6 Gut-Healthy Snacks for the Mediterranen Diet : Mediterranean-style snacks can improve your health in a number of ways, including your heart, brain, and digestive system. That’s just one of the reasons U.S. News & World Report selected the eating pattern as the best in the world for six consecutive years. These delicious snack dishes will help you enjoy the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet by showcasing items like nuts, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. In addition, they contain a wealth of delectable pre- and probiotic components, such as yogurt, beans, and bananas, which provide fiber and bacteria that maintain the microbiome and guard your body against inflammation and chronic illness. Tahini-yogurt dip and banana-blueberry muffins are two examples of tasty, nutrient-dense recipes that can make you feel your best.
6 Gut-Healthy Snacks for the Mediterranen Diet
1. Tiramisu-Inspired Energy Balls
The traditional Italian dessert tiramisu serves as the flavor inspiration for these sugary energy balls. Dates give sweetness and instant espresso powder provides bitterness to make a well-balanced flavor. A final coating of cocoa powder recreates the famous appearance of the dessert. It will be much easier to roll the balls if you have a small dish of water close by to keep your fingers wet. Additionally, since cooling helps the mixture stay together, don’t skip it.
2. Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake
This rich, protein-rich smoothie tastes like a chocolate-peanut butter banana milkshake and will keep you full for hours. Because soymilk, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter already contain protein, you don’t even need to add protein powder.
3. Banana-Blueberry Muffins
Cottage cheese and peanut butter give these incredibly moist and delicate muffins an extra protein boost. The natural sweetness from the banana complements the blueberries’ flavor without taking over. Fresh or frozen blueberries both function well. Try adding chopped apple or raspberries for a unique spin.
4. Easy Black Bean Dip
This creamy bean dip is great for a party or picnic. Smoked paprika and ground chipotles add a robust, earthy flavor, but you can also use regular paprika and cayenne if you don’t have the other spices on hand.
5. High-Fiber Guacamole Snack Jar
When you arrange red bell pepper slices, pepper Jack cheese, and guacamole in a mason jar, a nutritious and flavorful snack is always accessible. To temper the heat, replace the pepper Jack with ordinary Jack or Cheddar cheese. Serve this snack with tortilla chips, pretzels, or crackers to bulk it up.
6. Banana-Peanut Granola Bars
These homemade, healthful granola bars taste just like peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Make sure you’re looking for dried bananas as opposed to chips. Because they are fried in oil, the chips may taste bad if they are not stored correctly. The sticky sweetener that kept the bars together the best was brown rice syrup, which we tested along with honey and maple syrup.