It can be hard to decide how we feel about snacking in general. On one hand, we’re told snacks are a good way to feed our body’s needs and keep our metabolism stoked.
On the other hand, snacking gets a bad rap for unneeded calories and mindless eating. Actually, a little of both is true. Here are healthy ways to handle your snack attacks.
Many people try not to eat between meals because the habit seems to have led them to weight gain. It’s easy to see how: popular snacks like cookies and chips, or late night snacks like ice cream and cold pizza, could be culprits. But it’s not the act of snacking itself, as much as the quality and timing of what you eat, that you should be looking at.
When you’re working out, snacks can actually serve as healthy fuel and recovery nutrition, instead of extra unneeded calories. And, when you stick to a healthy diet to lose weight, there’s no need to always feel hungry and deprived. Eating something small every 2- 3 hours can help stabilize your blood sugars, and keep you from gorging on your next meal.
So if the next time you want something to munch on between meals, go ahead…but be prepared with the right foods to tide you over.
Let’s talk about the two main pitfalls with grabbing a snack:
First, we need to look at why you’re having a snack in the first place. Snack time shouldn’t be an answer to boredom, or a way to occupy your idle hands. Make a conscious choice for each snack you select.
If you’re using a lot of energy throughout your week, in your workouts, or during other activities like charity races or weekend kayaking, you can benefit from the extra fuel. But if you’re watching TV and reaching in and out of a bag of pretzels for an hour, that’s another story.
The most obvious poor choices for snacks are “junk” foods and processed treats like french fries and candy bars. These high-carb choices tend to move through your digestion rather quickly, leaving you hungry again in a short time.
In fact, it’s all about making good choices! Here are five quick tips to help you do that: