COUCH FRIENDLY HEALTHY SNACKS
A typical outing to the movies might look like this: you buy your tickets, choose your popcorn and drink combo (large, why not?!), maybe a choc top or a box of Maltesers to go with it (let’s splurge, it’s the weekend!), and by the time you finish your movie, you hardly remember eating all that food. Sound familiar?
Over time, we have come to associate movie watching with snacking. It’s hardly surprising, considering that most advertisements involve actors eating and drinking in front of the screen. We’ve even started to associate sugary snack foods with our ‘Netflix and chill’ sessions at home. Didn’t Ben and Jerry’s name an ice cream flavour after this activity?
Now, we’re all for indulging in a ‘movie snack’, especially if it's for a special occasion at the cinema. However, for your daily ‘Netflix and chill’ session, all these ‘empty calories’ will start to add up. And you might be shocked to learn just how energy dense these foods really are. Popcorn feels ‘light’, but a large box contains 400 calories – the same amount as a main meal! Furthermore, snacking whilst distracted makes it incredibly hard to enjoy the tastes and flavours, and to stop when you’re satisfied.
If you plan to stay indoors and watch a ton of movies this winter, let us offer you some healthy options to counterbalance your occasional treats.
Roasted chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas are a great crunchy snack, full of protein, fibre and flavour. They even have portion controlled, choc coated options that taste just like Maltesers!
Or, you can try this homemade recipe and create your own flavours.
Ingredients:
400g canned chickpeas, drained
Olive oil spray
Savoury: curry powder, smoked paprika, rosemary or chili powder, and dash of salt
Sweet: cinnamon and a dash of honey
Method:
Place chickpeas on a lined baking tray. Spray with olive oil spray
Add seasoning of choice and bake in oven at 180c for 30-40 minutes
Provides 4 serves approximately 140 calories per serve
Air popped popcorn
Popcorn at movie theatres comes dripping with butter, and in excessive portions. For a healthier option, make your own plain popcorn without butter. You can also try a single serve bag of plain or lightly-salted popcorn.
Kale chips
Turn this nutritious vegetable into a crunchy snack by roasting it in the oven. Simply lay kale on a lined baking tray, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle lightly with salt and bake in the oven on 180c for 10-20 minutes or until crispy. This snack keeps fresh for 2-3 days in an air-tight container, if it lasts that long! Kids love these chips, and it’s a great way to boost their veggie intake.
Veggie sticks
If you love something crunchy – look no further than veggie sticks! They’re low calorie and full of fibre, vitamins and minerals – so you can munch away mindlessly in front of the screen if you like! Try vegetables like celery, cucumber, carrot and capsicum with additions such as cottage or cream cheese, hummus, tomato salsa or guacamole.
Fruit
Another lower-calorie snack full of fibre, vitamins and minerals that you can get creative with. Try apple slices spread with a small amount of 100% peanut butter, or pear slices with cottage cheese and cinnamon. Frozen grapes are delicious, or impress your guests/movie partners by bringing a tub of strawberries dipped in dark chocolate.
Fresh or frozen yoghurt
Sub out the choc top, and sub in a delicious, low sugar tub of yoghurt or frozen yoghurt. You can never go wrong with plain Greek yoghurt, served with fresh fruit and a small drizzle of honey if you need it. A tablespoon or two of mixed nuts, toasted coconut, granola or cacao nibs will make this snack feel even more indulgent.
Homemade jelly lollies
Love lollies? Try making these low calorie, low sugar alternatives. You’ll need plastic moulds to get the shape you prefer.
Ingredients:
1 packet Jelly lite
1 tablespoon gelatine
½ cup of water
Method:
Mix all ingredients into a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds
Pour into the moulds and set in the fridge for 1 hour
Now that you’ve got some healthy snack alternatives to try, you can enjoy a movie night more regularly without it having such a large impact on your health and weight. And promise us that when you do decide to indulge, try to eat slowly, enjoy it, and share the box with someone else!
By: Samantha Stuk, Dietitian