What’s a pool day without some snacks? Chelsey Amer, a registered dietitian, has compiled a list of her top 15 nutritious snacks that are both enjoyable and satisfying.
Visualize it: The sun is beaming, you feel comfortable in your own body, you’re taking advantage of the sun’s rays in a secure way, and you prepared a cooler filled with poolside treats for when you get peckish. Sounds like the perfect summer day, right?
A pool day is even better when there are delicious snacks to enjoy! The warm temperatures and celebrations can often make it hard to eat healthily. I created a compilation of my preferred nutritious and delicious snacks to aid in health while at the pool.
What Makes a Healthy Pool Snack?
Healthy treats to eat while at the pool should be enjoyable, simple to eat, and provide hydration. These snacks should contain a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats so that you stay feeling satisfied. Here are some smart snacking guidelines to follow:
- Prevent dehydration with hydrating snacks. Sun exposure and a lack of water intake can lead to dehydration. But did you know that food is hydrating? Choose a snack with high water content to combat any dehydration from your pool day.
- Include a combination of macronutrients to help balance your blood sugar and stay full. As a rule of thumb, I like to suggest combining two out of three of the following: carbs, protein, and fats.
- Pick produce when you can. Most Americans don’t consume enough fruits and veggies. Snack time is a great opportunity to boost your produce intake. As a bonus, fruits and veggies are some of the most hydrating foods.
- Choose something satisfying. There’s nothing worse than being hungry at the pool all day. Be sure to pack snacks that sound good to you— not just the lightest thing you can find!
- Make it fun! Pool days are meant to be fun, so let your snack fit in, too! Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring, so get creative (carrot sticks are so 2005).
7 Healthy Pool Snacks to Pack on Your Next Summer Pool Day
1 . Watermelon Pizzas
Can anything beat watermelon on a sweltering summer day for providing refreshment? I think not! Watermelon consists of 92% water, making it an ideal snack to keep you hydrated during a day at the pool.
Watermelon is overflowing with the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which is responsible for its vibrant red color. Lycopene serves as a natural defense against UVA and UVB rays, however it is still important to use sunscreen. Here are six more reasons to include watermelon in your next pool day picnic to convince you of its benefits.
Watermelon pizza is a unique way to enjoy a watermelon feta salad, perfect for serving to a large group. Eating a combination of carbohydrates and fats will help you feel satisfied so that you can continue to enjoy your time in the sun. For a lighter snack, try watermelon on a stick.
2 . Crudite and Hummus
A crudite platter is sure to delight your guests, but it won’t provide much sustenance. You can turn your crudite platter into a satisfying snack with the addition of hummus, providing both protein and beneficial fats.
Another great way to increase your fiber intake and aid with regularity is to have crudites and hummus together. A lot of individuals do not take in the suggested 25 or 38 grams of fiber daily for ladies and guys, respectively. Furthermore, the majority of Americans do not eat the suggested five portions of fruits and vegetables per day. A dish of raw vegetables with hummus can bridge any gaps in your diet.
Not a hummus fan? Try one of these filling dips instead:
- Guacamole
- Turmeric White Bean Dip
3. Summer Rolls
Snacks for the pool should be easy, so I prefer treats that don’t make a mess and don’t need any extra items to eat them. Summer rolls fit the bill! Vietnamese-style summer rolls are a type of food that consists of vegetables and proteins enclosed in a coating of rice paper.
Summer rolls are an ideal pick since you can customize them based on what you have in your fridge, so it’s not necessary to make a hurried journey to the supermarket. Plus, they’re a fun way to eat veggies. When you are out shopping, try to find some brown rice paper rolls for a simple way to increase the amount of whole grains in your meals.
4. Sweet Greek Yogurt Dip
I really enjoy Greek yogurt as a snack because it has a lot of protein and it keeps me feeling full. One helping of Greek yogurt has more than a fifth of the calcium you require in a day to keep your bones strong.
To add a little flavor to your regular Greek yogurt, combine some of your favorite nut or seed butter with a bit of honey and stir it into the yogurt. This is ideal for collecting delectable summer fruits. Be certain to put the dip in an icebox so it remains edible in the hot weather.
5. Rainbow Fruit Skewers
Making rainbow fruit skewers is much more enjoyable! In addition, the more varied the colors of food you consume, the more nutrients your body will get. Every hue of fruit and vegetables offers different vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to be consumed.
Be advised: Eating just fruit probably won’t satisfy your hunger for very long. A great way to extend its effect is to accompany it with a snack containing a lot of protein, such as the Greek yogurt dip.
6. Savory Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip
If you don’t care for sweets, you can always opt for a tangy Greek yogurt dip. This Greek yogurt dip contains plenty of protein, making it a great addition to the typical vegetable crudite platter for a more substantial and enjoyable experience.
7. Edamame
Edamame can be linked to a delicious sushi dinner, but it’s also a nutritious snack to have by the pool. Edamame (in its husk) has 12 grams of protein and 6 grams of satisfying fiber per one cup. Edamame is also packed with vitamins and minerals, including:
- 10 percent of your daily value of calcium
- 20 percent of your daily value of iron
- 25 percent of your daily value of magnesium
- 115 percent of your daily value of folate
- 56 percent of your daily value of vitamin K
The best part about snacking on edamame? You can take frozen edamame out of the freezer and place it in a bag or container, and it will have thawed out by the time you’re ready for a snack in the afternoon.
The Science of Snacking
Are snacks good or bad for you? A snack is typically considered to be any type of food consumed between main meals. Lots of individuals have a snack at least once a day, and there are numerous explanations behind this. Typically, our stomachs begin to rumble a few hours after we have eaten our last meal. A lull in energy levels may be alleviated by consuming a small snack. Perhaps we just anticipate the flavor of certain snacks.
A survey of American consumers revealed that the most prevalent snacks are apples, biscuits, crisps, ice cream, sweets, popcorn, fizzy drinks, crackers, sponge cake, dairy, nuts and seeds, tea, and yogurt. Eating snacks can either lead to weight gain or helping to maintain weight, as well as having an effect on the quality of a person’s diet. Snacks can be part of an overall nutritious diet, but they can also cause health issues if consumed too often. The difference between the two scenarios lies in snacking habits: what type of snacks, the purpose of snacking, how often one snacks, and how snacks fit into one’s overall diet.
Why and How Americans Snack
Studies have uncovered multiple reasons for snacking, such as hunger, cultural influences, eating while distracted, being bored, indulging, and having inadequate access to food. Snacks are everywhere in our food environment, and advertising may also be a factor. The US food and beverage sector allocates around $14 billion annually on marketing campaigns, with the majority of the spending (over 80%) advertising unhealthy options such as fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and snacks. Research has uncovered that consuming snacks that are not driven by hunger can lead to a greater total caloric intake. Studies have shown that people who experience strong emotions or psychological distress tend to consume more snacks that are higher in sugar and fat, as opposed to those that are low in energy.
The International Food Information Council’s 2020 Food & Health Survey provided various observations regarding how people in the United States consume snacks.
- About a quarter of Americans surveyed said they snacked multiple times a day, and one-third snacked at least once daily. The most popular reasons for snacking were hunger or thirst, to be eaten as a sweet or salty treat, and because snack foods were easily available.
- Forty percent said they at least occasionally replaced meals by snacking (lunch being the meal most often replaced) and 25% sometimes skipped meals entirely.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people under the age of 35 and parents with children under 18 years have reported snacking more than usual.
In kids, snacking accounts for almost a third of the calories they consume in a day, and the frequency of snacking has risen significantly over the past few years. It is worrying that a significant proportion of US kids and young people are overweight or obese, considering that they often snack on items that are full of calories but lacking in essential nutrients. Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey demonstrate that children don’t get enough calcium, vitamin D, dietary fiber, and potassium, yet they have a high intake of calories, carbs, and sodium. Snacks such as low-sugar yogurt, fresh fruit, raw veggies, and nuts may offer the necessary nutrients that young kids and preteens need while preventing excessive calories.
The Pros and Cons of Snacks
Studies have tried to investigate if snacking has a beneficial or detrimental effect on nutrition and health results, but there is no definite answer. It could be that there is not a unified, scientific definition of what qualifies as a snack. Research indicates that public health organizations around the world usually suggest that people restrain their intake of treats that are not good for you but are high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. It is further revealed that snacks account for approximately 10% of someone’s daily caloric intake and people tend to have roughly two snacks per day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends consuming nutrient-rich snacks, like raw vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts, and plain yogurt.
Benefits
- Provides a boost of energy if several hours pass between meals and blood glucose levels drop.
- Helps curb your appetite to prevent overeating at the next meal.
- Provides extra nutrients when choosing certain snacks like fresh fruit or nuts.
- Can help maintain adequate nutrition if one has a poor appetite but cannot eat full meals, such as due to an illness.
Pitfalls
- Unwanted weight gain if portions or frequency of snacking is too much, adding excess calories.
- Too much snacking can reduce hunger at meal times or cause one to skip a meal entirely, which increases the risk of losing out on important nutrients.
- Regular intake of ultra-processed hyperpalatable snacks that contain added salt, sugar, and fats but that are low in nutrients and high in calories can increase a preference for these types of foods, leading to a change in eating behaviors and diet quality (e.g., a higher intake of hyperpalatable snacks along with a decreased intake of healthful foods).
Power Snacking
Snacking can be planned out in advance. Make sure to include snack preparation in your schedule so that snacks aid you instead of causing you harm. Follow these simple steps and ask yourself:
- WHEN: Reflect on a typical day: what hours of the day between meals might you feel hungry or tend to grab extra food?
- WHY: If snacking occurs frequently, determine if you are truly hungry or eating because of an emotion (bored, stressed, tired, angry, etc.). If you are hungry, go to the next step. If you realize you are eating from emotion, consider using mindfulness strategies before snacking.
- WHAT: Decide which snack choices will satisfy you. A satisfying snack will alleviate hunger, be enjoyable, and help you to forget about food until your next meal! Think about the last snack you ate—did you still feel hungry or want to keep eating shortly after finishing one portion of the snack? Studies show that snacking on whole foods containing protein, fiber, and whole grains (e.g., nuts, yogurt, popcorn) enhance satisfaction. But it’s also important to pause before making a snack choice to consider what will truly satisfy: if you choose an apple when you really want salty popcorn or a creamy yogurt, you may feel unsatisfied and want more. If you do not have a specific craving but are trying to quiet hunger, choose a snack that is high in fiber and water that will fill your stomach quickly.
- HOW MUCH: A snack portion should be enough to satisfy but not so much that it interferes with your appetite for a meal or adds too many calories. A general rule of thumb is to aim for about 150-250 calories per snack. This is equivalent to an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, or a string cheese with 6 whole grain crackers. If choosing a packaged snack such as chips, dried fruit, or nuts, read the Nutrition Facts panel to learn what is one serving, found at the top of the panel. Keep in mind that it is easy to eat two or three portions of some types of snacks!
The Bottom Line
Nobody desires to become angry as a result of hunger while having a great time in the pool, so make sure to bring one or more of these treats for a wonderful and delightful day. No matter if you make a quinoa salad or go to the market to get crudites and hummus, make sure food safety is the most important thing when packing your snacks for the pool. When in doubt, keep your snacks on ice.