Snacks and Treats

Snacks And Treats Recipes For Psoriasis

Everyone likes snacks and treats, and we always get asked: “What do you recommend I eat when I get a snack attack?” There is no snack food more pure and nourishing than the many varieties of fresh fruits, nuts and seeds. Chew these well or grind and use in recipes to avoid digestion upsets and intolerances. You will find however, that to discourage the overgrowth of candida albicans, a yeast commonly found in the digestive system in up to three-quarters of those with psoriasis, certain fruits are limited for several weeks once we commence the Psoriasis Diet. Have a look at the foods to avoid and the foods to eat pages to get a better idea..

While snacks are not the most important part of our daily psoriasis diet, they can play a significant part in daily menu planning. Planning ahead by having a variety of nutritional foods on hand helps combat those weak moments of junk food cravings.

You do have access to my comprehensive Psoriasis Shopping List, there you will find many healthy snack options available. This amazing shopping list also contains gluten free options, and most of items are available from your local supermarket. This Healthy Snack & Treats page includes a selection of healthy snack bar and nibble recipes so that your lunch box need never be empty. Stevia or Xylitol are recommended over honey or sugar. Some recipes exclude corn, wheat, eggs, chocolate and liquid milk. Other recipes may include or exclude the nightshade family of vegetables such as tomato, potato, eggplant and chilli. Most of the snack foods are easy to prepare, economical and tasty to eat.

Our bodies actually need snacks during the run of a busy day. The word snack sometimes has a bad label attached to it, but when snacking properly, you can actually speed up your metabolism, have more energy, and you won’t feel like over-eating when the next meal time rolls around. During the day you may want to eat every 2-3 hours to balance your blood sugar levels, and this is especially important if you lead an active lifestyle. Your blood sugar levels are only as good as the meal you last consumed, and that is why eating smaller meals more frequently is a smart decision for active people. Keep in mind, if you are eating 5-6 meals and snacks a day, you want to keep portion sizes down, and eat food that is nutrient dense – that’s what nuts and seeds are a great choice. What does the term “ nutrient dense” mean you may ask? Well for starters you can eat an apple that has 100 calories, or you can eat a 100 calorie packet of chocolate drizzled rice cakes. The choice is yours.

Snack Attack

Healthy Condiments & Dips

Carob Balls
Puffed Brown Rice or Millet Snacks
Healthy Pancake Recipe
Buckwheat Pancakes
Healthy Nut Mix
Creamed Coconut Balls
Hummus
Healthy Mayonnaise
Home Made Yoghurt
Gomashio Japanese Condiment
Cashew Nut Patties

Baking

Drinks & Shakes

Almond Bread
Blueberry Bars
Breakfast Protein Shake

Nuts And Seeds

Roasted nuts and seeds may taste better, but raw is much healthier. Keep these as cool as possible as their high fat content can cause rancidity, in fact you are best to freeze nuts to delay rancidity and oxidation. Dried fruits and nuts such as prunes, raisins, apricots, almonds, Brazil and hazel nuts can be purchased pre packaged or bought in bulk and mixed together at home. My advice is to hold off the dried fruits because they are a concentrated form of sugar, and this is not a good idea if you have a potential underlying yeast infection! Dried goji or blueberries are a better option, so stick with them along with the dried nuts.

Seeds are generally best in some type of bar for ease of eating. One of my favorite seed snack options is gomashio, and is made from roasted esame seeds with salt. Best nuts in my opinion (buy as fresh as possible) are almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts. Peanuts? – not the best choice as they are the most allergenic of all. Incidentally, they are a legume and not a nut.

Fresh Fruits And Vegetables

Of course there are the snack foods supplied by nature – all the fresh fruits and vegetables. You are best to avoid the very sweet foods when you begin The Psoriasis Diet however, too much sugar is contained in these fruits that may allow any underlying candida yeast infection or bacterial overgrowth in your digestive system thrive. You may like to look at the Foods To Eat and Foods To Avoid pages to get more information about suitable fruit and vegetable choices for those with psoriasis. Bananas, apples, oranges, stone fruits and especially dried fruits are not the best choices, at least not initially. Carrots, peas in the pod, celery and sprouts are healthy hunger busters.

Some of your best choices are small (or a half a large) avocado, celery or carrot strips, radishes, along with a small container of Hummus. Boiled eggs and carrot and celery sticks will provide variety in your snack kit. If necessary keep a freezer pack in the kit to keep the food cool.

Breakfast Cereals Make Good Snacks Too

There are some healthy breakfast cereals available for snacking, but check the sugar content closely! It is better if you make your own muesli or granola, and the recipe varieties are endless. Be sure to select the freshest ingredients from your local health food store. Check out the recipe for Healthy Fiber Breakfast for example, or Bakker’s Muesli.

Puffed Cereal Snacks

Instead of just plain old homemade popped corn, save time by picking up a pack of naturally puffed millet, puffed brown rice or puffed yellow corn from the health section of your supermarket. The puffed golden millet includes the millet germ. They have no sugar, salt or artificial additives and taste terrific with a health topping like smoked salmon, cheese or avocado. It doesn’t have to be boring, just use your imagination! Puffed Brown Rice or Millet Snacks is a good snack option here.

Healthy Sugary Snacks

Maintaining a healthy diet means (virtually) abstaining from sweet foods – candy, cakes, cookies, desserts, and similar choices, as their primary ingredients have be found to include unhealthy hydrogenated fats, sugars including artificial sugars, colors, preservatives, and many other man-made chemicals you may want to avoid. Sugary snack foods upset nutritional balances and moods, so, with our busy lifestyles, having the right healthy snack food on hand is vital. We all like to snack on foods, and snacking is important for many reasons, for example it will allow you to maintain a better blood sugar level between meals and it will assist in weight control as well. You will find that if you eat three good solid meals a day that you will not want to snack too much on foods, but if you do snack – then make those healthy choices.

Healthy Drinks

Healthy drinks include clean water, carrot juice, green or herbal tea, spirulina or fruit and vegetable juices. The idea is to drink plenty of fluids, in fact more than you would generally drink, and this alone will give you a sensation of fullness which will help you to control your appetite more effectively.

Here Are A Few Snack Suggestions:

Fresh rice cakes (unsalted, plain or sesame seed), Oat cakes or non-wheat bread with hummus, tahini, guacamole, goat’s cheese, nut butter or Manuka honey. Japanese rice cakes are low in sodium and wheat, cholesterol and fat free. Tasty to eat while busy , they are even moorish! Homemade popcorn is another good snack food, but try to eat it as is without the standard condiments of butter and salt. Cherry tomatoes with a few chunks of goat’s cheese. Half an avocado sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mixed nuts and seeds. A small handful of a mixture of Brazil nuts, almonds, hazel nuts and walnuts. Add roasted sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds to various vegetarian or meat dishes, or just grab some for a quick snack which will not only enhance the flavors of other foods, but will help stimulate digestion and improve bowel function. Cashew nut patties are a delicious high protein snack. Healthy pancakes, made from brown rice and tapioca flours. Raw vegetables served with tahini, hummus or guacamole. A fresh juice, smoothie or non-dairy milk shake. Fresh fruit salad – melon, kiwifruit, grapes, apple, pear, etc. Hummus – a healthy chickpea and tahini snack which is a perfect food to accompany finger foods such as carrot, celery and cucumber sticks. Gomashio is a simply delicious and highly addictive Japanese condiment made from roasted sesame seeds and sea salt. Try it, I guarantee once you make it you will become hooked on the aroma and taste. Perfect to add as a topping on many different foods.