A Surprising Fact about How to Form New Habits

 

How many times have you heard that it takes just a few weeks to develop a new habit? The truth is a bit more complicated than that, but there are scientific ways to help you lock in the changes you want to make.

 

The myth about behavior becoming automatic in 21 days started when journalists misinterpreted a popular self-help book on Psycho Cybernetics back in the 1960’s. After all, you can probably eat more vegetables starting today, but complex tasks like playing the violin are going to take more than a month to gel.

 

On the other hand, now is an ideal time to begin forming constructive habits that will enhance your happiness and wellbeing. Take a look at these strategies for learning new behaviors.

 

Basic Strategies for Habit Formation

 

Try these tips for easing into your new routines as quickly as possible:

 

1.     Plan ahead. Eliminate excuses by plotting out your course in advance. If you want to wake up an hour earlier, go to bed on time, and dream about the invigorating yoga class and delicious breakfast that awaits you in the morning.

 

2.     Be consistent. Regularity reinforces itself. Pretty soon it will be easier to go to the gym after work rather than changing your mind, even if it’s raining or your colleagues are heading out for beer and pizza.

 

3.     Spot triggers. Kicking a habit requires you to notice what happens right before you bite your nails or buy another pair of shoes. Are you bored at work or arguing with your spouse?

 

4.     Develop substitutions. Once you know your cues, you can choose a different response. Take a walk or invite a friend out for coffee.

 

5.     Review your reasons. Go over the reasons why you want to adopt your new behavior. Remind yourself about how drinking water instead of soda will help you slim down, strengthen your bones, and save money.

 

6.     Personalize your goals. While you’re contemplating your reasons, visualize your future self. Focus on what you have to gain instead of just pleasing others.

 

Advanced Strategies for Habit Formation

 

What if you’re tackling something as ambitious as managing diabetes or transforming your dead-end dating history?

 

These ideas will give you an extra boost:

 

1.     Practice compassion. You’re bound to slip up occasionally. Forgive yourself, and move forward.

 

2.     Team up. Enlist a friend so you can exchange support and encouragement. Eat lunch with a colleague who is trying to lose weight too.

 

3.     Write it down. Raise your awareness by keeping a journal about your campaign to stop swearing or start flossing. Note what happens on the days you stick to your program compared to the days when you drift back into old patterns.

 

4.     Remove temptations. Eliminate the triggers that distract you from your objectives. Clear the junk food out of your kitchen or the cigarettes out of your car.

 

5.     Design obstacles. Make it difficult to give in to your old tendencies. Leave your credit cards at home to prevent impulsive shopping sprees.

 

6.     Go on vacation. Leave home for a while. Vacations are an ideal time to forge new habits because you can make a fresh start in different surroundings. Sit down to meditate each morning instead of becoming caught up in searching for lost socks or checking your email.

 

Make daily exercise and parallel parking so easy you won’t even have to think about them. Positive habits make advantageous choices automatic so you’ll stick with them. You’ll also have more energy to devote to other challenges.

 

Put a Damper on Emotional Eating

 

If you’re an emotional eater, you’re not alone. Food is the most common means of dealing with negative feelings. While the occasional bowl of ice cream won’t cause any harm, many people take it too far. Unhealthy foods can cause a myriad of health issues when consumed in large quantities.

 

Negative eating also takes a toll on your self-esteem. Feeling out of control isn’t empowering. You can regain that sense of control by eliminating emotional eating from your life.

 

Understand the factors that control emotional eating:

 

1. Develop pleasures other than food. Emotional eating is challenging to give up because it’s so pleasurable. Food can make us feel much better, at least in the short-term. Scientists consider food as addicting as narcotics.

•       The most effective way to give up a pleasurable habit is to find a substitute. You can find another way to soothe yourself without eating. You might listen to music, exercise, get a massage, take a bubble bath, or chat with a friend

2. Slow down. If you have to eat, slow down. Focus on the feeling and taste of each bite. You’ll eat less and feel better about yourself afterwards.

3. Learn your trigger points. It might be coming home after a long, hard day. Or maybe you turn to food when you’re bored or lonely. Recognize the situations that bring food into the picture. Develop a strategy for staying ahead of your urges. Carry healthy snacks so you’re always prepared.

4. Learn to accept feeling uncomfortable. Rather than trying to make yourself feel better, just sit with your discomfort and examine it. What does it feel like? Where is it located? If you can look at it dispassionately, it will begin to wane.

•       Keep in mind that emotions are just a collection of chemicals that result in physical sensations. We then label a particular set of body sensations as anxiety, fear, loneliness, and so on. Your emotions are just physical sensations. You don’t have to do anything about them.

5. Be more aware. Sometimes we plop down in front of the television and devour a bag of chips before we even realize what’s going on. If you’re going to eat, then do nothing but eat. Be mindful while you’re eating and you’ll eat less. You’ll also be more aware of the quality of the food you’re consuming.

•       Ask yourself, “Why am I eating this? Am I hungry?”

6. Love your body. If you dislike your body, you’re more likely to mistreat it by overeating. It’s almost impossible to make changes that affect your body in a positive way if you hate your body in the first place.

 

•       Think of all the unique and amazing things your body can do. Find a way to love your amazing body.

 

7. Fill up on healthy food. If you eat a healthy diet, it’s difficult to eat enough to gain weight. Keep yourself comfortably full with healthy foods. If your stomach is full, eating is a less appetizing idea.

8. Get sufficient sleep. When we get tired, our mood suffers. Eating is also a response to a lack of energy. Get enough sleep so you’re not tired. Willpower also suffers when we feel fatigued. Go to bed earlier.

 

Eating is an effective, but unhealthy, way to make ourselves feel better in the moment. Stopping the cycle of emotional eating requires finding another way to deal with discomfort. Emotional eating is a learned behavior. You can learn to deal with life differently. Love yourself and make a commitment to gain control of your behavior.

6 Important Steps to Better Mental Health

 

Unlike physical health issues, which are often obvious and have readily identifiable symptoms or pain sensations, mental and emotional well-being can be trickier. Now more than ever, we should be paying attention to mental and emotional health and how we process feelings. The rise of mental illness in the US, especially among teens and young adults, is alarming. Depression and suicide rates are not only the highest in the past 30 years but of all time, and suicide attempts are starting younger and younger. In light of August being Mental Awareness Month, let’s look at ways to best address mental health together.

 

The Difference Between Physical and Emotional Health

 

Age-related physical health issues like muscle pain, joint pain and limited motion, or disability, usually don’t hit most people until middle age or older. It’s fairly uncommon for teens and people in their 20s and 30s to have chronic aches and pains unless they experience some sort of injury.

 

Emotional issues, however, seem to manifest most often when kids reach adolescence, although research is showing they could start at much earlier ages as a result of traumas. For example, sexual molestation, physical abuse, an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional parent, or even a parent who fails to empower, validate, or show affection to a child, can all lead to emotional traumas with lasting effects.

 

What Happens When Emotional Issues Mount

These emotional issues can easily get stuffed down where they fester and smolder for years. They can affect your decisions in life and can make you careless and reckless or lead to isolation, depression, drug use, alcohol use, job loss, or abuse of your friends and relationships. They attract people into your life who will press your emotional buttons in a bad way – and these relationships can become very tumultuous and damaging, affecting the rest of your future.

 

As pressure from these various events and stressors build, it can begin to feel that life is falling apart. Often it takes an intervention or extensive counseling to help a person suffering in such a way to regain strength, and deal with the ways all those incidents negatively impacted them. This can involve a painful but beneficial process of rebuilding, discarding old and harmful beliefs and presuppositions, and forgiving others who have contributed to the suffering, intentionally or not.

 

What You Can Do to Be More Emotionally Sound

 

So what can you do now? There’s no quick cure for serious trauma, of course. But there are five things that mental health practitioners have suggested that you can do right now to help you stay more mentally healthy:

 

1.     Get in Touch with Your Emotions

Sounds cliche, but it’s true. Whenever someone calls you a “crybaby”, a “whiner” or a “drama queen”, or tells you to “be strong, don’t let this get you down” or perhaps “what happened to you isn’t a big deal, get over it”, do NOT take this advice. Sometimes your friends and loved ones are genuinely trying to help you but lack understanding, and other times they are asking you to do what will make them feel the most comfortable. Either way, an injury does not heal if it’s untreated, and emotional or psychological injuries are just as real as physical ones. What you need most is someone who can actually listen to you explain how you feel and take you seriously. If you ignore big emotions, you may end up stuffing true feelings where they can never be honestly dealt with. And stuffed emotions may point to an ongoing of physical and emotional pain or illness overtime, or behaviors that you don’t realize are negatively impacted.

 

Learn how to express your emotions positively. There are counselors and classes you can find online that are very effective. Perhaps the classes may be in the form of a transformation or even an anger management classes - how to be assertive, how to deal with your emotions, or even how to deal with difficult people. Don’t let a negative stigma associated with “counseling” prevent you from attending to your emotional health. Whether through groups, classes, or counseling, it’s important to learn healthy ways to manage your emotions. Especially since this topic is not one taught in typical schools or even in many home situations. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can raise your emotional intelligence once you’re empowered with knowledge, and how doing so can change your life positively.

 

2.     Improve Your Diet

What you eat is affecting you every minute of the day. It affects how you perceive situations and react to them. For example, if your blood sugar level is low because you eat sugar or processed foods you will tend to overreact to situations and have more drastic emotional swings. This behavior can lead to further issues as your relationships with others become fraught.

If you’re looking for a diet that may contribute to mental and emotional stability, look for one that is:

• low in chemicals, preservatives, and pesticides (toxins), including high fructose corn syrup found in many beverages
• low or absent in sugars except from low glycemic index fruit
• normal to higher in protein
• normal or higher in fat
• a little low on calories, but not too strict
• low in overall carbohydrates
• high in fiber
• low in foods like wheat and other grains that are high on the glycemic index scale
• low in processed foods and beverages like soda
• not excessive in caffeine intake
• uses grass-fed meats and wild fish rather than commercially produced meats
• high in vegetables and fruits, moderate in nuts and seeds

This type of diet isn’t one you can easily change overnight but the more of these rules of thumb you start to incorporate over time, the greater the emotional stability you will see in your own life. Your relationships with friends and loved ones may improve as well.

3.     Give cbdMD a Try

To best set your mental health on the right track, one must ensure your sleep hygiene is also dialed in, meaning you must not skimp on quality 7.5-9 hours of rest each night. The innumerable amount of people who are turning to the therapeutic aspects of cannabidiol (CBD) compounds typically extracted from hemp and infused into gummies, lotions, tinctures and other products are finding their ability to sleep much better. People report experiencing less stress and anxiousness overall. A high-quality company such as cbdMD does not take any shortcuts in growing, harvesting and formulating their CBD products. Their satisfied, worldwide customer base reports cbdMD products continue to help regulate the body under high stress circumstances, in which their products helps the user experience a sweet sense of calm and focus, and may be one of the most important daily steps in improving anyone’s quality of life.

4.     Exercise Regularly

Exercise resets your body’s ability to deal with stress. It can really be any type of exercise – bicycling, walking, powerlifting, working out with weights, or swimming – all of these have great benefits!   Exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood and overall sense of wellbeing. Some routines, like yoga, incorporate activities like stretching and conscious breathing that can help you relax and calm your mind.

 

5.     3 Deep, Diaphragmatic Breaths  

 

Sometimes going from reaction, agitation and anger to a calmer state is as easy as taking 3 deep, diaphragmatic breaths. When a slow, methodical and intentional breath is taken in through the nose and fills up the lungs, the central nervous system of the body is able to be calmer. Most people hold their breaths or take shallow ones when in the face of fear, stress or uncertainty. 3 deep, diaphragmatic breaths allows your lungs to expand to its fullest and promotes relaxation, as this practice best allows your organs and tissues to fully become oxygenated and disarming the negative effects of the parasympathetic “fight or flight” responses of the body.  

 

 

6. Get Enough Vitamin D

 

It’s said that 6-12 oysters a day keeps depression away. This must be because oysters have a ton of vitamin D and zinc. It’s true that vitamin D is one of the best serotonin boosters, the feel-good hormone that is imperative to lifting mood. Vitamin D is also great for immune boosting and supporting long-term mood stabilizing health. To ensure you are getting your rightful amount of vitamin D, take a high quality supplement, get some natural sunshine on your body daily and eat foods high in vitamin D, such as mushrooms, sardines and, yes, oysters!

 

Remember that your emotional health and mental health is something every bit as important as your physical health, and very often the two are connected. Being mindfully aware of what it is you need, practicing daily self-care, asking for help when you need it, taking time to pause and take a break before the burnout, and doing something that brings you joy each day. . . are some of the most important self-care tactics you can do in life for success in your relationships, jobs and in the way you view yourself.

How Meditation Can Improve Your Health

 

The most common image of meditation is one of a monk in a religious experience. However, meditation is actually a practice that anyone can do to improve mind function and overall health.

 

Meditation has been proven to reduce stress levels and it can even help with conditions such as high blood pressure. Once you've become more calm and peaceful through meditation, your life will open up to more opportunities and you'll find it easier to make healthy choices.

What Exactly Is Meditation?

 

Meditation is a way of clearing the mind. Once you've gotten into a habit of meditating often, you'll discover that it's easier than you think.

 

Some people sit in a cross-legged position when they meditate, but this isn't mandatory. Another sitting position might be more comfortable for you, but the key is to maintain a good posture. If you slouch, you're more likely to get tired and feel like falling asleep.

 

To get started, find a quiet place and get comfortable. Then start taking deep breaths in and out. Pay attention to your breath. You might find it helpful to say a "mantra" to yourself as you breathe in and out. Your goal is to keep your mind clear of thoughts.

 

Thoughts are inevitable though. The best way to eliminate them is to recognize that you've had a thought and then focus on your breathing and clearing your mind again. This will get easier with frequent practice.

 

Stress Free

 

When you focus on breathing and clearing your mind, you're actually centered on the present moment. On the other hand, stress arises when you think about something in the past or future.

 

Since you have little stress when you have a clear mind in the present moment, you exude calmness. When you practice this often, you can bring a calm, stress-free demeanor to your everyday life.

 

Stress And The Body

 

When you feel stressed, you put your body into overdrive. When it's overworked, it's more open to various diseases and disorders. Stress exists for a reason; you need to have the hormonal adrenalin rush and increased breathing and heart rate in order to escape threatening situations. It's simply how you're able to handle threats.

 

By always having your mind on past or future stressors, you keep your mind and body in a stressful state even when you aren't enduring a stressful situation in the present. This is exactly why it's important to give your body a much needed break from all the stress. When you learn to meditate often, you're giving your body the energy and rest it needs to stave off exhaustion and disease.

 

Improving Your Health

 

The absence of overwhelming stress improves your health in many ways. You'll likely enjoy lower blood pressure and a strengthened immune system. Stress can also lead to mental disorders, so when you strive to be stress-free, you'll keep anxiety and depression away as well.

 

When you meditate, you place your body in a kind of sleep state. You're still awake, but your body can begin to repair itself in the same way that it does when you sleep. If you meditate in the morning or at night, you can help yourself transition from sleeping to wakefulness and vice versa.

 

Meditation is the ultimate exercise for a healthy mind and body. You'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated once you've given it a try. Who knew that "just sitting" could be so helpful!

Vision Boards: Why They Work and How to Create One

Everyone has heard of a vision board, but many people aren’t entirely clear on what one is or what it can do for them. A vision board is a visualization and reminder tool consisting of images, affirmations, and quotes that can inspire, motivate, and encourage action.

Many people find vision boards a useful tool in their quest to be successful and to realize their dreams.

A vision board provides important benefits, such as:

1. Motivation. A vision board is an easy, fast and effective way to boost motivation. Once a vision board is constructed, a quick glance can regenerate positive feelings and motivation instantly.

• Take care in creating your vision board. The right vision board for you is one that generates positive feelings in you.

2. Focus. A vision board is a convenient reminder of what you’re trying to accomplish. Many people lose track of their goals before any significant progress is made. Vision boards serve as a constant reminder of your most important objectives.

Use these methods to create an effective and exciting vision board:

1. Set your goals. A vision board requires a specific intention. If you don’t know what your intention is, it’s not possible to make an effective vision board. Be crystal clear on what you want to accomplish. This is the first step.

2. View the vision boards of others. There are so many different style designs and ideas, you’re certain to be inspired by viewing the vision boards of others. There are plenty of photos online that can spark your creativity.

3. Decide on a format. You could dedicate an entire wall to your vision. Or make a traditional poster. Perhaps a bulletin board is more your style.

• There are even websites that provide vision board tools. With this option, you’ll be able to view your vision board from anywhere in the world.

4. Find pictures that represent your goals. A vision board is visual, so you’re going to need some photos, drawings, or paintings that represent your goals. Again, the internet is the easiest way to go if you have a printer up to the task. Otherwise, you’ll have to go old school and cut up magazines or use photos.

• Pictures that don’t elicit an emotional response will have a limited impact. Choose wisely.

5. Choose words, quotes, or slogans. It can be effective to include text in your vision board. Certain words and quotes can also elicit strong emotions.

6. Organize everything. Do you like everything neat and lined up? Do you prefer the look of a collage? It’s up to you. Lay your vision board out a few different ways and choose what feels the best to you.

How to use a vision board effectively:

1. Look at your vision board at least twice each day. Just a few minutes is perfectly fine. Clear your mind and focus on the images and words that you’ve chosen to represent your objectives.

2. Visualize achieving those things. Imagine how great it will feel to finally have those items, experiences, and achievements in your life.

3. Add items that appeal to you. As the days pass, you’ll have new ideas and come across new pictures and text that you’ll want to add to your vision board. Do it! This is a process and not a one-time event.

4. List action steps you’ve identified as most effective. A vision board is motivating, but it’s insufficient when it comes to changing your life. The actions you take are ultimately what matters. Identify the actions that will make your vision board a reality and actually do them!

A vision board can be a powerful tool for bringing positive change to your life. A vision board is highly motivating and focuses your attention on what you want. Anyone can use this powerful tool to experience more success in life.

A Five-Minute Guide to Keeping Your Lungs Healthy

 

You probably know that your lungs enable you to breathe, bringing oxygen into your body and removing carbon dioxide. However, you might be less familiar with common habits and toxins that make it more difficult for them to do their job.

 

That includes irritants like smoke and viruses that cause respiratory conditions. Healthy lungs use mucus as a protective barrier, but when lungs are damaged, they can become clogged by thick and excessive mucus that’s difficult to remove.

 

Learn how to reduce inflammation and increase your lung capacity. Take a look at these practical suggestions for keeping your respiratory system in top shape.

 

Healthy Lung Habits for Your Body:

 

1. Quit smoking. Using tobacco narrows air passages and causes cancer. Keep trying until you quit for good. Nicotine replacement may help.
   
2. Work out. Physical exercise conditions your lungs in addition to many other benefits. Your body develops the ability to use oxygen more efficiently.
   
3. Train your breath. Maximize your inhalations and exhalations. Yoga videos and books can teach you how to replace shallow chest breathing with more effective techniques reaching down into your diaphragm.
   
4. Wash your hands. Reduce the risk of infections by scrubbing your hands frequently. Use soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
     
5. Brush your teeth. Oral hygiene counts too. Floss and brush your teeth at least twice a day to remove germs before they have a chance to travel to your lungs.
   
6. Drink water. The conventional wisdom about drinking fluids for a cold is correct. Water and tea will help to thin your mucus while you’re ill and after you’ve recovered.
   
7. Eat well. While there are no magic foods, there is some evidence to support the idea of an anti-inflammatory diet. Enjoy smart choices like leafy greens, beans, ginger, and garlic.
   
8. Inhale steam. Warm moist air can loosen mucus in your upper airways. Cover your head with a towel and lean over a bowl of boiling water for quick relief when you feel congested.
   
9. Try percussion. Tapping on the chest or back may also clear away mucus. A physical therapist can do it for you or give you instructions on how to try it at home.
   
10. See your doctor. Many respiratory conditions have no obvious symptoms in the early stages so regular checkups are essential. Your doctor can also advise you on how to exercise safely if you’ve already been diagnosed.

 

Healthy Lung Habits for Your Surroundings:

 

1. Test for radon. This invisible and odorless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer. You can test for it in your home with a simple kit from your local hardware store.
   
2. Clean house. Other common sources of indoor air pollution include dust, mold, and water damage. Proper cleaning and ventilation help, so pay close attention to your carpets, appliances, and heating and air conditioning systems.
   
3. Monitor air quality. When you’re checking the daily weather forecast, note the Air Quality Index number. A reading over 100 can be unhealthy for sensitive groups, and readings over 150 can pose risks for anyone. Limit your time outdoors on those days.
   
4. Avoid crowds. Large gatherings can spread infections, especially when guests are packed close together in a confined area. Pay attention to health advisories if you’re planning a wedding or have tickets to a music festival.
   
5. Take sick days. Stay home when you have a fever or other flu symptoms. You’ll recover faster with adequate rest, and you’ll be less likely to infect others.

 

There are many things you can do to protect your lungs. That includes quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and following your doctor’s recommendations. Taking care of your respiratory system will increase your chances for leading a longer and more active life.

Stop Worry in 7 Steps

 

Think about how much time you spend worrying each day. Has any of that worrying ever accomplished anything positive in your life?

 

Imagine what you could do with all of that time and energy. Imagine how much happier and comfortable you would be if you could minimize the amount of time you spend worrying each day.

 

Worrying is a habit that we believe is helpful in some way, but it's easy to see that worrying only has a negative effect.

 

Worry less and live more with these strategies:

 

1. Put your worries in perspective. Think of the big picture. According to scientists, there are around 100 million billion stars in the universe. That’s 100,000,000,000,000,000 suns. Most of those stars are believed to have one or more planets revolving around them. That’s a lot of planets.
   

•     In the grand scheme of things, we just hang out on the equivalent of a speck of dust hurtling through space. We don’t even get to do it for that long. Your problems aren’t as dire as you think. We’re little things on an insignificant planet. Enjoy it while you can.

1. Expect good things to happen. You can’t worry if you expect a positive outcome. When you assume things will turn out poorly, it’s natural to worry. Be as prepared for the worst as you can but be optimistic. Your worry isn’t going to change anything.
   
2. Understand what is and isn’t under your control. We spend a lot of time worrying about things we can’t change. What’s the point? Do what you can to mitigate your risk and then see what happens. Let go of the things you can’t control.
   

•     You can’t control most of the things you worry about any more than you can control the weather or the tides.

1. Stay grounded in the present moment. Pay attention to what you’re doing right now. Avoid thinking about tomorrow. Make the best use of your time each moment and the future will take care of itself.
   
2. Have gratitude. When you realize how much you have and how lucky you are, the future isn’t as scary. Remind yourself of how good your life is already. You’ll worry less.
   

•     Gratitude is a habit. Take a moment each day and mentally list the things that you’re grateful for. This can do more to enhance your perspective than you think.

1. Avoid isolating yourself. Life is harder to manage all alone. It’s not reasonable to assume you can do everything by yourself. It’s also less stressful to have a few friends in your corner. Avoid isolating yourself just because you’re stressed. Your stress will only increase. Stay in touch with others.
   
2. Remind yourself of your past worries. You’ve worried about a lot of things over the course of your life. How many of them actually came true? Of those that did, how bad was it? You’ll likely discover that most of your worry was inaccurate.
   

•     Most of the things we worry about never happen. And even if they do, it’s not nearly as awful as we anticipate.

 

Any time spent worrying is wasted time. If there's something you can do to resolve the situation, just fix it. Life is short and worrying detracts greatly from life. Work to minimize the amount of time you spend worrying each day. You'll enjoy life more and be more successful.

Bored With Your Diet? Try These Unique, Healthy Snacks

 

Are you tired of the same fruit and nut snacks every day? The good news is there’s a whole world of healthy snacks that you likely never heard about. All it takes to spice things up in your diet is a little know-how!

 

Why You Need Snacking Variety

Not only is it more interesting to eat a large variety of foods, but also it’s important to have diversity in your diet because it eliminates the chance of cheating and eating unhealthy foods.  

 

If you’re bored with the same dry almonds, then you’re more likely to be tempted by the potato chips or candy bar you see in the vending machine. However, adding more variety to your snacks can reduce temptations.

 

Experts recommend having a colorful diet filled with different fruits, grains, vegetables, and other foods. This will help you get valuable nutrients and avoid deficiencies. Snack time provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy these additional nutrients in a fun, tasty, and satisfying way.

 

Tasty, Nutritious Snacks

 

Try these snacks for a delicious change:

 

1.     Crispy chickpeas. If you’re tired of the usual nuts or seeds in your diet, try crispy chickpeas. They’re part of the legume family and have nutritional value.

 

•   You can purchase bags of crispy, salted chickpeas from stores. You can also make your own version at home. This snack will taste crunchy and fill you up quickly. It also provides you with important fiber and protein.

 

•   Salted chickpeas can help you fight the craving for salty potato chips. They’re a healthy substitute that you can make by roasting them at home. Then, add your favorite seasonings.

 

•   Roasted chickpeas also have magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

 

2.     Zucchini chips. You can find them in stores or make your own snacks by cutting and roasting small slices of zucchini.

 

•   Zucchini chips are a healthy snack alternative that has protein, fiber, and multiple vitamins. These chips have vitamins A and C. In addition, they have potassium which is essential for healthy bodies.

 

•   Zucchini chips are a low-cholesterol snacking substitute.

 

3.     Carrot chips. You can make carrot chips in a similar way to zucchini chips. Roast them in your oven and add seasoning such as olive oil, salt, or pepper.

 

•   Carrot chips are a good source of vitamins C and A. They’re a healthy option for quick snacks that you may crave during the day at home or at work. They’re easy to make and can be fun to season.

 

4.     Pickled asparagus. Pickled asparagus can help you fight salty cravings and provide you with a low-calorie and very beneficial snack. This unusual snacking option offers you fiber and the benefit of fermented foods.

 

•   Asparagus has vitamin C and calcium. It’s also a source of magnesium and other important nutrients.

 

5.     Flavored granola. Instead of having plain granola, you can find versions that include different flavorings. From blueberries to chocolate coffee, granola is available in different types.

 

•   Granola is a good source of vitamins and minerals. It has vitamin E, zinc, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, niacin and others. It also has other benefits such as helping your digestive system and reducing cholesterol.

 

•   Granola can also make you feel more energetic. In addition, it has iron, so you can fight anemia.

 

•   Flavored granola can make you feel full and help you stay on track with healthy snacking. It can help you fight temptations for sugar or junk food that can destroy your diet. 

 

Your snacks don’t have to be boring, and you don’t have to eat the same ones all the time. You have other options that can make snacking fun again. Try these ideas and use them as a springboard to new snacking ideas of your own.