Frida Harju, in-house nutritionist at health app Lifesum (www.lifesum.com) gives her best nutrition tips on vegan friendly snacks to boost your health . Lifesum uses tech and psychology to create a tailored plan to help people live happier, more balanced lives.
Vegan on Female First
Sweet Potato Toast
Sweet potato toast is a great snack for any time of day as you can make it sweet or savoury depending what you are in the mood for. It's filling, nutritious and easy to make. Simply slice your sweet potato into thin ½ inch thick slices, rub them in a little olive oil and then back in the oven for 20-30 minutes (turning over after 15 minutes).
Seaweed
Dried seaweed is a health trend loved by many and for good reason. It contains high levels of both Vitamin A and C, is packed full of iron and is very low in calories. Try to find a brand, which has a low salt content as sometimes brand's can use a lot of salt.
Dry roasted chickpeas/ Hummus
Chickpeas contain magnesium, which like potassium, speeds up the message transmission between brain cells and relaxes blood vessels, helping to increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Dry roasted chickpeas make a great snack and are full of protein. Put a little oil over the chickpeas, sprinkle with spices such as chilli and roast in the oven for forty minutes, giving them a shake every ten minutes. You can also make homemade hummus by blending chickpeas with lemon juice, tahini, garlic and olive oil. Hummus is rich in protein and contains the fatty acids you need without negatively affecting your cholesterol levels. For a everyday snack accompaniment to fresh vegetables like red bell peppers and carrots, each with health benefits of their own.
Pumpkin seeds
Eating a handful of pumpkin seeds each day will provide you with the recommended daily levels of zinc, which is vital for increasing brainpower by enhancing memory and focus. Pumpkin seeds are packed with nutrients your brain will love such as proteins, amino acids, minerals, fibres, vitamins and complex carbs. They are great as they are or like chickpeas they can be roasted for thirty minutes.
Chia seeds pudding
Chia seeds have become a health craze for good reason. Packed with as much potassium as bananas, these small seeds contain three times as much iron as spinach and a high quantity of essential fatty acids, making them a great snack. One of the easiest things to make is a chia seed pudding, simply add 4 tablespoons of chia seeds to almond milk and keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can also add flavouring such as cinnamon. Chia seeds can also be easily incorporated into smoothies, try blending one apple, half a banana, the juice from an orange, two handfuls of lettuce and a tablespoon of chia seeds and you have a delicious and super healthy snack.
Lifesum (www.lifesum.com) launched a vegan/vegetarian/pescetarian food preference for their users. Lifesum has become one of the first health apps to include these diets and provide users with recipes to suit their lifestyle and make sure that they do not miss any essential nutrients and lead a healthy lifestyle, no matter their diet.
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