Staying indoors during the pandemic does not make you 100% safe. Whether you are in self-quarantine or home-quarantine, you are not safe… At least, not from the healthy quarantine snacks you plan to eat. Or don’t intend to, but we know you are still going to eat them.
Studies show that staying at home more leads us to seek comfort in food. We mostly stress and get anxious about our health during this time, which is not good when combined with unlimited kitchen access.
Although we do not discourage you from snacking, we do recommend eating a healthy snack. We all know that eating healthy is a way to boost our immune system, which we can benefit from during this time.
Here are the best quarantine snacks to help you stay healthy during home or self-quarantine.
7 Quarantine Snacks For Healthy Living
1. Celery and Peanut Butter
Nutritious and easy to make, this snack is a healthy combination of celery and peanut butter. Just dab the peanut butter onto a stalk of celery, and add a few dried berries or raisins on top. Boom! You have yourself a healthy snack for quarantine.
In pre-school, they call this snack “ants on a log.” Enjoying the fiber and protein in this snack is a great way to stay full all afternoon.
2. Avocado toast
Avocado, as a stand-alone fruit, is high in nutrients. Popular among the health-conscious, avocados have good flavor and rich texture.
This superfruit on toast has loads of Potassium, heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, and fiber. They help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
You can choose to dress up this savory snack with any topping you prefer or keep it simple, yet delicious. All you should do is smash a ripe avocado fruit, and spread over your toasted bread. Hence, the name avocado toast.
3. Fresh fruit
We all have days when we pine for some sugar. Swapping your refined sugar snacks to fresh fruits is one healthier choice to indulge. Fruits are well-off in fiber and Potassium, which are vital for your body’s health and maintenance.
Plus, you have a variety of fruits to snack on. Apple slices with all-natural nut butter, grapes, berries, and bananas are just a few of the many fruits on the list. They are sweet and healthy, and you can eat them in the right amounts as often as you want—no need to be guilty of the sugar in them.
4. Cucumber cups
Cucumber cups make for one of the refreshing recipes available. Easy to make and delicious, this snack can please the need for a quick bite or an elegant appetizer.
You can complement any ingredient you want to fill the cups. Tuna, bacon, hummus, tomato, feta cheese, or blue cheese, the filling is your choice. If it isn’t your cup of tea, it may be your cup of cucumber.
5. Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding ( with Chia Seeds
The chocolate pudding with chia seeds is one of the no-cook recipes you can enjoy this quarantine. This dessert recipe is also good to indulge as a snack. What you have to do is healthy and easy to make. Just whip up the pudding from cocoa powder, chia seeds, and pitted dates.
You can also try to experiment with other toppings for your pudding if you want. Chocolate chips may be a good start.
6. Banana Ice-Cream
With the heat rising, ice cream will be your best friend when it comes to snack ideas. This works best if you’ve got a blender, ripe frozen bananas, and non-dairy milk or even water.
You can enjoy a cold healthy ice cream while saving yourself a trip from the grocery stores. You can even sprinkle or top the ice cream with chocolate chips, peanut butter, or fresh fruit for full flavor.
7. Homemade Potato Chips
When stuck inside the house, our go-to fun time is watching some movies. What another way to watch them better than enjoying it with chips on the side?
As a health-conscious person, I like to enjoy my films with homemade potato chips. Baked healthy and delicious, these chips are so easy to make.
If you want more flavor like how you want more crisp, you can enjoy them with a homemade dip. Movies and snacks have never been better.
Quarantine Snacks: Health Tip
With every food and snack decision we make, a healthier option should be the way to go. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises limiting total fat intake to less than 30% of total energy intake.
In a nutshell, we should choose healthier options when shopping for kitchen recipes. A way to achieve this is by choosing less or no-fat cooking methods.
For instance, you should steam, grill, or saute your food or snacks instead of frying. If you need to fry, opt for unsaturated oils like rapeseed, sunflower, or olive oil. Reducing the intake of red and fatty meats, butter, and full-fat dairy products is also a healthier way to go.
It always helps to read the nutrition labels of the snacks you plan to buy and the recipes you want to cook to ensure a healthier option. If in doubt, ingredients that are minimally processed are your better choices.
Snack Summary
Staying most of your time indoors may limit our choices for a healthy lifestyle. But it sure can never force us to lead a sedentary life that will put us out of shape.
During the pandemic, it is important to fill our body with nutritious and beneficial food. This way, we can boost our body’s defense against the virus and other diseases. These choices will allow you to enjoy your time in your house, healthily and deliciously.