SMART SNACKING

Snacking isn’t necessarily unhealthy, as long as you make smart choices. Healthy snacks throughout your day can keep your stomach satisfied. We often go through our busy days – 8-12 hours at work, dinner, soccer practice, etc. – with little time to eat, making healthy eating seem impossible and fast food seem like the only solution. Even if you do have a chance to eat 3 meals a day you may still have hunger pains. This is the perfect opportunity to bring in smart and healthy snacks.

The differences between good snacking and bad snacking lay in what you eat and how much. Small healthy snacks throughout your day and in between meals can help to hold you over until your next meal and also curb your appetite so that you can reduce your portion sizes at lunch and dinner. Smart snacks can provide you with energy that allows you to do all you need to do in your busy day, as well as help keep you alert and focused, which is exactly what you need on your busiest days. They also ease the temptation of grabbing something unhealthy from the vending machine. Smart snacking can be an opportunity to take in the vitamins and nutrients that you need each day to stay healthy.

Smart snacking means staying away from foods that contain simple carbohydrates/sugars, like soda and candy bars, and instead choosing foods with complex carbohydrates like whole-grain breads. The best snacks are those that have fiber or protein, to keep you feeling full longer, paired with   a fruit or veggie (i.e. celery and peanut butter, cottage cheese and pineapple, or apple with almond butter).

The ideal way to feed our bodies is to eat several (4-6) small meals throughout the entire day. It’s important to begin the day with breakfast (within 1 hour of waking up) in order to jump-start your metabolism. Then eat a healthy snack between 100-200 calories every 2-3 hours.  Remember that if you begin to include snacks into your day, you need to cut back on portion sizes during meals so that you are not eating extra calories. It is easier for our bodies to metabolize smaller portions of food at a time. If you eat too much your body will story the excess calories as fat.

Most people view snacking as an action that causes weight gain. But if you choose the right snacks and eat the right amount, snacks can actually help you to lose weight. It’s important to provide fuel to your body throughout the day, but just because you are hungry doesn’t mean you have to eat until you are full. Check out serving size information on food labels so you know you are not taking in too much at one time. Smart snacking is also an effective way to maintain a steady blood sugar, which helps to prevent or manage diabetes. Small snacks frequently throughout the day provide constant energy to your body without a surge of insulin, which happens in response to eating too much sugar or too much of anything at one time.

Smart snack ideas…

-  Low-fat yogurt with or without chopped fruit

-  Peanuts and raisins

-  Almonds or walnuts

-  Low-fat cheese and whole-grain crackers

-  Apple, banana, or celery with or without natural peanut butter

-  Granola bar (look for ones that are low in sugar and fat)

-  Baby carrots and hummus

-  Rice cake with natural peanut butter and honey or raisins

-  Whole-wheat pretzels with spicy mustard

-  Whole-wheat fig bars

-  Air-popped popcorn with little to no butter

-  Fruit salad

-  Cottage cheese , pineapple, and pecans
-  Look for smart snacks in your supermarket

Smart snacking requires effort and preparation, but can be very rewarding. Remember to stock up on healthy and convenient snack items when grocery shopping and take the time each day to prep a few snacks for the next day.

Satisfy your cravings with smarter options. If you are craving chocolate or something sweet, have one Hershey Kiss or a piece of hard candy instead of cookies or soda. If you need something crunchy or salty, choose whole-wheat pretzels or baked tortilla chips instead of potato chips.

Don’t be fooled by the package! Many items are marketed as “healthy” but in fact are not. For example, many fruit juices are loaded with sugar and provide little nutritional value. Also, certain low-fat items may be low in fat but are often higher in sugar so that the product still tastes good.

Always keep healthy snacks with you; whether you keep a stash in your desk drawer or in your car, you always have something to turn to when you start feeling hungry. Be creative with your snacks so that they are more enticing than what is offered in the vending machine.

Be careful after dinner not to indulge in something sweet and fatty. Remember that weight loss is the product of burning more calories than taking in. If you are not exercising, try to avoid evening snacks, and if you are exercising try to make good decisions so that your exercise efforts are not voided by eating unhealthy snacks. Enjoy fresh fruit for a sweet and refreshing snack.  

If you would like to become a smart snacker, share some of your cravings below so we can help you find replacements OR if you are already a smart snacker share some of your favorites in the comments section below.