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If you’re like us, snacking is one of your favorite pastimes. There’s nothing wrong with it; everyone gets hungry every now and then. However, what you end up snacking on may have a drastic effect on your health. To that end, here are some healthy alternative snacks that can help you stick to your chosen health and wellness diet or habits:

  1. Mushroom chicharon. Who doesn’t love chicharon? It’s made of pork, it’s deep-fried to crunchy perfection, and it tastes absolutely delicious. It’d be the perfect snack that we would all be eating right now, if it weren’t for the fact that it’s unhealthy. Thankfully, some enterprising minds have come up with the great idea of substituting mushrooms for pork in the chicharon-making process, not only making something that’s just as tasty but markedly less damaging to our weight and cholesterol levels. The organic oyster mushrooms used to make this ‘mushroom chicharon’ is known to have antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties, so you’ll also be getting some health benefits with every bite.
  2. Fruit crisps.Another crispy treat that you may feel like reaching for whenever you’re hungry is the widely-popular bag of potato chips. While not as unhealthy as actual chicharon, potato chipsare still a processed snack that contains a lot of carbohydrates and sodium, both of which can easily make you pack on the pounds. Substitute these with fruit crisps instead—a snack that packs just as much crunch as potato chips, but without the unhealthy fats and preservatives. This is due to the fact that the crisps themselves are made out of—you guessed it—fruit. Fruit crisps typically range from bananas and mangoes to even pineapples. This composition not only gives the snack a naturally lower fat and carbohydrate profile but also a more exciting and unique taste.
  3. Tofu chips.We all know that tofu packs a lot of health benefits; however, it can also be pretty challenging to eat just on its own due to its flat taste and soft texture. Thankfully, tofu also comes in chip form, which makes this particular healthy treat a bit more palatable and easy to eat, especially when you’re on the go. As tofu is basically made of soya, it can help lower your bad cholesterol, as well as resupply your body with essential amino acids.
  4. Multigrain bars. If you’re finding yourself wanting for something a bit more substantial to snack on—something you can really sink your teeth into—then you might want to look into multigrain bars. These small-sized bars pack a lot of flavor and fiber into every bite and are made up mostly of whole grain such as oats, wheat, nuts, rice, and corn flakes. Not only that, many brands of multigrain bars come front-loaded with calcium and essential vitamins, which makes them great as an energy source and for boosting your immune system. Best of all, they should have zero cholesterol and absolutely no trans-fat, so you can snack on them guilt-free.
  5. Dark Chocolate. You don’t need to read the nutritional chart on the back of your milk chocolate snack bar to know that chocolate is in fact very fattening, especially the tastier variants that come with nuts and other additives. So instead of snacking on that, why not try out its healthier version, namely dark chocolate? Not only does black chocolate have a deeper taste profile than regular milk chocolate, it’s also rife with antioxidants and flavonoids that keep you healthy and fight signs of aging. Besides that, the higher concentration of cocoa in dark chocolate gives it the ability to help improve blood circulation in your arteries, lowering the risk of cardiovascular death. Not bad at all for a snack!

By choosing these 5 healthy snacks over their unhealthy and more fattening counterparts, you’ll not only start dropping the pounds, but you’ll also give yourself a health boost. Just remember to always consume in moderation!