Finding The Perfect Movie Snack
I’ve spoken openly in the past about how finding alternatives within your weekly food intake can really help to make small changes that can have a big impact on your diet. Making healthy choices when having a BBQ, not being so quick to reach for the oil when you’re cooking and switching to low calorie snacks when you hit the 3pm slump. They can all contribute to a healthier you.
Last year we decided to revamp our living room after several movie nights where everyone was fighting over who got to sit where and even the dog would try and squeeze into the most inconvenient spaces! It’s the best thing we could have done and by rearranging the layout we now have the most amazing oversized corner sofa that we can all lounge on without feeling like we’re sitting on top of each other.
While it can be tempting to reach for the sweets, chocolate and toffee popcorn, this is definitely an example of when reaching for the healthier snacks is a much better choice, especially if movie night is something you do regularly. As we are now in full swing of British cherry season, they seemed like the perfect movie snack at the weekend after our busy day out. Did you know that just 100g of cherries can provide 25% of your daily recommended intake of calcium? They are bursting with benefits.
Sweet cherries are a highly nutritious fruit, full of powerful antioxidants known as anthocyanins. In fact being the richest source of anthocyanins 1 and 2 gives them their ruby colour. They look amazing, so vibrant that even my usually fussy son couldn’t wait to get his hands on them!
Cherries are low in calories but as well as that they have a low glycemic load meaning they are a great sweet treat for balancing blood sugar and maintaining a healthy weight. I’m sure most of us are familiar with that sugar high and subsequent sugar slump! Cherries can satisfy that little sugar craving while avoiding the sugar high that can have us feeling sluggish and listless before we know what’s hit us.
I’m really passionate about eating foods rich in antioxidants as if we can keep those niggly coughs and colds at bay, it can have such a positive impact on how you feel in yourself and how active you can then be as a family.
If you’d like to read how we usually spend our family days out, please click here.
One of the winning benefits for me is that both tart and sweet cherries are a source of our sleep hormone, melatonin. While research is still in it’s early stages there are promising results linking cherry juice to better sleep. I’m sure you’ll agree, an improved night’s sleep is a benefit we can all appreciate!
Enjoying the cherries as a movie snack definitely satisfied my need to nibble on something sweet, safe in the knowledge that I wasn’t overindulging and also feeling a little smug that I’d enjoyed some fantastic health benefits too! And after months (possibly years) of my son begging us to watch Harry Potter with him, his absolute favourite film, I have to say I now know what all the fuss was about.
*Disclaimer: This was a collaborative post with Love Fresh Cherries. All words and opinions are my own.
