Affordable healthy snacks to try

I decided to have more healthy snacks this year and I have so far successfully stuck to it. I have cut down on crisps, salted snacks and cookies and made way for more healthy snacks. You could have three healthy meals a day, but unknowingly you may add unwanted calories, sugar or salt to your body in the form of sneaky snacks you have between meals.

Sometimes healthy snacks can be expensive, so I tried to compile a list of affordable snacks. Being the lazy student as I am, I also try to find snacks that are easy to make and eat. These are ones that I have tried to snack on when I feel peckish.

• Bananas or Apples – you can get organic bananas and apples at really affordable prices from most shops.
• Unsweetened yogurt or Greek yogurt – I usually buy the unsweetened ones to avoid unwanted added sugar. This gives me more control over the sugar that goes in my yogurt. I usually sweeten it with natural honey.
• Clementines/Easy peelers – mainly because I don’t want to cut up an orange and then eat it.
• Plain almonds – I usally buy the pre-portioned packets of nuts to stop me from eating a full packet of almonds or cashews in one sitting. Smaller packs also make it easier to have it on the go. You could also buy the bigger packs and make smaller ones at home. It can be much cheaper that way.
• Popcorn without any added butter or salt/sugar – not the microwaveable ones. You could either make them at home or buy the healthier air-popped popcorn packs.
• Nut butter and rice cakes –  I love my nut butters, whether it be peanut, almond or cashew. To stop me from going overboard with the nut butter, I stick to two tablespoons each day. If I am on the go, I just take with me the nut butter pouches that are available in most shops these days. I either go for Meridian (100% peanuts) or Pip and Nut (98% peanuts and sea salt) and they have no added sugar.

I buy most of my snacks other than the fruits from Holland and Barrett as they are mostly affordable and they usually have good offers regularly, such as the ‘Buy one get one half price’ happening right now. During such offers I tend to stock up on my essential snacks to help me save money. Why pay full price when you know it will go on offer 🙂 I don’t know what I’ll do without a Holland and Barrett.

I don’t have an Asda nearby. But when I come across one, I pop in to buy some snacks from them as well.

 

Hope you guys found this post useful. Take care

 

 

Favourite health food store – Holland and Barrett

I had always seen Holland and Barrett (H&B) as a store where my parents and grandparents go to buy their vitamins and other health products. Only when I went in there I found out what a wonderful store it is. If you are trying to eat and stay healthy with a budget, it is one of the right stores for you. They have many different offers throughout the year and I try to make the best use of them.

My favourite offers are

• The Penny Sale – where you buy one product and get the second product for a penny (only on products in the offer). This is a useful offer for me as my boyfriend’s protien powder is usually in the Penny Sale and this is the time he stocks them up.
• Buy one get one half price – I buy my shampoo and conditioner from H&B and I definitely save a lot of money when this offer comes up. I buy extra during this offer.
• Offers on Vitamins – they have various offers throughout the year which makes it useful to buy vitamins if you use them. They also do amazing offers on Manuka Honey during the year. Do check them out if you use any of these items.

I am a lazy person who can’t portion control on snacks. I can finish a snack pack,that was meant for two, in one sitting. So I find their ‘good to go’ packs very useful. I love their 2 for £1.50 offer on these packs and I stock up during this offer. Their packs include almonds, cashew, fruit bites, dried fruit etc. I love that they sell dried apricots that have no preservatives which is really good. It is one of the few stores in London that sell such apricots.

They have a large variety of health foods, superfoods, teas, dried fruits, nuts, beauty items and free-from products. They are such a useful one stop health food shop. I do recommend you check it out if you are trying to eat and stay healthy this New Year.

Below is a picture of when I stocked up during the 2 for £1.50 offer.

The Delicious Dates pack is not a ‘good to go’ pack.

Everything in this picture costed me less than £12 and they usually last me for nearly two weeks. The sunflower and pumpkin seeds packs are not ‘good to go’packs but were under £2 each.