The Healthy Eating Habit Lara Trump Swears By For Snacking

Having snacks throughout the day can help you maintain your energy stores and stop you from overeating during meals. That said, you might want to reach for nutrient-dense snacks rather than fill your belly with "empty" calories as a result of boredom snacking. Fortunately, you can beat back boredom snacking with a few tips, including those from Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump. In fact, her smart snacking solutions might be the inspiration you need.

Lara has gained recognition for her intense workouts and impressive body transformations over the past decade. She's also an advocate for the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again movement, much like the diet- and fitness-focused Robert F. Kennedy. Therefore, it's hardly a surprise to learn that she practices healthy snacking habits.

According to reports, she makes sure that everyone in her household has access to fresh produce, string cheese, and peanut butter. But perhaps more intriguing is that she keeps a supply of radishes handy.

Radishes might sound like an unusual snack, especially at a time when baby carrots (which are just sculpted chunks of regular carrots) tend to be all the rage. Yet radishes are a powerful (if underrated) root vegetable packed with nutrients. One cup of sliced, raw radishes contains 1.86 grams of fiber, 29 milligrams of calcium, 11.6 milligrams of magnesium, 270 milligrams of potassium, and a 17.2 milligram dose of vitamin C — all for just 18.6 calories. Together, those have earned the radish a reputation for potentially being a cardioprotective and anti-cancer snack choice.

For instance, your heart may operate more efficiently thanks to the calcium, potassium, and vitamin C in radishes. On the "Love Your Heart" podcast, registered dietitian Julia Zumpano explained that consuming calcium through a wide range of foods encourages the body's cardiovascular system to function normally. Likewise, potassium has been shown to benefit the heart by counteracting high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.

Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it may also keep your heart stronger by defending it against oxidative stress damage. A 2020 review in Antioxidants showed a correlation between high levels of oxidative stress and heart attack and stroke episodes, hinting at antioxidants' potential as therapeutic agents to reduce cardiovascular incidents.

Consuming radishes may also protect you against certain cancers. For example, a 2017 study in Phytomedicine found that one of the compounds in radishes, sulforaphene, appeared to slow the growth of breast cancer cells under laboratory conditions.

If you've been looking for a way to shake up your snacking, adding this healthy vegetable to your list of options might be worth a try. (Just remember that radishes can be peppery.) And for good measure, like Lara Trump, you may want to keep your pantry stocked with radishes, or prep them in advance so that they're easily accessible as snacks (e.g., radish chips) or as healthy additions to your salads or burgers.