Healthy Hacks - Open Door Dietitians Share Their Own Healthy Snacks and Cost-Saving Tips
For National Nutrition Month, we turned to our Open Door WIC dietitians to learn about their personal nutrition hacks—ways they make their snacking more healthy, or their cooking at home nutritious, simple, and budget-friendly.
Healthy, convenient snacks
My tip would be to always wash and cut fresh fruits and veggies ahead of time. That way when you are looking for a snack, they are ready to grab!
—Lacey Brown, Anderson WIC
Easy snack full of fiber and protein
My favorite snack is sliced apples dipped in a mixture of peanut butter and vanilla Greek yogurt.
—Rebecca Shroyer, Greenfield WIC
Money-saving kitchen tip
Try cooking an entire bag of dried beans all at once. It is cheaper than purchasing canned beans, you control the amount of sodium, and you can freeze extras for convenient use in the future. Toss them in salads, meat loaf, taco meat, or make a homemade bean dip/hummus out of them. Yum!
—Kristen Sherman, Anderson WIC
DIY trail mix
Trail mix is expensive, so I make my own with whatever I have on hand.
Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, peanutsDried fruit: cherries, cranberries, blueberriesEdamameDark chocolate chipsPretzels
—Leanna Cole, WIC Coordinator
Drinking enough water
If you don’t like the taste of plain water, add things to your water to give it more flavor. Some easy options are fruits like lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit. You can also add herbs. Try basil, mint, or cilantro.
—Leanna Cole, WIC Coordinator
Not familiar with WIC? This program provides supplemental grocery assistance, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support for pregnant women, new mothers, and children up to age 5.
