Healthy snacks are every tired mum’s best friend.
Whether you’re struggling with a new born and breastfeeding, trying to keep up with a toddler or wanting to shift that baby weight, they keep you going & stop you craving sugar.
And sugar is an exhausted mum’s worst enemy! It’s rubbish for milk supply, makes you hyper for a short while and then feel even more super shattered and cranky than you were previously.
The trick in looking for healthy snacks is to go for those which are low GI and which keep you feeling full for longer. Plus those which will help you top up essential nutrients that lots of mom are short on including iron, calcium and vitamins B and D.
So I’ve been stocking up on a good range of healthy snacks that I can grab quickly out of the cupboard and the fridge.
I’ve found I feel much better if I make sure I have a healthy snack mid morning and afternoon as this means I’m less likely to grab something sugary when I’m famished.
I’m also trying to make sure I pack myself a couple of snacks when we go out so I’m less tempted to grab a coffee to keep me going as this just creates the same high and low energy swings as sugar.
If you’re looking for some ideas to keep up your energy levels and to keep your weight under control, try any of these that you love from the list below …
Healthy Snacks for Tired Mums
- Tub of plain almonds
- Tub of walnuts
- Handful of sunflower seeds
- Home made trail mix full of nuts & seeds
- Dried apricots – they should be brown rather than bright orange which means they are full of colouring
- An avocado – drizzled in balsamic vinegar
- Tub of berries e.g. raspberries, blackberries
- An apple, pear or peach
- Half a grapefruit for a sit down snack
- A good handful of cherries
- 3 or 4 plums
- Fruit salad of strawberry, kiwi & grape (not as low GI as other fruit in list but still low)
- Oat cakes … I totally adore Nairns … failing all else, they are my go to snack
- Whole grain crackers
- Whole meal pitta breads
- Home made granola or cereal bars
- Yoghurt – full fat no sugar is better than low fat with sugar (if you’re in the UK the wonderful Yeo Valley do a low fat yoghurt with no sugar)
- Glass of low fat milk – great if struggling to with mummy insomnia
- Triple fruit smoothies – half low fat milk, half no sugar yoghurt plus 3 handfuls of fruit
- Green smoothies – make one whilst they’re asleep full of spinach, chard, broccoli etc
- Humous
- Guacamole
- Cottage cheese
- Vegetable strips cut up night before for dips
- Chia bread – the chia seed is super healthy
- Hard boiled eggs
- Carry a water bottle – very easy to mistake thirst for hunger …
- Roast vegetable crisps
- Edamame beans – edamame beans freeze well & can eat raw, they are full of protein & fibre and you can also get them in snack form
- Porridge … if you really haven’t time for a meal grab a quick bowel of porridge
- Good quality lean red meat e.g. cold beef slices – iron stops you feeling exhausted
- A tiny amount of very good dark chocolate – whenever possible I buy Fair Trade chocolate so that the producers earn enough to support their families themselves and grow their communities … I adore Green & Black …
