Derval O'Rourke: My top tips for healthy snacking

Plus my brown bread recipe with my favourite toppings

The key to healthy snacking is keeping it simple. 

This week I’m sharing tips on snacking and how you don’t have to overthink it - just keep it simple. These tips & snack suggestions are from Derval.ie expert - Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach, Cathay Dunleavy. This week's recipe is my brown bread recipe plus some topping ideas - perfect for snacking on.

Our snack foods should generally be easy to just put your hand on and eat without any prep at the time of eating. I come across a lot of people looking for new healthy snack ideas because they are bored of fruit, nuts etc. I will give some ideas here but I’d also encourage people to let go of the need for huge excitement around their snack foods. Just keep it really simple. There are enough kinds of fruits and veggies, varieties of crackers, nuts and seeds and flavours of hummus and nut butters to keep us from getting bored. These are the foods to base our snacks around. Keeping to whole foods as much as possible so that we are giving our bodies lots of what it wants and needs. That way we can help avoid the dreaded crap food cravings later on. Pay close attention to the combination of foods in your snacks ensuring a protein source at each snack e.g. nuts with fruit, nut butter on wholemeal rice cakes with fruit, hummus with raw veg sticks etc.

1. Any kind of combination of a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts (make sure you can close your fist around the nuts).

2. 2-3 crackers/1 slice of bread of choice topped with either hummus or mashed avocado with a squeeze of lemon and veggies OR nut butter and fruit.

3. A cup of soup. 

If you get in the habit of making simple homemade soup every couple of days, storing it in the fridge, it is there to add to a lunch or snack. Find a quick

easy recipe on Derval.ie that you like. Developing a habit of making soups (especially in winter) can be a real game-changer. Add red lentils or chickpeas to the recipe to increase protein so it is more filling.

4. A couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt or any plain unsweetened yoghurt with fruit and a couple of tablespoons of seeds or unsweetened granola. Add grated dark chocolate/a drizzle of honey (optional).

Fitness Tip: Refuel after fitness. Get real food in as fast as you can after you train, try not to depend on processed bars, gels and supplements only as a last resort. Real food is your friend.

Wellness Tip: When it comes to living a healthy and happy life, eating well is only one pillar. Other factors like getting enough sleep, moving your body, managing stress levels and having people to speak to are incredibly important. Everything has a knock-on effect on everything else. For example, if we sleep less our desire to exercise can be reduced. It’s also more difficult to make nourishing food choices when we are tired, and we are more likely to overeat.

Brown bread

My brown bread is simple to make and tastes delicious. The toppings transform it and are guaranteed to keep you feeling satisfied and energized for your busy life

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 240g wholemeal flour

• 120g plain flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 350 ml buttermilk

• 1 egg

• For the top of the bread:

• 50 g mixed seeds

• 1 tbsp honey

• 20g porridge oats

• Topping ideas: 

• Beetroot hummus and seeds

• Avocado and poached eggs

• Peanut butter and banana

• Pesto and pine nuts

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly oil a bread tin.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, mixed seeds and salt in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, egg and honey and stir through until well combined.

3. Pour the dough into the bread tin and top with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of oats.

4. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Tip the bread onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

5. Cut into slices and serve with one of the topping suggestions below.