Today I’m sharing a printable list of 50 Healthy Snacks. What inspired this list, you ask? The fact my husband and I recently made some pretty radical changes to our eating habits.
Medical study after medical study has shown that the lower your consumption of animal products, the lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and a host of other diseases and health problems.
So we decided to conduct a little experiment. For the month of September, we would completely eliminate meat and dairy from our diets. Then we’d evaluate how we felt come October.
It’s been much easier than we expected. Just look at all the wholesome, delicious foods we’ve been enjoying this month.
50 Quick and Easy Healthy Snacks
- Apple slices with almond butter
- Oatmeal with raisins
- Sugar snap peas & humus
- Banana/strawberry smoothie
- Peanut butter toast
- Carrot & celery sticks
- Pistachio nuts
- Wheat Thins
- Blue corn chips & salsa
- Guacamole
- Fresh strawberries
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Grapefruit half
- Kale chips
- Clementine oranges
- Sliced red, orange & yellow bell pepper
- A handful of almonds
- Chocolate covered frozen banana pops
- Watermelon slices
- Lightly salted popcorn
- Pineapple spears
- Cherry tomatoes
- Pita chips with humus
- Fresh cantaloupe
- Trail mix
- Bagel with sliced avocado & radishes
- Green smoothie
- Blackberries
- Warmed corn tortillas with salsa
- Plantain chips
- A juicy ripe pear
- Cucumber slices
- Blueberries
- Baked sweet potato fries
- Dried fruit mix
- Cherries
- Toasted coconut
- Peanut butter & banana
- Frozen mango
- Granola bars
- Rice cake with almond butter
- Raspberries
- Peach slices
- Mixed nuts
- Baked potato with salt & pepper
- Tomato juice
- Freeze dried strawberries
- Frozen fruit pops
- Corn nuts
- Grapes
Making Progress
We’ve stuck with the plan for 21 days now (which is about 20 days longer than I thought we’d last), and we’re already reaping some great results: More energy, better digestion, no bloating, and more restful sleep.
And while weight loss wasn’t our primary goal, my husband has lost 17 pounds in just three weeks. Yipee! (Unfortunately, those results aren’t typical. I’ve only lost three. But then, my diet didn’t change as much as his did. He was accustomed to eating about a pound of bacon a day!)
We are both so pleased with how much better we feel that we are planning to extend the experiment for at least one more month, possibly even longer.
What about you? Are there any changes you’ve been wanting or needing to make to improve your health?
Let me encourage you to start TODAY. Don’t feel like you have to wait until you’ve formulated the perfect plan. Just jump right in and learn as you go.
For Further Reading
As for our vegan experiment, here are the two primary resources that convinced us we should at least give it a shot. This is evidence-based medicine at its best:
Forks Over Knives
Forks Over Knives is a 96-minute video documentary that examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be controlled or even reversed by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
It follows the lives of several very sick patients — some of whom had been sent home to die — and shows the remarkable health gains they observed and the vital, active lives they now enjoy as a result of simply switching from an animal-based to a plant-based diet. Even if you think you don’t have time to watch the full film, at least take two minutes to watch the trailer. It really might save your life.
How Not to Die
In his book How Not to Die, world-renowned physician Michael Greger examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America (including heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more) and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.
What impressed my own physician-husband about this book is the fact that it is not merely anecdotal, but is based entirely upon real science and rigorous clinical studies. And the findings of all those studies were extremely compelling — so compelling, in fact, that my carnivorous spouse went from eating almost nothing but meat to eating nothing but plants, literally overnight.
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Hello Mrs. Flanders – I’m new here and found your blog thru Generation homeschool summit online.
For those who are interested in researching health and nutrition, the Weston A. Price Foundation http://www.westonaprice.org and Nourishing Traditions are what I always recommend as a starting point. These were my primers when my health started declining years ago.
The Scriptures warn us about “doctrines of demons” in 1 or 2 Timothy which includes people saying you should not eat meats created by God. It also speaks of “science falsely so called.” We need the Lord’s Word and Holy Spirit to guide us in discerning what is true when people say that science “proves” anything. All that said, many people in the traditional/ancestral food movement are legalistic, too. Those are wise words above from Shari about everything in moderation.
Something I learned recently about processed foods/perfumes is that certain additives are developed from aborted fetal cell lines. We had no idea this was going on. You can search this article for “HEK 293” for more info.
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/hidden-food-ingredients-in-industry-standard/
Thanks for your weekly emails. We are enjoying many of your freebies, especially the Scripture bookmarks. We made laminated bookmarks for the Ladies’ Sunday School as a springtime gift and they were so thankful!
Thanks for the links, Katie. That’s concerning about fetal cell lines being used in the development of so many products these days, isn’t it? I’m glad the ladies liked the bookmarks — and happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my weekly emails.
Hi Jennifer!
I drove by your house the other day and saw the for sale sign. Curious as to your reasons for moving!
As far as the plant based diet, I am sure that in our culture we eat a much higher percentage of animal products than is healthy. At the same time, God has given us all those things to nourish us and to enjoy in moderation. The Lord doesn’t want us to be gluttons on the the one hand, nor to reject the good gifts He has given to us on the other. I have known people who researched it all and went vegan or vegetarian for a significant time. At first they felt better, but soon they developed other health issues that were remedied by adding some animal products back in. I just want to guard against legalism and an extreme on either end of the spectrum. I have a number of vegetarian friends/family members. One funny situation arose where a man offered one of those friends some salmon he had caught. She politely turned it down, to which this man rightly said, “If fish was good enough for the Lord, it is good enough for us!” (Think Jesus serving fish on the beach.) She said she couldn’t argue, but she refused it anyway, wishing I had been there to take it! Funny story, but it is a good reminder that the Lord provided fish, lamb, beef and other meat for people throughout the scripture. He also declared animals were available for consumption after the flood. Moderation is key. Sometimes going “cold turkey” can help us hit the reset button, so way to go on eating more healthfully!
Hi, Shari. The move is purely job-related and has been prompted by corporate negotiations and non-compete clauses. 🙁 With regard to your comments about diet, I agree with you 100%. Moderation in all things is key. I prefer fruits and vegetables most of the time, but when I get a craving for a nice juicy hamburger, I head to Whataburger down the street without an ounce of guilt. And even my “strictest” vegetarian son makes exceptions for an occasional taco from Jack-in-the-Box. Ha! Legalism is as dangerous an extreme as liberalism, and we do our best to avoid it in every realm, including diet. 🍔 🥦 🍇 🌮 🍒
For many reasons, we are trying to gradually change our diet over here to mostly plant based. We have a low income & a low food budget (about $120/wk for 6 people). So I struggle with healthy foods sometimes. Anyway, my questions are: How do you replace milk or eggs in recipes? What do you use in place of butter (baking and things such as toast)? Is there a certain cookbook you might recommend? (Searching online takes way too much of my time).
Sorry if I sound pesky, but I thank you so much for all of your help-with family, children, spiritually, cooking, recipes, lifestyle changes, organization, marriage, etc….you are such a blessing!!!
In regard to plant-based substitutions when baking, I’ve used almond milk to replace cow’s milk, applesauce or ground flaxseed meal to replace eggs, and coconut oil to replace butter with good results. I have a couple of cookbooks for making vegan meals in my pressure cooker, but for general cookbooks, I like The Forks over Knives Cookbook and The How Not to Die Cookbook. You can also find a lot of great vegan recipes for free at the Fork over Knives website.
Wow, that’s good to hear! Bacon is known to be the worst thing to eat for your colons. Research has shown that your body is harmed by bacon, beef jerky and that red meats are dangerous and causing cancer (in the category of smoking). Which also leads to the question: What should a Christian eat, to take good care of his/her body? God wants us to not kill ourselves or take life risks (knowingly), but a slow killings is the same thing to me (such as smoking, bad food, drinking too much alcohol etc.)
Thanks for sharing and inspiring!