In today’s fast-paced world and lifestyle, snacking has become an integral part of the daily diet. But most snacks consumed today skew toward prepackaged and processed foods, that only add calories, but very little of anything else hence it is important to provide healthy yet tasty alternatives that are changing the quick snack culture in India.

Rishab Jain and Anubhav Gupta list reason on how to make evening snack delicious as well as healthy.

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* Opt for Makhana (Fox nut)

* Makhana is easy on the body and provides a wholesome alternative to unhealthy binging. They also are known as a great guilt-free snack around the world.

* With properties such as low in cholesterol, fat and sodium, they make for an ideal snack to satiate those in-between meal hunger pangs.

* They are beneficial to those suffering from high blood pressure, heart diseases and obesity due to their high magnesium and low sodium content. Besides this, makhana acts as an anti-oxidant, very light and good for digestion.

* While it is roasted in Olive oil, its mild flavour makes them a perfect everyday snack for all age groups. For the older audience, it is the perfect choice as an anti-ageing enzyme in these seeds is said to help repair damaged proteins.

* With the idea of catering to all Indian taste buds and all sections of the society, manufacturers are now introducing interesting flavours which are adaptable to the Indian palettes. The aware and health conscious Indian audience has now definitely started using Makhanas as a substitute for Popcorn. evening or late night snacking.

One can also try other variants of snacks.

* Nuts: Nuts are nature’s way of showing us that good things come in small packages. These bite-size nutritional powerhouses are packed with heart-healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

* Almonds: These are highly nutritional nuts rich in Vitamin E, Calcium, Iron amongst many others. Besides being great in taste, eating almonds boosts brain health, greatly effects weight loss, lowers your cholesterol and reduces your hunger, hence, lowering your overall calorie intake.

* Walnuts: Walnuts are most often eaten on their own as a snack. However, they can be added to salads, pasta, desserts, breakfast cereals, soups and baked goods as well. They’re often referred to as “brain food”.

* Berries: They are sweet superfruits with an unending list of benefits.

* Blueberries: Sweet in flavour, these berries are succulent and nutritious. They are the King of antioxidant foods, boost immunity, manage diabetes and help prevent cancer. Raw or dried, you can add either to your breakfast cereal/ smoothie or just sprinkle some over your garden salad and you’re good to go.

* Cranberries: These little red berries are a delectable, popular and healthful food. They not only help guard against UTIs, heart disease, types of cancer, and the flu but benefits oral health too. You can eat them in their raw state, but if the zesty flavour of fresh berries is not your thing, you can go for readily available jams or dried cranberries.

* Pumpkin seeds: Eat them raw, or roast them in the oven. Either way, these wholesome powerhouses are a formidable source of B vitamins, magnesium, iron and protein. They go great with your evening tea and considering their size, are an effective snack on-the-go!

* Flax seeds: When it comes to nutritional goodness, flaxseeds are full of it. Get creative and add them to your daily parfaits, yogurts, salads, smoothies or morning cereals. Nutritionists recommend a tablespoon of flaxseeds a day (which only contain approx 55 calories).