Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

268 Part III: Simple Recipes to Enjoy Anytime

When you make your snack, put away all the ingredients and clean up right

away. You’ll be less tempted to have more if you have to start the process all

over again. Also, eat your snack mindfully so you know what you’re eating

and when you feel satisfied. Eating in front of the TV or at the computer is

unconscious eating and usually leads to overeating.

Finding Not-So-Ordinary Fruit Snacks

Fruit is a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s a great snack and

even better when combined with some protein. You may be inclined to avoid

fruit because of the sugar content; however, the sugar is naturally occurring

and doesn’t cause a dumping problem like added sugars.

Some folks have problems with fruit peels getting stuck, so if in doubt, peel it.

Storing your fruit

Storing your favorite fruits a dark, cool space

is best. If left out of the refrigerator, fruit ripens

faster and doesn’t last as long than if refrigerated.

When refrigerated the fruit takes longer to

go bad and in some cases may never ripen

to its fullest potential. Bananas are a perfect

example of when that’s a good thing: When

picked, they’re green and need to ripen, so leaving

them on the counter for two to three days

makes them perfect for eating. If refrigerated

they can take up a week to ripen and some

cases never reach their full ripening potential.

T Apple with Honey Almond Butter

Apples are sweet and crunchy, and with this quick and easy honey–almond butter dip

(see the color section for a photo), snacks can’t get any quicker. Almond butter is a nice

change from peanut butter and doesn’t have sugar or salt added. You can find it in the

same aisle at the grocery.

Stage: Regular foods

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving (1 apple with dip)