Snacks are okay as long as you are nibbling the right things between meals, as Eleanor Jones explains

Here are some nutritious homemade snacks to try, with all the recipes and ideas great for athletes too! Enjoy!

Roasted chickpeas

Chickpeas are a great source of fibre, and with a half-can providing one of your five-a-day, along with 9g of protein for just 120kcal, they are ideal for those afternoon snacks.

Method: Preheat oven (200°C). Rinse chickpeas and dry on kitchen paper. Top with 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, half-teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon paprika and olive oil. Bake for 30-40mins until crisp. Taken from nicsnutrition.com.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a great whole food – especially if you purchase it uncooked and make it yourself (you’ll find it in any major supermarket in the wholefood aisle). A 50g portion provides 6g protein and 38g of carbohydrate and so it’s ideal for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up before a training session.

To cook: Simply heat a small amount of oil in a pan, add the kernels and replace the lid. Wait for the popping to stop before removing from the heat.

Jazz it up: Add flaked almonds, dried fruit, spices (pepper/cinnamon/Cajun), salt, parmesan, peanuts.

Strawberry protein fluff

I just love some of Anna’s recipes from Protein Pow. She creates yummy snacks (including cake) and modifies them to accommodate athletic diets – check out her blog. Protein fluff is a great way to spice up protein powder and can be used as a recovery, or weight-loss snack.

Method: 30g vanilla whey, 100g frozen strawberries, 20-50ml whole milk and 0.5g xanthan gum (a thickener). Mix and blend to make fluff.

To serve: With jelly, add nuts and seeds, by itself or with fruit salad. Taken from proteinpow.com.

» Eleanor Jones is senior sport scientist at the University of Birmingham and a BASES-accredited sport scientist with an IOC diploma in sports nutrition