Daytime Snack Food

[Hartlin]

Planning on racing this year and as I get more serious about my training I'm taking a harder look at my diet. Overall I eat quite healthy, three square meals with a good balance of protein, fruit/veg and carbs. Luckily my girlfriend's hobby is cooking and gardening!

I've been taking a harder look at my mid-morning and mid-day snack foods. Currently mid-morning I have a yogurt and banana. Mid-afternoon it's another piece of fruit, apple, pear etc and a granola bar, I train after work so I'm on the bike within an hour of this snack. In the evening it's usually a small smoothie fruit, protein, a bit of milk.

I'm looking for suggestions for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. I'd like to limit my sugar intake and dairy intake more, limiting fruit and yogurt. Does anyone have any good healthy snacks they can suggest?

[Hartlin]

I should also note that I don't really need, or want to loose weight. I easily shed 7-10lbs recently by not buying any ice cream or Nutella. I'm currently sitting at ~160lbs and I don't want to be any thinner.

[crossjunkee]

In addition to the snacks you listed, I munch on almonds, carrots, celery, and maybe a Cliff Zbar.

[Viper]

Lucky dog, you have a girlfriend who likes to grow and cook food. Men should focus on fiber and blood pressure/heart disease. So think about that at snacktime. As you get into your thirties and up, your physical revolves around BP 120/80 and your belly size. A dude was looking for more potassium in the Bike Fit Forum and I wrote about the 3 P's, Papaya, Pomegrenate and Prunes. I think if you looked at the fiber content of all three, you'd be shocked (one 4" pomegrenate has almost 50% of RDA for fiber). Plus with the oddles of potassium, your heart/blood pressure will thank you.

Or just eat chocolate for snack at 2:30pm every day like I do.

[crossjunkee]

How do you eat a pomegranate?

Just did a google search, interesting... Seems like a lot of work, but probably worth it. Cheaper than POM juice, that's for sure!

[fiamme red]

How do you eat a pomegranate?Very carefully, or it will stain your shirt. :)

[bikerboy337]

I usually have a mid-afternoon, post ride shake... just vanilla almond milk and carnation instant breakfast or ovaltine or whey protein. Fills me up, gets me some good veggie protein and keeps me going in the afternoons. I also snack on nuts/trail mix and fruit.

Hummus with veggies is good as well, nothing fancy, just carrots and hummus with a shake and i'm good to go.

I keep a ton of snacks in my office at all times and have a mini-fridge for almond milk, hummus and a brita filter to keep drinking water all day long... seems to help to have the fridge right here...

I've given up dairy in the past month, so still getting used to the alternative, but I've found the vanilla almond milk to be great in smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, etc... almost makes it like a desert!

[flydhest]

I should be more embarrassed than I am for posting this, but the wife made these cookies a couple times recently. They are almost health food and are going to be taking the place of power bars for me.

http://nicoledula.com/recipes/lalos-famous-cookies-or-gwyneth-paltrow-cookies

[zap]

Milky Way and chocolate milk-real milk-non of this sissy half milk crap.

[Bob Loblaw]

Hummus and tortillas is a favorite of mine.

BL

[Hartlin]

My fiber intake it pretty good, I'm always looking for fiber content in food.

Hummus is a good one, I don't buy that enough. How about lots of raw veggies? Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots?

I've done the almond milk before. My girlfriend actually makes it herself. Apparently it's a lot cheaper?

I'd like to cut dairy out entirely as I have bad sinuses and I don't think it helps. But I LOVE a big bowl or cereal in the AM, or yogurt and granola as a snack.

[Hartlin]

Milky Way and chocolate milk-real milk-non of this sissy half milk crap.

My milk, and chocolate milk that I buy is local, non-homogenized, full fat milk. Easily the best milk I have ever tasted.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r19w5yiemQI/TYm-9N4FKxI/AAAAAAAAGXY/Jpw52WK60KE/foxhill+milk.jpg

[Likes2ridefar]

i race competitively and ride about 3-4 hours nearly every weekday and also commute to work. it's a chore to keep from losing weight.

For morning snacks, I generally eat a lineup of fresh fruits like a banana, apple, and orange, and sometimes will basically have another meal around 10am usually leftover pasta or a pb&j sandwich, and again lunch at 12pm generally vegetarian and mostly raw whole foods. other times I mix a bag of raw unsalted nuts with dried fruits such as raisins or pitted dates and graze on them all day. i make my own dried apples fairly often as well.

a good dehyrdrator can make a lot of wholesome very tasty snacks with not too much effort if you get the right tools. excalibur is the one to get.

my main workout is in the afternoon so usually i have a dehydrated raw homemade cookie (think coconut blended with raw almonds, raisins, etc) right before the ride, or a stinger honey waffle when the cookies are unavailable.

[AndreasM]

Orange, honey and cinnamon - all you need

[benitosan1972]

Apple chips, homemade or from Costco
Cashews & pistachios
Bananas & peanut butter
Those nutbars & raisins from Trader Joes.

Don't forget gum if you're at work or school!

[fiamme red]

Cashews or brazil nuts and a chocolate whey shake.

[MattTuck]

I would say, if you're serious about racing, pick up the book "racing weight" by matt fitzgerald. amazon link here. (http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Peak-Performance/dp/1934030511) It is by far the best book related to diet/eating and fitness for the endurance athlete. It is not a 'pop diet' book, he literally just cites studies to support or disprove ideas. Question, is it better to eat protein before a workout, after a workout, or doesn't matter. Read the book to find out.


Suggestions: cashews, pistachios, peanut butter, grapes, small serving of chips and guacamole (avocado), etc.

If you're not trying to lose weight, and you're riding a lot, you can splurge a bit, dark chocolate, whole wheat pita filled with leafy greens and dressing, even a cookie made with oatmeal and wholewheat and light on the sugar would be great.

I like to keep a container of cashews by my desk. They are not the most healthy nut, but it is much better than going to cafeteria or vending machine.
Pistachios are good too, but I just don't like unsalted pistachios, whereas, I am happy to eat raw unsalted cashews until the cows come home.

[Likes2ridefar]

raw cashew butter and raw honey on toasted bread is one of my favorite snacks!

for those that dont know, it's ridiculously easy to make raw nut butters if you have a food processor.

a bit of research is required as some nuts you need to soak (aside: almonds and water make almond milk for a heck of a lot cheaper and less crap in it than the store bought stuff) in water but cashews we've just been blending them without soaking.

it's super creamy and light and fluffy and significantly cheaper than the crazy prices raw nut butters go for in stores.

another note on almonds...raw almonds arent actually raw if they are made in the USA. they are heat pasteurized but the gov't gave the OK to the companies to still call it raw and charge us double for something it's not.

[Hawker]

flydhest, those cookies look interesting I'll see if I can talk my wife into making a batch. I think I'll leave Gwyneth Paltrow reference out. :)

Maybe you guys can help? Onece and for all...for a guy like me with major Cholesterol problems (at 130 lbs no less) are almonds a good thing or a bad thing? I keep hearing conflicting things about the cholesterol and oil in almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc.

Thanks!

[MattTuck]

flydhest, those cookies look interesting I'll see if I can talk my wife into making a batch. I think I'll leave Gwyneth Paltrow reference out. :)

Maybe you guys can help? Onece and for all...for a guy like me with major Cholesterol problems (at 130 lbs no less) are almonds a good thing or a bad thing? I keep hearing conflicting things about the cholesterol and oil in almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc.

Thanks!

I am not a doctor or dietician, but I can't believe that high cholesterol is going to be caused by eating natural nuts. Have you eliminated bad food from your diet entirely?

I'd get rid of other stuff before the nuts.

[Hawker]

I am not a doctor or dietician, but I can't believe that high cholesterol is going to be caused by eating natural nuts. Have you eliminated bad food from your diet entirely?

I'd get rid of other stuff before the nuts.

No reason to stretch this out, but my cholesterol is primarily hereditary. Healthy diet and only occasional lapses into cookies, candy, etc. Can't use any of the statins cuz of the side effects and on 2000mg of Nicacin each day...which has it's own unplesasent side effects. Doc says even at my fitness level I really need to bring down my numbers or else "you will look great in your coffin".

Hard to find good snacks that are tasty as well as healthy and nuts would do it for me. However, it seems that even the medical profession is somewhat at odds over the cholesterol issue here?

[bikerboy337]

if you're interested in some thought provoking info... read "The China Study"... pretty good info in there... he delves into cholesterol quite a bit in the book, among other diseases... not saying its gospel, but its good food for thought about the way we eat...


No reason to stretch this out, but my cholesterol is primarily hereditary. Healthy diet and only occasional lapses into cookies, candy, etc. Can't use any of the statins cuz of the side effects and on 2000mg of Nicacin each day...which has it's own unplesasent side effects. Doc says even at my fitness level I really need to bring down my numbers or else "you will look great in your coffin".

Hard to find good snacks that are tasty as well as healthy and nuts would do it for me. However, it seems that even the medical profession is somewhat at odds over the cholesterol issue here?

[bikerboy337]

Another idea that works well for me is an afternoon salad.. .not sure if you have access to a fridge, but i make salads the night before for the afternoon... greens (good stuff, not iceberg), beans, avacado, beets, etc... toss in whatever you like... esp. with the beans, can be filling, great for you as long as you dont douse with too much dressing...

another easy recipe that I've been doing...

Can of cannolini beans, roasted garlic, cumin or red pepper and olive oil...

toss a whole clove of garlic in the oven for 25 minutes on like 350 to roast it... toss the beans (rinsed) into a blender, add garlic from the clove, add olive oil and some cumin or red pepper, blend... pretty much a great hummus... i like it spicy, so lots of red pepper... eat with veggies, whole wheat pita, even pretzels... takes 5 minutes to make (once the garlic is roasted). We've substituted minced garlic and cant really tell the difference, except the minced is processed...

[benitosan1972]

i haven't even eaten breakfast or lunch yet, but reading this thread = i'm HUNGRY now

[Viper]

No reason to stretch this out, but my cholesterol is primarily hereditary.

Dude, there was a 2hr. documentary on PBS regarding this years ago:

http://www.visitlimonesulgarda.com/index.asp?menu=13.58

It's old news, in terms of science as A1 Milano lead to the statins, but the movie was very neat. Are you taking any prescriptive drugs?

Also, did you ever research RED RICE YEAST?

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=red+rice+yeast+cholesterol&oq=red+rice+yeast+choles&aq=0&aqi=g5g-v5&aql=&gs_l=hp.1.0.0l5j0i15l5.11157l12033l2l14064l7l7l0l1 l1l1l375l1471l0j2j3j1l6l0.frgbld.&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=50aeccfec5fc8449&biw=1015&bih=453

[Likes2ridefar]

Can of cannolini beans, roasted garlic, cumin or red pepper and olive oil...

toss a whole clove of garlic in the oven for 25 minutes on like 350 to roast it... toss the beans (rinsed) into a blender, add garlic from the clove, add olive oil and some cumin or red pepper, blend... pretty much a great hummus... i like it spicy, so lots of red pepper... eat with veggies, whole wheat pita, even pretzels... takes 5 minutes to make (once the garlic is roasted). We've substituted minced garlic and cant really tell the difference, except the minced is processed...

sounds good. I've made my own with tahini and chick peas but never tried beans. I was shocked how much hummus I got from a dollars worth of chick peas.

I slow cooked the chick peas then mixed everything together following a basic hummus recipe.

the hummus is great for a spread on something like a turkey sandwich or all by itself on toast!

[dustyrider]

I like mostly everything everyone has posted. moderation is the key, and variety is the spice of life.

My go to snack food is nuts and fruit, when I'm on the bike it's usually fruit. I'm not a big dairy fan unless it's mixed with vodka and kahlua.

A food dehydrator is one of the best investments I've made, lots of seasonal local produce can last throughout the year, and man do I love beef jerky!

Oh, recently I've discovered cucumbers and rice vinegar, topped with some freshly ground peppercorn.
Olives are super good, but typically super salty, so follow the moderation rule.

[54ny77]

http://www.eljamonserrano.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jamon-serrano-2012-1.jpg