In my role as a nutrition/weight loss specialist I’ve noticed that many people seem to have no problem eating well during regular meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) but when it comes to snacks they fall all to pieces. They don’t have anything pre-planned for snacks so they start eating whatever they can grab, or find themselves reaching for convenience foods that more often than not derail their healthy eating efforts.
So how do you avoid the snacking pitfalls? The answer is to plan!
I know, I know, planning snacks isn’t all that exciting. But you know what is exciting? Not having to think about what to eat because you already have your healthy snack ready to go. Knowing you are nourishing your body with the foods it needs and craves, which will make you feel (and look) better!
So why don’t we all plan our snacking? We like to fool ourselves into thinking we don’t have time to prep snacks for the week, but that simply isn’t true. Taking 10-15 minutes once/week you can get all of your snacks ready for the week which is less time than most people spend wondering what they should have for a snack each day. The real reason we don’t all plan our snacks is because a) we’ve never thought about it, b) we don’t want to.
Cut up some peppers, carrots, or other fresh veggies and store in air-tight containers in the fridge. Or purchase a package of high quality trail mix and portion the package out into single-serve portions to have ready all week long. It’s easy to grab a container or two on your way out the door without having to do a lot of thinking. Boom! snacks are ready and it’s only taken you 10 minutes.
Another of my favourite tricks is to keep a granola bar or protein bar (I like Nature’s Path Granola Bars) in my bag so if I happen to find myself somewhere without a real snack, I still have something in my bag I can eat instead of stopping for a chocolate bar or bag of chips.
It’s always easier to eat what you already have on had, versus having to stop and buy something, or go find something at the office.
Night Time Snacking
Night snacking seems to be the #1 issue my clients have trouble with, largely because it’s become such a habit for us to snack on something while watching TV. The problem with snacking late at night, is that we almost always crave those sugar filled carb-y treats versus carrot sticks. And eating that sort of food on a regular basis before bed reduces our sleep quality, increases cortisol and sends us down a dark tunnel of unbalanced hormones, and inevitable weight gain.
Obviously there are going to be times where eating chocolate or chips at night is going to happen. And really, you need to live so I think that’s fine. But a great rule is to ask yourself one question before grabbing that evening snack,
Am I really hungry?
If the answer is no, step away from the food. If you are really trying but still feel like you have to have something, grab an apple, some veggies, or some good quality popcorn like G.H. Cretors
which is certified organic, gluten-free, non-GMO and is made with ingredients you know and can pronounce. These bags are large enough to provide you with multiple snacks so I suggest portioning it the same way you would other snacks, in individual air-tight containers. Because let’s be real, this stuff is so good you can easily eat a whole bag in one sitting!
Not an evening eater? Popcorn makes a great afternoon snack as well. With 3g of fibre and 2-3g of protein/ 3 1/2 cups, popcorn like this helps to fill you up without filling you full of chemicals like those nasty microwave popcorn bags.
What? Popcorn, fruit & veggies and trail mix aren’t going to do the trick? Well then chances are you’re not really hungry and you need to take a step back and figure out why you want to eat in the first place.
Sometimes when we are stressed I think it’s good to indulge a bit, but only if you can limit yourself to a certain amount of “bad” stuff. If you don’t think you can eat “some” chocolates without eating the whole box, you’re better off not eating any at all.
And sometimes, the best answer is to stick to plain old water or lemon water. Boring? Yes. But better all the same.
What is your favourite healthy snack?
I’m pretty smitten with berries, but trail mix, veggies with dip (I like to make my dip with plain greek yogurt and Epicure dip mix), and of course popcorn are all favs! Oh! And pita chips with salsa, yummy.
Disclosure: G.H. Cretors provided me with the popcorn pictured above free of charge, however all thoughts an opinions are my own.