Mini Meals:
1. Dried fruit (5-8 pieces), nuts or seeds (1/4 cup or 5-8 nuts), some whole grain crackers or pretzels with a lite cheese
"Throw everything in a baggy and you are good to go! The variety of textures in this snack make people feel really satisfied. It is a mini meal with protein, fiber and carbs."
2. Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Choose a lean meat like turkey or ham, or even PB &J with whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
"Most people think a sandwich is way too much for a snack but I completely disagree. It provides protein, carbs and fiber and is satisfying. If you don't add cheese or mayo it is not that many calories either. A sandwich at 3-4pm is a great way to prevent overeating at dinner. It could save you a lot of calories overall! And if you have kids, cut out shapes make it more fun."
3. Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with part skim ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
"This is a great snack with nice flavor and texture. Again, it has all the ingredients to make up a complete meal with protein, carbs and fiber. The tartness of a green apple with some cinnamon on top makes a tasty treat. Spices have no calories and tons of flavor. Incorporating more spices into your diet is a smart way to cook."
4. Protein Bar (suggest less than 300 calories and more than 12 g protein per bar)
"It is so important to eat mid day that in a worst case scenario grab a bar on the go. Have some in your car, purse and desk at all times just so you don't go 6-8 hours without eating. While they have been processed many bars on the market are organic and as long as you follow my recommendations for calories and proteins they make up a mini meal. The kids bars can be a little low in protein so add some string cheese to the snack."
Sweet Snack:
5. Parfait: Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries in a glass or Tupperware. Top with a sprinkle of high fiber cereal.
"This is a great sweet snack that can be made in a Tupperware for on the go and the kids will love it…and so will you! Add sweetened yogurt if needed or just put plain yogurt for less sugar. Choose a fruit of your choice and add some fiber or low calories cereal or granola."
Bay Club's OnTrack Online Nutrition Program
The San Francisco Bay Club understands how challenging it is to find a balance between knowing the right foods to eat and really doing it! That's why at The Bay Club, they have created a program that focuses on both understanding (i.e., knowing which foods are nutritious) and awareness (i.e., knowing what, when, and how much you're actually eating). And it's called OnTrack.
So get online and OnTrack with your health and fitness goals! For more information or to register, contact Jae Berman at 415.901.9332 or jberman@sfbayclub.com.
*Personal Fitness Training and Pilates package clients pay only $30 a month for OnTrack.
Website: http://www.sfbayclub.com/web/site/
About Jae Berman:
As Western Athletic Club's Regional Registered Dietitian for San Francisco and Marin, Jae Berman, MS, RD motivates and empowers clients to achieve break-throughs in personal health, fitness, wellness and life-balance-on their own terms. Her goal is to create programs that allow her clients to have a positive relationship with food, and therefore a positive relationship with their bodies. Jae is also a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor, and carefully integrates her understanding of these disciplines into customized fitness programs for clients. Her specialties include nutrition for weight loss, wellness, sports nutrition, cardiovascular nutrition, digestive disorders, eating disorders and blood glucose control.
Jae holds a master's degree in Applied Physiology and Nutrition at Columbia University, and completed her dietetic internship at UCSF Medical Center. She is credentialed through the American Dietetic Association and is an ACSM Health Fitness Specialist.
