Q & A Therapeutic Thursday: ‘Junk Food Vegetarian’ Snack Makeover

Hi Christina,

I realized that I am a ‘junk food vegetarian’, and really haven’t been eating too healthy for the last few years. I am working on changing my diet, which has been a slow process. Do you have any advice on healthy snacks? I tend to snack at work, and would like to stop eating the junk food that is around the office.

Thank you,

S.B.

Great question! As you are changing your diet, the key to transitioning from a ‘junk food vegetarian’ to a more healthy diet will be to incorporate a whole-foods approach to eating, with foods that are nutrient-dense, unprocessed, and organic (when possible). Planning ahead and bringing healthy snacks to the office will help you get into the groove of eating more nutrient-dense foods and avoiding the junk food as much as possible. The more you start to eat snacks made with whole foods, you will likely notice you feel better, have decreased cravings, and have better blood sugar stabilization (and no more sugar crashes!). Generally, to help stabilize your blood sugar and have sustained energy throughout the day, try to remember the rule “NO NAKED CARBS” (like excessive cookies, cakes, and crackers). Here are some of my favorite snacks to try!

Healthy Vegetarian Snack Ideas

• Handful of raw nuts
• Olives
• Chopped raw veggies (bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, green beans, radishes) dipped in hummus, guacamole, or tapenade
• Hard boiled eggs (you can also mix guacamole with the yolk, called ‘deviled guacamole eggs’, which is delicious!)
• Half an avocado drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper
• Celery with almond butter
• Apples with almond butter
• Handmade nori roll stuffed with greens, avocado, and whatever you would like to put in there!
• Medjool dates stuffed with almond butter and coconut (check out my post from last week for the very easy recipe)

Hope this is a good start – good luck with your transition, and happy snacking!

If you have any questions you would like answered on Q & A Therapeutic Thursday (every 1^st Thursday of the month) regarding holistic living, self-care, wellness, stress busters, recipes, and recipe adaptations, feel free to email me at: thetherapeuticfoodie@gmail.com. See you next week!