture in addition to fiber. Should a person eat nothing but fruit? No. But for snacking? Hell yes.