The right snacks / Day 1

What constitutes a good snack?

Choose natural foods where possible!

Snacks can be healthy or unhealthy. It depends on which foods you choose. They should contain as few ingredients as possible and should be unprocessed wherever possible. Processing causes foods to lose important nutrients and sugar, additives, fats and oils are often added in the process.

What makes a snack healthy

Healthy snacks give you important nutrients and don’t contain too many calories. Snacks should only have a few ingredients or should be entirely unprocessed. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are a great choice here. They can also be combined with starchy foods like bread and/or dairy products and/or nuts. Snacks shouldn’t contain any processed sugar or white flour. Have tap water or unsweetened tea with your snacks.

Fruit

Fruit contains a lot of water, minerals and vitamins. Its natural sugar gives you energy and the fibre it contains makes you feel fuller for longer. Fruit also contains a number of plant substances which help protect the cells and ward off free radicals. These plant substances give some fruit and veg their colour.

Have 2 portions of fruit a day (1 portion = 1 handful) and make sure to have a variety of seasonal produce.

Vegetables

Vegetables can be eaten raw, cooked, in salad, soup or sauces. Vegetables contain lots of water, minerals, vitamins and fibre. Fibre improves your digestion and will make you feel full for longer.

Have as many vegetables as you want! 3 portions a day is ideal (120 g each).

Have a portion of unsalted nuts and seeds a day!

Healthy and nourishing

Nuts and seeds are popular snacks and toppings for salads, soups and muesli. They have a high fat content, but the majority of their fats are essential and important for your body. Unsalted nuts and seeds also contain a number of vitamins and minerals. Have a small handful a day (20-30 g).

Choose nuts with the shells on. That way you’ll have to crack them open instead of just devouring them.

Milk and dairy products

A great alternative or addition to fruit and veg

Milk and dairy products are a great addition to your portion of fruit and vegetables. They can also be a snack in their own right. Dairy products include milk, yoghurt, quark and cheese. Natural varieties don’t contain any added sugar and are high in protein, vitamins and minerals.

Delicious as a dip or on their own!

Daily snacks / Day 2

How many snacks should you have?

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are designed to give your body the energy it needs on a regular basis. If you like, though, you can also have some smaller meals throughout the day. Snacks are good in the morning, afternoon or evening and give you little energy boosts in between meals. They’re also another great way to have a varied diet.

Build snacks into your daily routine as required.

What’s the maximum number of snacks you should have?

Snacks are designed to supplement main meals.

Everyone eats at different times. You have to find your own rhythm, but avoid constantly eating or snacking. That’s why it makes sense to consciously plan snacks. Good options are fresh fruit and veg. Depending on your energy needs, you can also add milk or dairy products, starchy foods like bread or a small handful of unsalted nuts and seeds (20-30 g).

Go for fruit and vegetables. Add milk and dairy products, starchy foods or unsalted nuts and seeds as needed.

Inspiration / Day 3

A variety of snacks

Avoid getting bored

If you don’t want to eat an apple or a cucumber every day, we have a couple of ideas for you.

Don’t want to eat raw fruit and vegetables every day and fancy some variety? No problem. There are lots of delicious snacks out there that are really easy to prepare. What about vegetable sticks and a savoury dip made from quark or yogurt? Add fresh herbs or spices to taste.

More ideas

Hot and cold!

On a quest for snacks

Soups make a good snack. If you made a zucchini or tomato soup for dinner, then bring some in for the next day. As it’s hot you’ll eat it slower and take more time to enjoy it. Same goes for cold foods like ice cream. And yes, ice cream is allowed! It just has to be the right type. Blend frozen berries with natural yoghurt and there you have your ice cream.

Hot and cold snacks take longer to eat so you can enjoy them longer!

Cottage cheese

A crunchy example

Cottage cheese is a great snack

Cottage cheese on vegetable slices, wholemeal bread or wholewheat crackers starting to bore you? Then give these crispy cottage cheese rounds a go! Mix 200 g cottage cheese with 100 g chopped vegetables of your choice and 80 g flour. Season with salt and pepper and add fresh herbs and spices to the mixture. Spoon onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 20 minutes at 220°C (fan oven).

Browse our recipes for more ideas.

Snacks for sports / Day 4

What to have when exercising

Physical activity and sport is part of a healthy lifestyle.

Physical activity keeps our bodies and minds fit, trains the cardiovascular system and supports our immune system. Exercise also builds the muscles that stabilise our bodies and allow us to move in the first place.

You don’t need any food containing supplements.

A balanced diet will give you everything you need.

People often have bars or drinks before or after exercise to prepare their bodies or to help them recover afterwards. However, supplements aren’t usually necessary. A balanced, varied diet can give us everything we need, even if we’re doing lots of exercise. The exception is, of course, professional athletes.

You don’t need any supplements!

What can I eat if I’m doing sport?

Make your workouts a success!

You don’t have to have any additional snacks, but if you’re hungry before sport or want to maintain your performance then you can have a banana or a rice waffle. A good alternative is a corn or wheat roll. Before during and after training your body needs fluids. Tap water is a great way to quench your thirst. A balanced meal after training gives your body all the nutrients it needs.

Supplements are unnecessary!

Snacks from the supermarket / Day 5

What to pay attention to

Not all products deliver what the packaging promises.

Most people know that crisps and chocolate aren’t proper snacks, but there are lots of healthy alternatives in the supermarket, right? Yes and no! As always, there are good and bad ones here.

Don’t trust apparently healthy snacks

Some products promise too much

Cereal bars and their packaging attract a health-conscious crowd. But often what’s on the packet doesn’t correspond to what’s inside. That’s why it’s always good to have a look at the list of ingredients and the nutrition table. Cereal bars shouldn’t have any added sugar or fat. The higher up the ingredient is on the list, the more of it is in the product. The nutrition table will tell you exactly how many types of sugar or fat are in your snack and will show if the cereal bar, fitness cereal or fruit yoghurt you’re eating is masquerading as something it’s not.

Light products as a snack

Light products may contain less fat but not less sugar. Light products often have more calories than natural snacks like fruit or natural dairy products. Supermarkets often stock mini carrots, cucumbers and peppers which are a good choice even if they are a bit more expensive than your average fruit and vegetables. You don’t have to cut them and they’re great on the go.

Mini vegetables are a good choice!

Do you have to eat snacks? / Day 6

Are snacks really necessary?

Snacks can help you to prevent cravings so that you can enjoy the next meal slowly and mindfully, but what should you do if you’re not hungry at all?

There are no hard and fast rules

Go with your gut

If you’re not hungry, then skip the snacks, but only if you don’t eat more in your main meal as a result. You should eat snacks if you notice that you’re getting hungry. But it can also be good to not eat anything in between meals. Learn to listen to your body.

It’s up to you whether you have a snack or not.

Conscious choices / Day 7

Tips for a balanced snack

Make healthier choices with these 5 tips.

We’ve put together 5 tips to help you choose your snacks in the future.

Conscious snacks are part of a balanced diet.

Portion your snacks

That way you can stay in control.

If you’ve decided to have a snack, think about how much you want to eat beforehand, especially with high-calorie nuts for example. That way you don’t have more than you need. A small handful of nuts (20-30 g) is enough.

Put the packet out of sight.

Go with your gut

Don’t just snack for the sake of it!

Go with your gut feeling and don’t just eat because you’re bored or stressed. If you’re not sure, have a glass of water first. That way you avoid mistaking thirst for hunger.

Mindful snacking is part of a balanced diet.

Don’t eat out of politeness!

Learn to listen to your body and your gut.

Don’t eat out of politeness. Choose the snacks that make you feel good and don’t succumb to pressure. Just because it’s your colleague’s birthday doesn’t mean you have to eat cake.

Think before you buy!

Not every product does what it promises to do.

Don’t trust promises that are too good to be true and expose unhealthy snacks by looking at the ingredient list and nutrition table. A balanced snack shouldn’t include any added sugar or too much fat, and ideally should include wholegrain rather than white flour.

It’s always worth having a look at the product information!

Snacks are good for you!

The more natural, the better.

Natural is always better! Unprocessed foods like fruit or vegetables are great snacks.

Explore the huge variety of fruit and veg on offer and enjoy seasonal products.