Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

  Time to time I will provide some quick and easy snack alternatives to have more varieties in your diet and at the same time having a healthy option to use, at the bottom of this post you will find more links with other snack ideas in case you are interested  Snack alternative: Rough Oatcakes  Nutrional Value per 1 Oatcake   Calories : around 50 depending on the brand Fat : around 2gr but saturated fat are less than 1gr Protein : 1.2 gr Carbohydrate : 5.8 gr Fibers : around 1gr Benefits: High in Fiber Easy to consume with a varieties of other ingredients  No artificial flavours or hydrogenated fats  Very low in sugar and fat Things to note: - Originally from Scotland, Since there are  many variations and brands it's a good idea to check the ingredients to make sure is 90% or over wholegrain - Extremely versatile you can find the right combination with the other ingredients you are using and choose a different texture: Rough  Fine Crunchy  -  Vitamins and Minerals are very low in t

I have discussed last month about  how hard it can be to find a good sugar free alternative   That can satisfy your taste without being too expansive  for products needed on a weekly or daily basis that  overall might be a huge cost at the end of the month. We also discussed last time about the sugar free sugar Maria biscuits from Gullón https://www.safdietitian.com/2020/01/sugar-free-biscuits.html So researching for more products of this brand I have noticed that can easily make life simple for all the reason quoted previously So let's have a look on some of these alternatives  and please feel free to comment with any other product that you found could be better Sugar free shortbread per 100 gr: Calories: 439  Fats: 18 gr Sugars: less than 0.5 gr  Fibre: 4 gr So as a portion of 2 or 3 biscuits per time, could almost no sugar and less than 100 calories To consider that the amount of fat could be higher so in that case the following product is

Aldo called "sea vegetables"    and is quite self explenatory They are basically algae of different colours from the sea They are nutritious and filling. As you can notice it is a very light snack So another good snack alternative to add in your variety Also easy to use in lot of recipes as ingredient, so really a flexible product. Here is the nutritional value for 100gr : Could change depending on the brand and on the variety of algae which are made of so always double check the label Calories: 50 kcal Carbs 10 gr Protein 2gr Fat 1 gr High in: Magnesium   Iodine  Folate FIber  WHERE TO FIND IT: You can find that in the main groceries and even easier in  ethnic Asian shops as well. BENEFITS: - The iodine can help to boost the metabolism thanks to a better functioning of your thyroid  - The high amount of fibres help to control hunger and keep satiety for longer - It helps with your gut health to promote the healthy bacteria -

One of the first snack alternative I usually discuss with patients is this one: The low sugar Jelly WHY? Suitable for vegetarian ,  which means is suitable for lot of different dietary choices that could be due to religion or ethic reasons, but I would recommend to always double check the label to confirm this. Flexible to mix with other products like yogurt or even ice cream , to still have something that you like but with a considerable reduced amount of sugars and calories Easy to transport as a snack when you are out to avoid a high in calories snacks from the shop  Doesn't require any preparation at all WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE: There are different brands let's see the differences: Hartley's 10 cal jelly: Calories: between 5 and 10 calories depending on the flavour Sugar: 0.1 gr Fat:  0.1 gr Protein: 0.1 gr Flavours:  - Lime - Mango - Orange - Blueberry - Cranberry - Raspberry - Strawberry - Waterm

Pudding could be a good snack alternative if we pay attention on the amount of calories sugars and fats that can change enourmously from one brand to another So here is a selection of which one to choose: Tesco low fat rice pudding per 100 gr: 76 calories   0.8  gr of fat 14.4  gr carbs (7 gr of sugars) Alpro smooth chocolate per 100 gr: 83 calories   1.9 gr of fat 13 gr carbs (10.5 gr of sugars) Muller light chocolate fix per 100 gr: 95  calories   2.7 gr of fat 15 gr carbs (9.6 gr of sugars) Muller low fat rice pudding per 100 gr: 101 calories   2.6 gr of fat 16.1 gr carbs (10 gr of sugars)

Sometimes Sugar free products can be very expansive or just not tasty. I came across this product which is easy to find in almost every grocery, even in Poundland and the taste is like the classic digestive but with an amount of sugar that is very low (less than half a gram for 100gr of product): Maria sugar free biscuits from Gullon per 100 gr: Calories: 412  I would recommend a portion of 50gr or less (3 or 4 biscuits) Fibre: 4.5 gr Protein: 7 gr  Fats: 11 gr Salt: 1gr The amount of fat could be high, but if combined with some low fat product like semi skimmed milk or light yogurt, it could balanced to obtain a low caloric intake overall, especially if you want to reduce your sugar intake.

What is and why Edamame ?  Is a soybean which means is suitable in vegan diet Naturally Gluten Free and Cholesterol free  Excellent source of protein Iron and Calcium considering is not an animal product  How? They are usually sold in their pods that are not meant to be eaten  The beans can be boiled, steamed or microwaved before eating them, so th ey could a very quick and easy snack alternatives Nutritional info for half cup (80gr): Calories: 90  Protein: 9 gr Carbs: 8 gr which more than half are Fibres (4gr)  Fat: 4 gr  Minerals: Magnesium, Iron and Calcium  Via Pixabay

Another quick and easy snack alternative could be crab sticks Per 100 gr of products: 95 calories, usually less than 20 calories per stick so a serving of 4 or 5  sticks is under 100 calories  Less than 1 gr of fat, depending on the brand but usually is always zero point something which is a very low amount  15 gr of Carbs, but less than half of this quantity is actually sugars so is relatively low in carbs too Things to consider: Could be high in Sodium so not recommended if you are trying to cut down on your salt intake. Again depends on the brand, so that's why is always important to check the label, to compare and choose the lowest in salt content  Important note:  This is just an alternative to use once in a while to have more varieties, certainly is not a nutritious food, so not to be used everyday

Managing comfort eating is never easy, especially at the very beginning.  But how to stop this vicious circle ? Usually f ood high in white simple sugar s   are a common choice to satisfy this craving. But the problem is that makes you crave even more sugars later on, because this ingredient is strongly addictive , and   your brain will always ask for more and more white sugar. To overcome this, having something similar in taste which is actually lower in simple sugars and higher in  fibre   will help you to  reduce  and stop the craving in the  long term , y ou will not even think about comfort eating.  Step by step guide: First of all avoiding temptations make things easier , not having high sugar and high calories products at home will help you to maintain your will power, so just try to avoid buying those products when doing groceries or if you are living with someone just have a talk with other members of your house to just hide in their own space any products that

It's always a good idea to make sure to try new things possibly every week to never get bored of the diet plan you are currently trying to maintain, sometimes varieties is the key for a long term success. So here some good alternatives to choose from:  Not very famous in the UK but commonly used in Italy, is actually really easy to find in any grocery.in the ham section To make it simple is like ham but made with beef. This alternative is recommended because: Is very low in fat. No carbs at all. A very good source of protein and iron   which can help you to make you feel fuller for longer Plus is quick to eat and doesn't require any sort of cooking or preparation For one serving around 30 gr: 0 gr of Carbs only 1 gr of Fat 9gr of Protein  Less than 70 calories (which come all from protein and none from carbs) This product can be used plain as a snack or even in your sandwich to make that a quick lunch alternative with some salad or veggies and spread

Icelandic style yogurt is famous because of:  - The high amount of protein  - The low amount of fat but this doesn't mean that is low in calories  - Also high in Calcium, Phosphorus and Vitamin B12 A portion of 150 gr (one third of the big 450gr pot)  Contains 95 kcal which are more than some other low fat yoghurt, so why is that? Simply because proteins contain calories too and having an excessive amount gives you too many calories exactly like carbs or fat. Discussed this I am not saying to avoid this yogurt. What I am saying is  that this alternative could be used as a replacement of one major meal like a quick Breakfast or Lunch but should not be used just as a snack because could be easily a high caloric snack especially after dinner We will discuss more yogurt alternatives in the next posts.

D iary products What kind of cheese and yogurt to choose,  by comparing different alternatives  Diary products are one of the most common ingredient is a lot of different products, so it's not easy to complete avoid them, so let's compare and discuss the best alternatives in this huge range of alternatives, starting from cheese. To all the cheese lovers is not easy to cut down on the fat intake without cutting down on cheese and sometimes low fat or light alternatives are not exactly the same in terms of taste plus another thing to consider is the amount of salt and cholesterol . Portions and frequency are important to achieve a balance with any kind of food but with the right choices,  we can stil l enjo y  one of the most delicious product. so let's find some good alternatives. Cheeses comparison QUARK : only 30 Kcal per 50 gr and almost fat and salt free (0.2-0.1 gr) usually you can get 250 gr for only 1.25£ MOZZARELLA : 1 Oz contains 85 Kcal even less if you c

The varieties of seeds we can find in the standard groceries are amazing but that means that we need to pay extra attention to check and choose the right one . Here is a list of the ones to prefer and why: - Flax seeds :  55 kcal per tablespoon  4gr of fat, and 3 gr of Fibers  High in Fiber and Omega 3 but low in calories  - Pumpkin seeds:   less than 100 kcal per tablespoon 2 gr of fat and 6 gr of Carbs but one-third of that are Fibers High in Zinc and more minerals that can help to maintain a regular bowel against constipation - Chia seeds: 60 kcal per tablespoon 3 gr of fat and 5 gr of Carbs  but almost all of them are fibres (4gr) High in Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin E Two more good reasons: Taste is good in many ways from a snack to a sprinkle on your main dish and they are very filling.  How much to eat? To make things easier, One full tablespoon (10 grams) should be enough but you can have this even tw

Belvita Breakfast :  49 kcal and 3gr of sugars per biscuit  I would recommend a packet of four biscuits as an alternative for breakfast or half a packet for two snacks during the day. You can find five packets per confection for £2  (sometimes with a discount up to £1)  so that would be five breakfasts or ten snacks. You can find different flavours like chocolate chips or  honey and oats  both of them good in taste but the major benefit are the  slow release carbs in these biscuits which give you energy for at least three or four  hours  which is enough to avoid snacking on something else and crave more food.  P lus the slow release carbs are helping to not increase your glycemic index too fast, giving you energy for longer. To not confuse it with any other product from Belvita that could be higher in sugar and calories, for example the Soft Bakes. Update on this products : I would recommend to always check the label and prefer to one that says "-30%