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Tips for snacking healthy when you're working to get fit

You gotta have snacks! But how can you make a snack plan that will help you meet your fitness goal?

TOLEDO, Ohio — We are a few months away from T-shirt-and-shorts weather and our Super Fitness Weight Loss Challengers are working out to show off their guns in the spring. How about you? Are you following their lead and looking for healthier habits?

Eating healthy does not have to mean going without snacks. The key is to be mindful, plan well and choose snacks that deliver nutrition without wrecking your diet.

“Throughout the day, we feel like we need to have a snack or two so we might’ve already shopped for handy packs you find at the grocery store," Super Fitness Weight Loss Challenge Host Kelly Heidbreder said. "They have chunks of lunch meat, cheese, and dried fruit."

These can be good choices, as long as you watch out for high sodium levels and highly processed food such as meat. One way to make snacks healthier is to prepare them yourself. 

Nutritionists recommend planning out a healthier snack that you can take with you. Bake a turkey breast and cut it up or bake a whole chicken and cut it into cubes. Meats you bake yourself will be lower in salt and preservatives.

You can pack these in resealable bags or small containers. You also can enjoy great snacks made with carrots and other vegetables that you cut up at home, or buy a large chunk of cheese that you can cut into snack-sized cubes. 

“The most important thing you learn from a snack pack you buy at the grocery store is the portion size," Heidbreder said. "Cut your home-baked protein into cubes and take a snack serving that fits in the palm of your hand. Add a small bag of vegetables and another small bag of fruit or cheeses."

A healthy mid-day snack will help you focus through the afternoon and make you less hungry when you get home for your evening meal. 

Our Challengers weigh In once a month and have workout opportunities together every week. Participants gather for one in-person challenge somewhere in the region every month through the finale in May! 

For tips and advice for your own fitness journey, check out our Super Fitness Weight Loss Challenge coverage

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