Tag: SNACKS

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Guilt-free yet tasty snacks to avoid junk

To make them more appealing, they now come in a vast variety of exciting flavours like Hawaiian BBQ, Sriracha Lime Cheese, and Spicy Chicken Cheese, which make consuming them more fun…reports Asian Lite News

It’s that time of the year when T20 format cricket frenzies bring out their favourite player’s jersey and a favourite team flag. Get ready to watch IPL matches by placing a comfortable couch in front of the TV that is attached to surround sound speakers, which will make you feel like you are sitting in a stadium.

The stage is set and your favourite team’s match is about to start, the only thing missing are the snacks to binge on.

Keeping guilt-free yet tasty snacks to binge on while watching IPL is a must. Hence, it is recommended to stock up on a few healthy and guilt-free snacks beforehand to avoid eating junk. Chirag Gupta, Founder 4700BC shares list of some fun snacks to keep handy for when you can’t take your gaze away from the screen.

. Popcorn: Popcorn has been the screen buff’s favourite. Popcorns have been everyone’s favourite snacks. Surprisingly enough, they are high in fibre content and low in calories. To make them more appealing, they now come in a vast variety of exciting flavours like Hawaiian BBQ, Sriracha Lime Cheese, and Spicy Chicken Cheese, which make consuming them more fun.

. Protein Pops (Foxnuts): Looking to binge on some healthy options? Foxnuts or makhanas are your saviours as you can now find them in unique and mouthwatering flavours. These delicious yet high in protein snack contains long-term health benefits, such as aiding in anti-ageing and curbing inflammation. Foxnuts are also a great snacking option for people avoiding gluten. A stomach-filling, easy store and nutritious item for people looking for healthy eating options while watching IPL.

. Corn Nuts: The perfect combination of corn nuts and beverages can never go wrong. When your favourite cricketer hits a sixer, you definitely don’t want to be busy contemplating what you should eat. It is quick, easy to gnaw on and keeps you sharp but doesn’t tip the scales towards unnecessary calories.

. Chocolate-coated Almonds: Almonds are known to be high in Vitamin E, and useful for preventing heart diseases, maintaining blood pressure and increasing focus and productivity. Now imagine, roasted almonds coated with the perfect amalgamation of dark, milk and white chocolate. all these benefits combined with dark chocolate not only make them scrumptious but also come with a host of benefits.

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Find comfort in food choices

Not only are we continually seeking comfort in our food choices, but we are also becoming more conscious about overeating and actively opt for guilt-free snacks…writes Chef Kunal Kapur

Snacks and junk food are the unavoidable bad habits in the present times. Youngsters have a close relationship with these kinds of food that destructs our inner and outer body slowly. Lately, many of us have been bogged down and caught up with work and home responsibilities; when it comes to leisure time, our options are limited. Yet on any normal day, we look forward to our favourite cup of chai or coffee and a snack that instantly uplifts our moods. During the evening hours, we allow ourselves to indulge our cravings for flavourful and mouth-watering foods; but we also seek easy-to-prepare solutions to satisfy hunger pangs.

While we each may have our preferences, when choosing a snack, taste plays a vital role. We only wait for our short evening snack breaks, because that’s when we can treat ourselves to something yummy. Snacking is known to enhance our good feelings and cheer us up, even on dull and dragging days. While we can’t meet up with friends and colleagues to chat up over samosas and chaat, we can exploit the digital medium to share in these little joys over video calls and group sessions. In fact, ready-to-eat foods that are easily available can provide safe and exciting solutions to the dilemmas of ‘new normal’ lifestyles.

Capturing the growing inclination towards snacking, Euromonitor reports reveal that most of us are constantly seeking time-saving solutions and higher convenience across various aspects of life, including our food habits. In most households, food is prepared by the homemaker and by late afternoon, fatigue sets in; she prefers simplified alternatives to a traditional snack menu. These days, even those accustomed to a cook are managing without any additional help, and the need for easy-to-make snacks have been on the rise.

Not only are we continually seeking comfort in our food choices, but we are also becoming more conscious about overeating and actively opt for guilt-free snacks. When it comes to mindful eating, wholegrain oats are becoming increasingly popular for their high nutrition, protein and fibre content. Oats are satiating in small portions and these days, they come in various forms and flavours, such as Saffola Masala Oats that are infused with traditional spices to suit the Indian palette and desire for piping hot snacks.

Euromonitor reports also indicate that instances of snacking are the highest between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m; when we break from work or catch up with our social media feeds, music playlist and OTT shows that we are binge watching. We enjoy eating light, but also need to tease our taste buds and feel content; oats allows us to customize our bowls to suit our fancy. With regional twists like Masala & Coriander or Curry & Pepper,

Saffola Masala Oats can be whipped up to your liking using real vegetables, sauces, dry fruits and crispies.

In fact, it can also be shared virtually with colleagues — plan productive brainstorming sessions or team-building activities on Zoom or Google Meet. Most companies have been adopting innovative ideas to keep employees motivated when working from home. Snacking can supercharge creativity and calm the jitters; so why not schedule it on the work calendar. Saffola Masala Oats is available at local stores and online on platforms like Amazon.in and BigBasket; so your colleagues can easily select their favourites.

It can also be made more exciting with fresh ingredients like lemon and mint leaves or crunchy toppings like carrot sticks, capsicum slices and croutons. If you prefer going solo and have been spending your evenings reading or watching the sunset, make the most of your time at home with a lip-smacking bowl of joy. Feel good with tangy oats on toast, bite on lavash and coriander oats, sip a soupy bowl of vegetable oats and just go wild with your imagination when customizing your evening snacks!

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Lip-smacking snacks to munch on

Fox nuts or makhanas are dubbed as a great source of calcium. Coming as fat-free, these fox nuts are an ideal snack when you experience sudden hunger pangs at work or while studying…writes N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe.

Covid hit terribly affected all kind of lifestyle. We know that working from home is here to stay, owing to yet another if not deadlier Covid-19 wave. Home sheltering can make us crave carb-heavy or fat-loaded snacks, we must remember that eating healthy is the only way to keep our immunity in check.

It is certainly tricky to select from a wide range of ‘healthy’ tagged packaged foods, here’s a list of snacks to munch on while you work from home!

Gooey Filled Cookie

Set to change your snacking game forever, the cookie is baked to perfection with deliciously rich dough and oozing a smooth indulgent filling. The cookies come packed with 20g of protein to help you reach your daily protein requirement. A perfect way to keep cravings in check while supporting training goals. Being fibre-rich, they are a great addition to a balanced diet without any meal prep.
Available at- www.myprotein.co.in

Maniarrs Khakhra

The common go-to Gujarati snack relished throughout the world, the khakhras by Maniarrs are healthy and made primarily of ragi with multiple flavours and spices combinations. A new taste every day is ensured in its eight different variety combo pack. Available at- www.amazon.in

The Healthy Cravings Co Roasted Makhana

Fox nuts or makhanas are dubbed as a great source of calcium. Coming as fat-free, these fox nuts are an ideal snack when you experience sudden hunger pangs at work or while studying. It also keeps your blood pressure in control. Available at- www.amazon.in
Myprotein 6 Layered Protein Bar

Myprotein’s another recent release, the 6 Layered Protein Bar, features six layers of taste and texture to provide a hit of protein, carbohydrates, and fibre. Packed with over 20g of protein, essential minerals calcium and copper, these mouth-watering treats are the ideal way to upgrade your healthy snacking. Available on – www.myprotein.co.in

Keeros Snack Pack

Popular among the Indian audience, given its nutritional value, this super snack has high fibre, high energy, good for your heart and bones. It keeps your cholesterol in control and even helps you in losing weight. A great snack option for those suffering from diabetes. Available at- www.amazon.in

SNACKS (ANI)

Grammingway Ragi Diet Chips

Craving for chips but not the fried ones? Ragi chips by Graminway are a healthy substitute to potato chips, being low in cholesterol and fat, these chips are made of ragi flour, vegetable oil and tapioca starch combined with the necessary spices. Munching these flavour-packed crunchy snacks in between your main meals keeps the hunger pangs away. Available at- www.flipkart.in

The Green Snack Co

The Green Snack Co vouches on spreading healthy, tasty and authentic foods. Offering a range of flavourful snacks made with the goodness of Quinoa, Kale leaves and some super Grains, the brand offers puffs, crisps, stix, and more. It is definitely a healthy snacking option. So #BingeOnGreen.

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STUDY: Potato chips may damage Kidney

Potato Chips. (File Photo: IANS)
The AGEs trigger a process called the Maillard reaction and switch on the body’s danger signals leading to an inflammatory response and chronic kidney disease…reports Asian Lite News.

Most of the kids and youngsters are addictively in love with Chocolates and Potato chips. Love to binge on potato chips, bread, bakery products and chocolate? Then beware, as a new rodent-based study revealed that eating processed foods can cause leaky gut syndrome, which in turn increases the risk of kidney disease.

The study, led by researchers at Monash University in Australia, showed that heat-treated or processed foods are rich in harmful chemical compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). These chemicals give the browned, roasted, fried, grilled and baked foods their flavour and aroma.

The AGEs trigger a process called the Maillard reaction and switch on the body’s danger signals leading to an inflammatory response and chronic kidney disease.

However, eating foods that contain high resistant starch fibre such as oats, cooked and cooled rice, barley, bean and legumes such as black beans and peas, raw potato starch (as a supplement), cooked and cooled potatoes, can help restore gut health and improve kidney health, revealed the study published in the journal Science Advances.

Kidney

“These foods are important as they get down into your lower gut and basically serve as food for your gut bacteria. The gut bacteria ferment these food-producing metabolites that are anti-inflammatory,” said lead author Melinda Coughlan, Associate Professor at Monash Central Clinical School’s Department of Diabetes.

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Globally, 10 per cent people are affected with chronic kidney disease. Consumption of processed food is also associated with the risk of all-cause mortality, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases.

“Dietary change, as with most behaviour change, can be difficult to maintain long term, but by adding more foods high in resistant starch fibre and steaming and stewing cooking practices we can help dampen the harmful effects,” Coughlan said.

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