Snacking Yourself To Death?

Sep 28
10:56

2009

Mary Schulte

Mary Schulte

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Did you know snacking could eventually be a matter of life or death? Good nutrition has everything to do with the way we snack. This is especially true with baby boomers and seniors. As we age our appetites may increase from all kinds reasons -- hormones,Snacking Yourself To Death? Articles stress, medications. We might feel like snacking a lot more. On the other hand, our appetites may decrease. From  hormones, stress, medications. Or we’re too busy. Or bored and not busy enough. Our senses change too. Maybe there’s less money. A disinterest in cooking. Problems with teeth. Maybe we just don’t feel like eating a full meal. What used to be appealing, isn’t.  So snacking happens. But what we choose to snack on is the real clincher.

 

As we age we may eat smaller meals, even forget to eat, or just snack throughout the day. This, of course, can cause big-time nutrition problems. Malnutrition, in fact, is one of the main reasons seniors who live alone or who feel isolated are hospitalized. But it’s not just seniors. Snacking has replaced regular meals, and we tend to snack on the wrong stuff. It’s practically a national pastime, along with other pastimes as well… TV, sitting at the computer, going to a game, visiting friends, parties, meetings, nibbling at work if we work. Snacking is taken for granted.

 

Yeah, we’ve heard it all before: bad carbs, bad fats, bad sugars, bad calories, bad snacking. And we all know how this stuff impacts our health, and can lead to death-causing diseases  (high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, plus cancer). But we still do bad snacking. It’s just...really convenient. And our taste buds are conditioned out of habit to want such foods. These are emotional reasons, of course, and defy the logic of healthy eating. But habit and emotions are not logical.

 

It’s obvious, especially to baby boomers and seniors whose bodies are changing and possibly developing health issues, that we need to take a close look at our snacking and re-think our options. Even small changes can help.

 

Here are a couple of easy healthy snack recipes, to start. I’m sure you’ve heard of free radicals in our bodies and how they cause disease. And that antioxidants in certain foods combat these free radicals. But who wants to eat all that broccoli, spinach and garlic. So … make a really great trail mix snack that has a ton of the antioxidant foods in it. You can get these ingredients in the natural food section of your store. Any combination of them will do. You can find a lot of them in the bulk food bins. And really try to get ingredients without added sugar! You can also find them pre-prepared.

 

Antioxidant Trail Mix --  Walnuts, pecans, filberts, pistachios, dried cranberries, dried goji berries, dried red cherries, dried blueberries, raisins. Mix it together, put it in a canister, and munch away! You may even find an already-made antioxidant mix in the bulk bins. Some natural food companies sell them.

 

Deluxe Grilled Cheese -- It’s important to use a hearty whole grain bread and low-fat  cheese. Very lightly butter the two pieces of bread as usual for making grilled cheese. Or olive oil can be spread on instead if you prefer. Add two slices of the low-fat cheese of your choice. Add a slice of tomato, a few spinach leaves or romaine lettuce, a sliced ring of red pepper, and optional avocado slices. Try a few pieces of walnuts or pecans (big in antioxidants) for a little crunch – it’s great! You can also spread on a little salsa. Or include a slice of lean meat. Grill the sandwich in a pan on both sides, as usual. Serve with pickles and whole-grain tortilla chips.

 

We have loads of healthy snack recipes for you and your loved ones (of any age – kids love them too). Just check out the special page on our website at http://www.elder-one-stop.com/healthy-snack-recipes.html .  Also take a look at our Activities pages that have other great recipes and party ideas. Enjoy!